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October is Continuing Care Month in Nova Scotia. As part of the celebrations, Premier Tim Houston declared October 7-11, 2024 “Continuing Care Assistant Week” in the province. This week recognizes that continuing care assistants (CCAs) are vitally important members of Nova Scotia’s healthcare team. They go above and beyond to provide exceptional care to those who need it to remain safely in their own homes and communities.

In honour of CCA Week and Continuing Care Month, we profile a beloved CCA who is retiring at the end of the month following 25 years of providing Home Support in Richmond County, Nova Scotia. 

Gladys Lahey joined the VON team in 1999, inspired to help others after caring for terminally ill family members, including her sister Carol, who passed away from cancer at the age of 49. She has since provided care to hundreds of VON clients, delivering essential supports including meal preparation, personal care and housekeeping.

“Being able to help people and look after them and make their life a little bit happier was one of my priorities,” says Gladys. “It's the part that I truly enjoyed the most, the people. A lot of them, we were the only ones they had in the run of a day going to see them. We made a bright spot in their life, and they made a bright spot in ours.”

Gladys says you can’t help but build special relationships with clients: “They just kind of grab a hold of your heart. Some of them I've had almost the whole 25 years, and when you lose them, it's just like losing a part of your family.”

Colleagues say Gladys leaves a lasting legacy. “We know the impact she has made over the years on the people and places she visited,” says Glenda Kipp, Manager of Home and Community Care. “It’s been an absolute privilege to work with Gladys. We now need to regretfully let her blissfully go into a well-deserved retirement.”

Glenda adds that Gladys “has not once wavered in her compassion and would describe herself as a ‘born’ caregiver. Every ounce of her soul has been invested in providing care whether it be professionally or personally.”

In retirement, Gladys plans to provide respite care within the community, as well as supporting her husband, who has multiple sclerosis (MS). The couple plans to spend more time tending to their vegetable garden, and bottling relishes and jams.

Gladys will miss “her people”—her clients and her colleagues—and says she believes strongly in the importance of VON’s services. The care that CCAs provide is essential to support people to live comfortably and safely at home, with a greater sense of wellbeing and social connection.

“Most of our clients are elderly, and they need us,” she says. “We don't only do our work to help these people, but we spend time with them, we give them a little bit of love when we can and just make them feel happy.”

In bidding farewell to Gladys, her VON team says, “We will miss you greatly and appreciate all the support you have provided to families in Richmond County. Enjoy the moments, and may you always be the one who sees the light in the little things.”