After Hurricane Irene, Baltimore 1199er brings light to elderly residents in the dark

When Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc along the east coast last weekend, thousands of people lost electricity for days. Elderly residents at the Springwell Senior Living Community in Baltimore were hit especially hard. Luckily for them, 1199ers like Carolyn Taylor-Chester were on hand to provide care to residents without power.

Chester picked up extra shifts at the home in order to help the facility compensate for the lack of power. "My co-workers and I have been picking up extra shifts and doing the best we can to help out our residents."

Without electricity, Chester and her co-workers had to overcome a lot of challenges. “It was scary when the power went out – a lot of our residents are disabled and got stuck downstairs because the elevators weren’t working.” She adds, “With the electricity being out, it’s been hard to keep our residents comfortable and cool and my co-workers and I have had a hard time getting up and down the stairs in the dark.

An 11-year veteran of the facility, Chester says she and her co-workers have been through a lot together and worked as a team during the power outage. “We’ve known each other for a long time and we’ve just been putting our heads together to do the best we can for our patients and each other.”

1199 members like Carolyn Taylor-Chester see their work as a mission of caring and compassion rather than just another job. This is only one example of how they go above and beyond every day, especially when their patients need it the most.