Karen Silva, a licensed practical nurse at Bridges by EPOCH at Westford, has worked with seniors for approximately 30 years and has worked at Westford for about a year-and-a-half.
An experienced nurse, Karen spends her time helping our residents with their daily needs, including assisting in administering medications and ensuring the safety of each resident with routine rounds through our community.
But her favorite part of the job is just being able to sit down with residents and talk. “I love listening to them,” she said. “I know a lot of the time with nursing, there’s the rush of giving out medications, so just taking the time to sit with them—they really appreciate that.”
Karen doesn’t just provide support to the residents though. She’s been a rock to Executive Director Jennifer Connolly, who says Karen really stepped up to the plate during the recent snow storms that hit Massachusetts.
Karen stayed overnight for several nights when the snow hit, staying even longer when another nurse was unable to make it in due to the storm. Helping with dinners and providing support to the nursing assistants, Karen helped to maintain calm after the worst of the snow fell.
Karen previously worked at another assisted living facility in Chelmsford before joining the team at Westford. She began her career as a senior care nurse at a nursing home but realized along the way how much she enjoyed working specifically with memory impaired seniors. “I just enjoy what they have to say, and sitting and listening to them and interacting with them,” she said.
Born in Lowell, Karen enjoys spending her time with her children, a son and daughter, and her grandchildren, Camden and Harper. Harper, a newborn, was born on Feb. 22 and has kept her family busy since!
Both of Karen’s children live close to her so she is able to see them often—a blessing for the proud grandmother. She’s sure to be busy over the next several months, providing thoughtful care to our residents and helping to take care of little Harper!