Debbie Etherington is marking her 50th anniversary working at Niagara Long Term Care Residence, with no firm retirement plans and still in good health.
Her official anniversary falls on Feb. 14, and co-workers plan to celebrate her with a party on Feb. 18 — an honour they say is well deserved.
Stephanie Cryer, a personal support worker who has spent 30 years at the residence, has worked closely with Etherington for much of that time. She describes Etherington as a natural caregiver and a consistently positive presence at work.
“Debbie is the same person as the day I met her,” Cryer said. “It’s not a job for Debbie.”
Etherington grew up in Victoria Harbour, near Midland, Ont., where she said her family lived without running water or toilets.
“But our life was perfect,” she said.
She moved to St. Catharines with her family at age 10 and began working at the long-term care home in 1976, when she was 16 and still in high school. Her sister, who worked in the kitchen, encouraged her to apply.
The building opened the year before.
Etherington took a year off from high school to consider her future and ultimately decided to stay at the residence — a choice that shaped the rest of her life.
“I loved it right away,” she said. “It was a nice feeling from the get-go.”
She spent three years working in the kitchen, followed by two years on the second floor with residents, and the next 45 years on the third floor, also a resident unit.
Etherington initially learned her skills on the job, later completing a once-a-week course before moving to the third floor in what is now a professional support worker program.
She has since raised a family in St. Catharines and has two children and two grandchildren.
The third floor houses 47 residents, all of whom Etherington helps care for daily.
Her mornings start early. Etherington said she gets a coffee at 5:30 a.m. and meets colleagues in the parking lot to debrief before beginning their shifts.
No two days are the same, she said. Some are calm, while others are busy and stressful.
To avoid compassion fatigue, Cryer said staff rely on each other for support.
“We do vent with each other,” she said with a laugh, adding that time off is also important. “You find balance.”
Etherington said the job has changed over the decades, including advances in technology and staffing. Cloth diapers, for example, have been replaced by disposable ones.
She and executive director Chris Poos also pointed to increased ethnic and cultural diversity among staff compared with when she started in 1976.
“Coming out of COVID, I would say that’s the one true, real change that we’ve seen,” Poos said, noting the addition of “different perspectives” in the workplace.
He also cited the use of artificial intelligence and the expansion of food options and holiday traditions.
There is more staffing and government support now as well, Cryer said, adding that the residence has “absolutely” become a better place to work.
Despite the changes, Etherington said the goal has remained constant: keeping residents happy and reassuring families their loved ones are well cared for.
She said the rewards of the job far outweigh its challenges.
“(The families) sleep at night because they know their family member is in good hands,” she said.
