CAREERS IN NURSING: ALZHEIMER’S & MEMORY CARE – HERITAGE POINT OF OKC

by Vickie Jenkins – Writer/Photographer

Heritage Point of Oklahoma City specialized in Alzheimer’s and Memory Care Services. Thoughtfully built to create a warm, nurturing, home-like atmosphere, every detail of how the homes are designed and every aspect of what they do is specifically planned to provide the specialized service for those who are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other related memory impairments.
Customer service is at the top of everything that Heritage Point does and is tailored to each resident based on their needs and desires. The amenities and services not only provide for life’s necessities, but also encourage positive relationships among their residents, their families and their associates. Heritage Point was created to ensure that those seniors dealing with various forms of dementia have the encouragement, support and ability to live an active and meaningful life.
Here, you will find outstanding nurses throughout, assisting the residents with their needs. Meet Brittany Bert, LPN. Growing up in Anadarko, OK, she went to Caddo Kiowa Technology Center in Fort Cobb, OK. Brittany has been a nurse for 3 years and enjoys caring for the residents.
Asking Brittany what qualities make a good nurse, she replied, “A nurse needs good communication with the patients and her co-workers, they need to be kind and considerate to others and be a very good listener,” she said. “I enjoy working with the residents here. Working with someone that has memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease is a little different than working in a hospital or assisted living home. Sometimes, if the resident gets upset over something or they are not feeling well, I feel like I am good at calming the resident down. They have just forgotten something and may say the same words over and over. It’s just their way of communicating. Sometimes, all they need is a little love and a hug or two and they begin to calm down,” Brittany said.
Brittany’s biggest reward from working at Heritage Point is the satisfaction of knowing that she has helped someone, whether it is something big or small; it is important to the resident. The biggest challenge Brittany has is time management on her part. “Sometimes, there can be so much to do and not enough time to do it, or so it seems,” she said. “I just need to plan a little better so I won’t get overwhelmed on things,” she said.
Asking Brittany to describe her personality, she had a quick answer. “First of all, I am a very quiet person. Even though I am quiet, I can still be a great leader and lead others if I need to. I am a very caring person and have always enjoyed taking care of others. I am very resilient and a hard-worker. When I have a job to do, I will always get it done and it will be done the right way. I am a patient person. I have always been like that so I don’t get upset over little things,” she said. “Now, add all of these things together and you’ve got me,” she said with a smile.
Do you have any advice for someone going into the medical field? I ask Brittany. “I would tell them to study hard and don’t take anything personal. Just know that each person has their own little ways of dealing with things. Teamwork is very important. You have to have teamwork in the medical field. Be patient, study hard and don’t give up on anything, especially yourself.”
One important person in Brittany’s life while growing up was her Aunt Erika who raised her. “She was always there for me, no matter what. She was a great encourager and I always looked up to her in every way. She was an educator, teacher and then a principal. I remember going up the school with her sometimes and she was always a very caring person. She was kind and considerate and had all the answer when I would ask for advice.”
Ending with some wise words that Brittany’s fifth grade teacher pounded into their little absorbent heads: Always have common sense, thinking before acting, using good judgement.