My Mentor, My Friend – by our Mentor and Founder, Denise Helms, BSN, RN

As a young Critical Care nurse back in the ‘90s, I applied to be Director of Nursing at a local nursing home. Working with the elderly had always been my passion, so — full of youthful self-confidence — I just knew they would want me as their Director.

I interviewed with a woman named Johanne. She was a long-term care nurse from New York state, working here in Texas. She was a tough interviewer, but she liked something about me and decided to take a risk. She had to argue with her superiors as they wanted to hire an experienced nurse for the position, and I had never worked as a nurse in a nursing home. But Johanne convinced them to give me a chance and promised that she could turn me into a great Director of Nursing.

Boy, did I get lucky — and was I in for an education!

“To earn the respect of your team, you must be willing and able to do the work that they do.” – Johanne

Under Johanne’s mentorship, I stepped into the shoes of all the positions that I would eventually be responsible for hiring and supervising. I worked as a floor nurse, a medication aide, and a nursing assistant. I even worked in the kitchen to better understand the importance of good nutrition for our residents.

“Your job cannot be done from behind a closed door and a desk. Get out there and be with your residents and staff to know what needs to be done.” – Johanne

Johanne had the work ethic of a farmer. She kept at it for hours and never left until her job was settled for the day. So that’s how I was trained as well. Johanne taught me that a good supervisor could not spend all day working from a comfortable office. I’d have to go out and spend at least 40% of my day on the floors, as that’s where the residents and the work would be found.

“A nurse with a will to work with the elderly can be taught the basics of the job. The heart cannot not be taught; she must come with it.” – Johanne

Johanne was tough, but I grew to respect her mentorship. Thanks to her, I became a confident and successful Director of Nursing — which paved the way for my future positions in long-term care, and my decision to create Overture Home Care. Eventually, Johanne would work for me as a nurse educator. In that position, she taught me even more about investing in people, and providing line staff with the continuing education they need to help them make themselves better workers and better human beings — as Johanne did with me.

Over the years, Johanne and I became fast family friends. Near the end of her life, she developed Alzheimer’s disease and had a very difficult time. Her last and hardest-won lessons were in how to provide compassionate support to her family by teaching them about the progression of the disease and assisting them with communicating and caring for Johanne. It was a sad end to a beautiful life, but she will always be remembered. She was my mentor and my friend, and I cherish the many lessons she taught me along the way.