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Honoring Nurses Throughout the Years, Part Three

Diana-smpraos

In honor of Nurses Week 2021, SALMON Health and Retirement is celebrating several Residents who were formerly nurses. These Residents have shared their remarkable nursing experiences and accomplishments as well as their perception of the nursing industry today.

In part three of Honoring Nurses Throughout the Years, Residents of Whitney Place at Sharon, Maureen Grady and Diana Smpraos, share their experiences as nurses.

Maureen-grady

Maureen Grady knew at a young age she wanted to be a nurse. In elementary and junior high school, she read Sue Barton, Student Nurse, a book series about a nurse in training. As a Girl Scout, Maureen earned her First Aid badge, and in high school, she worked as a nursing aid at a general hospital. When her youngest child entered elementary school, Maureen attended nursing school. Upon graduating, she worked mostly in long-term care settings, including New England Sinai in Norwood, Massachusetts. In total, Maureen dedicated over 20 years to the field. She found a great sense of personal fulfillment in nursing—one of her most treasured possessions is a ‘thank you’ letter from the daughter of one of her patients. Maureen is a kind, gentle, compassionate person, and the first one to send someone a personalized note. She loved spending quality time with patients and truly getting to know them; now, she wishes nurses were still able to dedicate that individualized time but understands that they are very busy with other aspects of the profession, such as documentation. Maureen is very active on the Sharon campus; she recently initiated a project to raise money for a local food bank and contributes uplifting quotes weekly to be displayed in the Whitney Place community.

Diana Smpraos’ older sister, who was a nurse, inspired her to enter the field. She received her bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Wisconsin and spent the majority of her career as a nurse at an institute for mental health where she was the only registered nurse for a total of six buildings. Diana also taught at the School of Nursing at Wisconsin for three years, describing the experience as “most rewarding.” She also found great value in possessing the ability to provide patients relief and says she “would do it all over again if [she] could.”

SALMON Health and Retirement