This past July, Kingsway Arms welcomed a new director of resident and family services to the Kingsway family. Here, we catch up with Melanie Whiteley to find out more about her position, why she came to Kingsway and who she is outside of work.
- Where are you from, where’d you go to college and where were you working prior to coming to Kingsway?
I’m from Princetown (a small town in western Schenectady County between Rotterdam and Duanesburg). I have a bachelor’s degree in Social Welfare from SUNY Albany and am currently working towards my master’s degree. Once completed, I plan to pursue my licensure. Prior to coming to Kingsway, I was a social worker at Wilkinson Residential Health Care facility in Amsterdam (part of the St. Mary’s Health Care System).
- What does the director of resident and family services do?
Our department consists of a total of three social workers: Robbin Bunting, Ryan Bird and myself. Our role is to work with residents and their families, assisting them in a variety of ways including adjustment and transition to the facility, working with the interdisciplinary team to develop care plans that are person centered, coordinate discharge planning, assist with completion of advanced directives, and end of life care planning.
As the director, I am also responsible for reviewing policies, procedures, and regulations related to social services to ensure we are in compliance; act as the grievance officer; serve as a resource in training and education for staff and families; and work with the team and administration to ensure our residents receive the highest quality of care and quality of life while here with us.
- What would you say you bring to the position and to Kingsway as a whole?
I am a strong advocate for residents and their families and am honored to provide care to those who spent their lives caring for others.
- Why did you want to work at Kingsway?
Growing up in the area, I have been familiar with the Kingsway Community and watched many friends and family members have a wonderful experience through the different levels of care. In my opinion, this community is the ideal model for aging in place and Kingsway does it well. When I learned there was an opportunity to join the team here and be part of the experience I didn’t think twice about pursuing it.
- What do you do like to do outside of work?
My parents own our original family homestead, which encompasses 50 acres. In the summer we operate a roadside farm stand and grow 20 acres of sweet corn. We also raise about 50 turkeys a year for Thanksgiving. My husband, Chris, and I built a house on the land and are fortunate to live close to the operation. We have three children (Erin, Preston and Emma) who are in their early 20s—two live locally and one is now a Floridian. I am also ‘mom’ to two dogs (Margo and Piper) and two horses (Sugar and Duke). When not at the farm I can be found spending time with my family (including my 100-year-old grandmother) and friends, working on planning board projects for our town, or meeting with the ladies auxiliary at the volunteer fire house.