Care Partner Superstar: Becky Delahunty
Becky is a true care partner, who loves her work.”I just love being here. I love helping our residents; it’s second nature to me..."
Becky Delahunty was promoted to Active Living Director at The Hampton & Ashley Inn after serving as Active Living Coordinator for two years. Her enthusiasm for her role and dedication to residents is wildly apparent, and is more than deserving of this honor.
“I just love having fun with our residents,” Becky said. “I think it’s so exciting when they pick up something new or they learn something new or they’re doing a task that they didn’t think they could accomplish. It just makes my day. I just love being here.”
As the Activity Director, Becky spends her days leading residents in a variety of programs to keep them physically active and cognitively engaged. The residents have fun playing games like Bingo and working on puzzles, but also challenge themselves with trivia and art. She’s in the midst of planning for an upcoming Halloween party and costume contest. “We had a great exercise group this morning and it was so fun,” Becky said. “And I love to join them and be silly with them and make it all so lighthearted.”
Becky explained that the newly created “Men’s Club” spends time doing some “extra-manly” activities. “Since so many of the ladies join our groups, I decided that it would make sense for once or twice a week to do things just the men would want to do. We did a woodworking project, for example. We’ve made (and eaten) pizzas, and of course play lots of card games.” Becky is a superstar because she’s always looking for new ways to engage her residents.
While Becky spends a lot of time thinking about what’s best for the entire group, she’s always making sure that each resident has options and opportunities to try new things. “We’ll go out of our way to make sure that everybody gets involved, including those who seem reticent,” Becky said. “We’ll give them the daily calendar and point out some fun things to do. I’ll ask residents to help me with an activity, like calling out bingo numbers. They love feeling needed. We find a way to get them out of their rooms into the community. And for those who want to spend time in their rooms, we’ll visit them and bring them something to do.”
At home, Becky cares for her mother who has dementia. So providing care is fully ingrained in her life.
Becky is a true care partner, who loves her work.”I just love being here. I love helping our residents; it’s second nature to me. I’m at home taking care of my 80-year-old mother. It’s just what I do — that’s what I’m here for.”
