Career Blog

Take you Daughter to Work Day – Stone Hill at Andover

On April 25 we celebrate National Take your Son/Daughter to Work Day and what better way to celebrate than getting to know some of the parent/child duos we have working at Northbridge!

From proud moments to honest feedback and inspiring stories there is so much that happens working alongside a family member.  We can’t wait to share a few of the experiences that happen within our Northbridge communities with you.

Mother/Daughter: Karla and Leah Rossi
Community: Stone Hill at Andover

A little about Karla: 

Karla is the Executive Director at Stone Hill at Andover and has been with the community since November 2018, before the building opened. As Executive Director, Karla ensures the community is in compliance with state, federal and safety requirements.

A little about Leah:

Leah started working at Stone Hill at Andover while she was in high school in June of 2019. She started working at the reception desk then became a server in the dining room. Leah went to Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School and completed the nursing program. This allowed her to receive her CNA license while she was in school and work as a Resident Care Associate at Stone Hill.

Questions for Karla:

1. What is your favorite part about working with your daughter?
   When Leah comes in, she see’s things from an outside perspective and picks up on things that we have grown used to but could be improved. Since she is in the nursing field, she often works on specific projects to make sure the community is able to run at it’s full potential. We work really well together and she’s honest with me about what she see’s and what she thinks we could improve upon.
2. A moment at work you felt proud of your daughter?
   I have a lot of proud moments, one that really sticks out is a project that she took on herself. She noticed something that could be improved in our Avita Memory Care neighborhood and worked with the nurses and associates to figure out what why there was an issue. She pulled everything apart and came up with a more efficient way to do things that streamlined the process, ensuring that our residents get the best care.
3. One thing you admire about your daughter and her work?
   The compassion that she has for our residents. It’s kind of cool, when she’s not here, people ask me when she’s coming back. She has a genuine kindness about her, and a love for helping people which is why she’s in the nursing field. When she does something, she does it well.

Questions for Leah:

1. What is your favorite part about working with your mother?
   Similar to what she mentioned, we work very well together and I’m able to give her an outside perspective of what’s going on, and I’m very honest with her. We bounce ideas off of each other about ways to improve the community. Just having a familiar face at the community is nice because sometimes it can get a little crazy in here.
2. A moment at work you felt proud of your mom?
   There’s been a lot of moments. I think in general, I admire how well she takes everything. Her job is hard, she does a lot and she deals with a lot so I think the way that she holds herself, and how she holds down the ship, and keeps everybody together is really admirable.
3. One thing you admire about your mom and her work?
   Her compassion for the residents and associates at Stone Hill. There are a lot of associates here that have followed my mom from other places that she worked because she’s such a great boss and I think that’s really inspiring.

Questions for Karla and Leah:

1. How long have you worked in senior living?
   Karla: I graduated from Penn State in 1992 and I’ve been in healthcare ever since, my degree is in health administration. When I was in college I worked as a home health aide and when I graduated I went right into nursing homes. I worked in the admission department initially, I did a little bit of social service. Funny enough, at my first job in Wilmington, Delaware I worked with Leslie Robinson (Northbridge Senior VP of Operations). It’s amazing how, so many years later, our paths have crossed again. I was a licensed nursing home administrator for 13 years until my mom developed Alzheimer’s. At that point, I started looking at options for my parents which is when I stumbled upon Assisted Living and realized how great it was, that was about 10 years ago.
   Leah: My first healthcare job was here at Stone Hill, since I was able to get my CNA license in high school, I worked for 3 or 4 years as a Resident Care Associate. I took a break when I started nursing school at Rivier University and now I’m back per diem. As a kid I remember going to nursing homes with my mom so I feel like I grew up in nursing homes.
2. What inspired you to work in senior living?
   Karla: I’ve always had an interest in the medical field and when I started college I didn’t know what I wanted to do, I just knew that I wanted to do something to help people. My original major was psychology and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with that degree without needing to get my doctorate so I looked into nursing. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the blood and guts part of nusring so I spoke with my advisor who suggested I look into the business side of healthcare, which I did and ended up graduating with a degree in healthcare administration.
   Leah: What inspires me to work in senior living is my grandmother. She had Alzheimer’s and my family did a lot of work with her. We took care of her in her end stages and I think that’s what sparked my interest in nursing. I have a passion for memory care specifically, which is why I love working in the Avita Memory Care neighborhood at Stone Hill.
   Karla: Leah wrote her college essay about her Nana, I think she’s so good working in memory care because she has a lot of patience and a desire to help people.
3. What is the best part about working together?
   Leah: I really like that I have somebody who, when I’m telling a crazy story, knows the background around what I’m sharing. I’ll come to her with a crazy story, or she’ll come to me with a crazy story and we have that bond.
   Karla: I think also, so much happens within an assisted living community from happy and joyous moments to the sometimes sad days and having someone who can relate to what I’m feeling in those moments is amazing. I love being able to work together and bounce ideas of each other.
4. What are your favorite parts about working in senior living and Stone Hill at Andover?
   Karla: my favorite part goes back to being able to help people. Some days you can feel like your hanging on by the tips of your finger nails to get through the day but in the end, when you think back, you’ve done at least one small thing to make a difference in someone’s day. We do a lot and help a lot of people. Sometimes, when a new resident moves in, it can be a tough transition. I love seeing them a little bit down the road blossoming and being so successful in this environment. It’s heartwarming and I enjoy watching that journey. It can be really hard to convince someone to make the decision to move in, when they finally take the leap they’ll say ‘Why didn’t I do this a long time ago, it’s such a great thing.” I’ve worked for other companies within the industry and Northbridge is the best as far as the culture, being family oriented and being supportive of our residents, families and associates.
   Leah: The environment here, everyone is very supportive of each other. When I worked here as an RCA I was in high school, and I struggled a lot throughout high school. Being here was a safe haven for me. When you’re here so often you form a bond with the residents and they were kind of like extra grandparents to me. It’s a really rewarding job. The community here is really supportive and getting to know all the families of the residents has been such a rewarding experience.
   Karla: I still have a card that Leah wrote for me when the building first opened which I love to look at, it makes me really proud. When you’re opening a new community it’s a lot and I remember coming in one day and she had worked the evening shift the night before and left a letter on my desk letting me know how proud she was to work here and that I was her mom, that was such a special moment for me.

Last thoughts…

Leah: I want to emphasize how much she really does, I think a lot of people don’t see a lot of it, it gets brushed under the rug but she truly deals with so much and she’s very supportive of really everybody here. Like I said, there are people that have followed her because she’s such a great boss and she does a great job managing everybody and she lives and breaths the choas. Sometimes, I think she doesn’t get as much recognition as she deserves.

Karla: Sometimes I look back and say, I missed one of her volleyball games or I missed my other daughters lacrosse game, because I was so focused on supporting the business and so involved in the success of the community. It’s easy to feel guilty for not paying enough attention to my family and it’s hard being a working parent and balancing both responsibilities. I’m grateful that my kids have been so supportive of me in that regard.

View our careers website today to view open positions, what a day working at Northbridge is like, and why our associates love to work here.

As a New England senior living company, we pride ourselves in being the local choice for families in need of assisted living or memory care. We look to our teams of associates to truly make our communities home for our residents. Whether that’s a helping hand or a moment to listen to a story, our associates are dedicated and compassionate. With 18 communities in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, we hope you’ll find your home here too. If you already love what you do, and want to love where you work, apply now! We look forward to meeting you.