If you have ever been inside a nursing home you know some of our most fragile population is housed there. The care provided to that generation is answered by the most genuine people whose hearts are knit together with patience and compassion. To answer that call is not a decision that is always easily made. But for one nurse it was evident from the moment she walked into a nursing home that caring for those patients is what she was meant to do. “Those people are my family,” said Tena Windham a Licensed Vocational Nurse who has dedicated her entire nursing career to long term care.

As a single mom of 3 Tena recalled a time she didn’t have 50 cents to give her son to buy ice cream at school. That day she realized she needed a job that would help her family grow independently. Tena decided to enroll in the nursing program at TSTC in Sweetwater and from there she graduated LVN school in 2003. She was nervous when she began her nursing career at Songbird Lodge right here in Brownwood. “I will never forget how other seasoned nurses in long term care took me under their wing as if I was their “baby nurse.” They had so much to teach me and enjoyed passing on what they have learned over the years to me.”

Since then Tena has spent her entire nursing career dedicated to patients in long term care facilities. “All of my grandparents passed away before I really got to know them. So for the past 18 years I have had the pleasure of serving many “grandparents” by making sure they were all taken care of as if they were my very own.” I’ve had thousands of sweet grandma and grandpas! I look forward to their hugs daily. And to this day when I lose one, I’m a blubbering mess.” Tena said she promises none of her “grandparents” will ever die alone.

When Tena entered the nursing field she did it to give her family stability but it has become so much for her. “Nursing is a great career to help your family be independent but long term care is not for everyone, so if you want to do long term care for the money, please go elsewhere. Elderly residents need our time, sympathy, compassion and love!”

Nurses and healthcare workers had to learn a whole new level of patience and understanding when the Covid 19 pandemic began 2 years ago. The disruption that came with the pandemic shook health care professionals to their core and this was no different for Tena. 18 memorable years but she said she will never forget the way Covid changed nursing. When the pandemic began there were individuals all over the world that didn’t know what to do. Despite the

uncertainty many health care professionals chose to stand up, set aside the feelings of fear, and do what they know best- protect the fragile, the hurting, and the sick.

There are many things, like the pandemic, that have changed during Tena’s nursing tenure but one thing remains, her love for her patients, the ones she calls her grandparents.  Tena said, “I would like to thank all the families of the residents that I was fortunate enough to care for, THANK YOU for sharing your loved ones with me!” My nursing career made it possible to raise my babies without struggling financially and it has given me a sense of worth in my life. Would I do it all over again? YES!”

Tena gives special thanks to Shelley Robinett who has influenced her nursing career immensely and made her the nurse she is today. And I think I can speak on behalf of many when I say we give special thanks to those like Tena who answer the call to take care of our most treasured generation of loved ones.