By Richard Dagenais, SAPA Communications Specialist
To say that Renee Romano enjoyed her time working at Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre would be a gigantic understatement.
The bubbly centenarian spent 28 years there and insists, “I had the best times of my life at Maimonides.”
When she arrived in Montreal in 1964, her credentials were not recognized in Quebec despite five years of nursing studies in Egypt, and she was not permitted to work as a registered nurse.
Barely a month after her arrival, and just as Maimonides moved from Esplanade Avenue to its current location in Côte Saint-Luc, Ms. Romano began working as an orderly or, as it’s referred to now, a préposée aux bénéficiaires (PAB).
Throughout her time at Maimonides, Ms. Romano appreciated the strong sense of family that prevailed among staff members and residents.
“Everyone was kind, from the people at the top of the administration to the people who cleaned the floor.”
Renee Romano
Ms. Romano was among the 21 residents at Donald Berman Jewish Eldercare who were honoured last October at the long-term care centre’s annual celebration for centenarians.
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, on June 9, 1923, Ms. Romano remembers exactly how the rooms and wings of the Maimonides are laid out. The 101-year-old also remembers healthcare professionals coming from the U.S. and Japan to observe how she and her fellow employees interacted with older adults at Maimonides.
“I used to give them a shower,” says Ms. Romano, “and they would talk about their children and their families and after I finished washing them, lifting them and dressing them, some of them would give me twenty-five cents.”
“I said, ‘What is this for?’ and they would answer, ‘Because you gave me a shower.’ I told them You don’t have to pay money to have a shower.’” Ms. Romano refused several times to join the union at Maimonides but, when she finally joined to become treasurer, one of the first changes she helped implement was the banning of tips.
She says working conditions also improved, as pay went up and PABs were assigned six patients each, instead of 12.
“The patients we had, those people were like our family,” says Ms. Romano.
Josie Di Benedetto, Coordinator of Therapeutic Leisure and Recreology, often interacts with Ms. Romano, describing her as a vibrant lady who lights up a room with her smile. “She cares about everyone, especially the staff, and always asks about their families!”
After retiring as a PAB, Ms. Romano, not one for standing still, volunteered for 10 years at a golden age wellness centre where she organized a group to help keep everyone walking and physically active.
She could easily organize one now to keep everyone smiling.