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-- Programs and Services -- Contact Information "Ellen Chapman, R.N., Betty Sartori, B.S.N. thrive on compassion and collaboration "
By Beth Hinkley, Elder Services Planner
As we continue to celebrate our 30th Anniversary, Elder Services introduces two of the nurses from the Health Services team.
Using their nursing training and education at Elder Services is a rewarding experience for both Ellen Chapman, R.N. and Betty Sartori, B.S.N. "At Elder Services, we have the opportunity to care for the whole person while working with a professional team facilitating a client’s choice,” explained Sartori, who joined Elder Services staff in January 2004. Satori has always respected Elder Services’ work in the community, and she wanted to be part of the team of nurses working in collaboration with other client services staff. “I saw an ad looking for an enthusiastic Registered Nurse (RN),” recalled Sartori, “and it fit me to a ‘t’.”
She first experienced the desire to work toward a career in nursing when, as den mother, her Cub Scout group visited a North Adams nursing home. The residents “touched her heart” and her path to nursing began first as an aide, and then with her earning an L.P.N. degree at McCann School. She later earned an associate’s degree and B.S.N. from Southern Vermont College, and has since worked at Sweet Brook Care Centers, and the Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of Northern Berkshire.
At Elder Services, Sartori develops nursing assessments and care plans for individuals in the agency’s housing programs - Adult Family Care, Group Adult Foster Care-Assisted Living as well as in the Personal Care Assistance Program and State Home Care. She enjoys working closely with her clients, their families, and the health care team to assure that the client’s choices are supported through the care plan established.
Chapman, who joined Elder Services staff in 1997, always knew she wanted to be a nurse. In high school, she was strongly influenced by the work of Dr. Thomas Dooley, Navy Reserve Officer, physician and humanitarian, known as the jungle doctor of Laos. He established mobile medical units and cared for refugees. Chapman also wanted to make a difference. After completing her R.N. in 1974 at Berkshire Community College., she became involved with a group of people struggling with kidney disease, long before support groups had become commonly available as a patient resource.
This experience lead to training at Boston’s Peter Bent-Brigham Hospital in the specialized area of kidney dialysis. Chapman worked for over three years with people who were on in-home dialysis in the Pittsfield area, staying at the side of her patients for the entire procedure, sometimes eight hours in duration. “I learned so much about nursing from the experience." Chapman recalls, "At the time there were very few in the profession administering hemo-dialysis at home.” “I was a young nurse, and I became fascinated by the technology of it all.” Chapman became the Associate Manager of the Renal Dialysis Unit at Berkshire Medical Center and was in on the development and creation of this vital program.
Chapman also worked for Community Health Association of Richmond and West Stockbridge (CHARWS), Lee Visiting Nurse Association, and Kaiser/Community Health Plan before coming to Elder Services.
As the Health Services Manager, Chapman coordinates the team of nurses in the State Home Care program and manages the Coordination of Care nursing home screening process. The health care status of clients is monitored by nurses who also provide teaching and support to assist elder clients to remain in their homes. In addition, the nurses work closely with Berkshire County nursing homes and community agencies and participate in interdisciplinary team consultations with other Elder Services staff.
Do they enjoy their work? In addition to the daily rewards of working at Elder Services, Sartori smiled about her being a "dancing piece of cake” accompanying Elder Services’ 30th Anniversary parade float in the Hinsdale Bicentennial Parade in a costume designed and constructed by Chapman. Need we say more?