Michele Davis has worked for Springbrook since 1996 and is celebrating her 25-year milestone. For the better part of 25 years, Michele has dedicated her knowledge and understanding to those who attend the Oneonta Day Habilitation center with person-centered compassion. Michele’s first introduction to Springbrook was at the then-new Kelly Corners community home, where she worked for three years. After taking a brief hiatus to raise a family, Michele was “talked into” becoming an LPN by friends who could see that she would have what it takes: a good-natured attitude and a beneficent approach to care.
Michele is humble in discussing her work. When COVID-19 protocols were implemented, Michele and other LPNs at Springbrook took the opportunity to adapt to the changes and how they worked to accommodate in-person visits to community homes and virtual visits. In many ways, Michele is grateful for having the one-to-one time with residents—which she doesn’t always have the opportunity for at day hab—and whom she got to know more personally during this time. “It’s nice to be back here [at day hab]; I missed working with everyone,” she says.
Michele and her husband have celebrated 28 years of marriage and have 14-year-old twins entering their first year of high school this September. Together, they have enjoyed regular camping trips to the Adirondacks, and several cruises to the Caribbean islands. Michele has been to Jamaica, where she swam at Dunn’s River Falls, zip-lined through the jungle in St. Lucia, and swam with stingrays in the Cayman Islands. The next major goal that Michele would like to achieve is retirement, but admits that it is a long way off; besides, “I love my job, and most days it doesn’t feel like work,” she says.