Golden Living Profiles

Cheryl E., MSN

Executive Director
AseraCare Hospice

For five and a half years, Cheryl has been an executive director with AseraCare Hospice. According to her, her responsibilities in this role are, simply, to serve others. She is responsible for staff development, patient and family customer service, mentoring her employees and ensuring that her agency’s operations run smoothly on a daily basis.

Working in hospice has taught Cheryl a lot about life. She knows the importance of appreciating the moment and not being preoccupied with the future. She believes that the patients and families she works with deserve certain things from her and her team: a listening ear, a compassionate heart and an understanding for their personal situations.

One situation in particular put things in perspective for Cheryl. After many months of involvement with an Alzheimer’s patient, she realized that she was very attached to her and was experiencing anticipatory grieving. “I decided to tell her how much she meant to me and how much I appreciated caring for her,” she explained, “but I would be turning her daily care over to another health professional.” After carefully choosing her words and preparing for the conversation, she chose a time to deliver the news when her patient appeared to be very lucid. Cheryl recalls, “Clear as a bell, she looked at me after I delivered my speech, and she said, ‘No big deal, honey. You never did much for me anyway.’ I laughed so hard I cried, as she just taught me humility and to expect nothing in return when serving others.”

Cheryl also strives to be involved in her community and to nurture her staff so that they may achieve their goals and advance in their careers. She is a member of the Georgia Nurses Association and the Georgia Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.