George Olfert - Registered Nurse

In the most calm and soothing voice, George Olfert tells me he looks forward to retiring any day now.  A faint cheeky expression sparks in his eyes, as he throws a sideways grin to the Salem Home CEO as she strolls by.  They simultaneously burst out laughing and I can’t help but join them.  “It’s good to have a laughing CEO,” he said. 

A graduate of Brandon University’s Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric Nursing [B.Sc.P.N.], George has worked as an RN at Salem Home since 1988 and is definitely not ready to retire.  The satisfaction he gets from his position at Salem Home’s Special Care Unit and Alzheimer’s Unit is what keeps him going strong. 

At Salem Home, the employee structure and corporate values give way for employees to take a holistic approach to their jobs, with more time to help the residents. This gives George the opportunity to exercise what Salem calls ‘relational care’ – building a relationship with residents and thus a deeper understanding of their needs.

He said, “It’s very rewarding working in this kind of a setting where you actually have time to take care of your residents, you can spend time with them and their families. I’m really a hands on person. I prefer interacting with people rather than sitting behind a desk and charting and doing paper work.”

By working closely with the family members, George can help them to understand behavioural issues such as dementia, showing them there are many effective ways of handling the situation.  “You’re not just treating the resident, you’re working with the entire family,” he said. This shared understanding helps bring comfort to the resident and the family. 
 

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