Sheilla Hendrickson, the Unit Manager at CarDon’s Greenwood location, knew she found a second home when she visited the community on a whim 17 years ago.
“I just happened to drive by, and it caught my eye, so I went inside,” she said. “I felt like I was home. I believe it was fate that led me there.”
Sheilla started eyeing the path toward nursing when she was a little girl. She recalls a particularly memorable trip to the hospital when her younger sister was bitten by a stray dog.
“I was young, but I remember the nurse bringing her out of the ER, and I thought, ‘What a great person that woman was for fixing up my little sister and helping her heal,’” Sheilla said.
Sheilla now deals with the same sort of wound care in her role as Unit Manager of CarDon’s Greenwood location. Among other things, she also monitors residents, manages medications and serves as a resident advocate, listening to their feedback and making their days at the community as great as they can be.
“These residents are like family to me,” she said. “It’s so rewarding to be able to help them.”
Above all, Sheilla appreciates how, like a family, CarDon is able to create beautiful, lasting memories for its residents. Her community’s “senior prom” stands out in her mind.
“The staff worked really hard to make that night special,” she said. “We collected formal wear and did the ladies’ hair and makeup. We also donned them in jewelry and gave them flowers. Our male employees escorted the ladies, and our female staff escorted the men. I’ll never forget all the smiles on everyone’s faces. It was a night to remember.”
Sheilla looks forward to many more special days and nights in her second home at CarDon.
