Mike Barrett
Julie Kyte, a registered practical nurse at Newmarket’s Barton Residence, is winner of a Nightingale Award for nursing, beating out thousands of entries.
Aurora
May 17, 2008 11:22 PM
By: Amanda Persico
Some say wisdom comes with age.
For Julie Kyte, a registered practical nurse, insight and age surround her.
“There’s a lot of wisdom under this roof,” she said of the people at the Barton Retirement Residence in Newmarket.
“Seniors are like diamonds. All so different and with many facets. With the right light, they sparkle.”
This week, Mrs. Kyte, director of personal care, received the Nightingale Award in tandem with National Nursing Week. Even though co-workers tried to keep her nomination party a secret, Mrs. Kyte knew something was in the works.
‘Seniors are like diamonds. All so different and with many facets. With the right light, they sparkle.’
“I didn’t know when or where,” she said. “You can’t be an intuitive nurse and not know something was happening.”
It’s her nursing sixth sense that set her apart from the thousands of nominees, said Kathleen Kennedy, Barton Residence administrator.
“She has terrific insight and diagnostic skills,” she said. “She’s 99.99-per-cent dead on.”
As director of care, Mrs. Kyte is responsible for managing medications for seniors; some take up to 25 pills a day. Mrs. Kyte insists no staff member should be unaware of any health situations, Mrs. Kennedy said.
“Many seniors are forced into retirement residences because of mismanagement of meds,” Mrs. Kennedy said.
Part of training 16 personal support workers and overseeing 84 residents, Mrs. Kyte ensures members of the Barton community understand what the pills are for and why they are taking them.
“You can’t just say, ‘Oh, it’s arthritis,’ and give them a Tylenol,” she said. “I’ve come to know the residents and can identify if something is out of the normal.”
Mrs. Kyte started at Barton five years ago, when her parents were put into long-term care. The hardest thing was dealing with the role reversal between daughter and parent, she said.
“I fell into that trap. My mother started asking me for advice on things that I would ask her.”
Along with advice, residents share their life stories with Mrs. Kyte. The mapping of family relations and past decisions becomes complex, sometimes even overwhelming, Mrs. Kyte said.
“Reminiscing is part of the ebb and flow of life,” she said. “It’s important to encourage them and tell them they did a good job for who they were.”
Amanda Persico is a journalism co-op student from Centennial College.