Their combined decades of experience—from traditional nursing homes to The Restoracy’s innovative model—reveal not just what makes quality senior care possible, but what makes The Restoracy’s approach distinctly different.
Kourtney Hutchison never planned on geriatric healthcare—she was in college when tragedy forced her to drop out. The day after she decided to sign up for a CNA class, she received a scholarship check for the exact amount of the CNA class. “I think that’s divine intervention,” she says of that moment 16 years ago. Victoria Whitley came to understand dementia through personal experience, watching her great-grandmother struggle with Alzheimer’s. And Phyllis Hyman knew from middle school, volunteering as a candy striper at a convalescent center, that occupational therapy with older adults was her calling. All three of them have worked in different settings before coming to The Restoracy.
No more morning rush.
For caregivers who’ve worked in traditional facilities, the contrast at The Restoracy is immediately apparent. Kourtney describes the typical institutional setting: “You get there, it’s 6am, and you’re immediately on the floor. Getting people up at and it’s just run, run, run, run. There’s no time for personalization. It’s just getting them the best seven minutes of care that you possibly can. Seven minutes.”
The Restoracy operates on a fundamentally different timeline—one that respects natural human rhythms. “You can actually let people sleep till 7:30, 8 o’clock. Breakfast isn’t until eight or so and it’s ok,” Kourtney explains. “So you’re starting off on a better foot.”
Phyllis, who has spent her entire career in occupational therapy, sees this pace as essential to quality care. After 14 years in management, she’s returned to hands-on care at The Restoracy specifically because of this different approach. “I can meet patients where they are, and tailor therapies to what’s meaningful and engaging to them,” she says.
“I think there’s a lot of education that’s happening that we don’t even realize is happening just because of the way The Restoracy is set up,” Phyllis notes, describing how therapy happens in common areas where CNAs can observe and learn even while performing other tasks, rather than in isolated therapy rooms where she would need to pull a CNA away from their work for continuing education opportunities which she says tend to “shut people down.”
The power of small numbers in skilled care.
Victoria, who has been at the Carmel location since 2018—even before it was The Restoracy—understands the profound difference that smaller ratios make. “It’s a small setting, so it’s easy to get everything done that you need to get done,” she says. But it’s more than just efficiency.
In traditional settings, CNAs might care for 30 to 40 residents. At The Restoracy, they work in houses with just 12 residents. This allows for genuine relationships to develop which supports the caregiver efforts and the quality of life for residents.
“Showers are a big differentiator here. Our team has one or two residents to help shower in an entire day. In most facilities it’s 15 people in one shift–not even a whole day,” Kourtney emphasizes. This dramatic difference in workload translates directly to quality of care and job satisfaction.
Meeting people where they are.
Perhaps nowhere is The Restoracy’s philosophy more evident than in its approach to individual preferences and therapy goals. Phyllis challenges the traditional therapy mindset: “This is not about me. This is about what you want, because at the end of the day, if a goal isn’t important to you, then it won’t be a productive goal.”
She shares the example of a resident with multiple sclerosis who was trying to balance therapy with her social life: “She always has her friends come over weekly to play games. But she was having a hard time finding the energy to have five days of therapy and socialize, which is so important to her.” The solution? Reducing therapy to four days a week so she could fully enjoy her friends’ visits.
Victoria notes that moving to skilled care can be difficult for so many seniors. Often the move comes amid other losses of activities and hobbies they once enjoyed. Her creative problem-solving shines in these situations and elevates quality of life for those she cares for. “One resident really loves fishing but isn’t able to fully participate in the activity. So I brought the fish to him! We set up a kiddie pool on the patio with little magnetic fish and a fishing rod and had a good time.” The recognition of this activity as an important part of the resident’s life created a meaningful connection moment for the resident and for Victoria.
Meeting people where they are also extends to the caregivers working at The Restoracy. With 16 years of care experience, today Kourtney fills a crucial role she loves, and one that most people aren’t thinking much about–managing supplies. Some facilities keep supplies under lock and key to avoid what they perceive as theft, but is actually a symptom of a disorganized supply flow–supplies hoarding by CNAs. Kourtney thrives in her role managing orders and distributing the requested items to each home on The Restoracy’s Carmel campus. “When people have what they need, they can care for residents better and they’re not stressed out or frustrated about supplies. It’s such a simple thing, and so many places get this wrong,” she observes.
The realities of memory care.
Caring for residents with dementia requires a special understanding; one that Phyllis believes isn’t adequately taught in therapy schools. “I don’t think that therapists, myself included as a new graduate, know enough about dementia,” she states frankly. Over the course of her career, she’s developed a specialty in supporting people with dementia.
Her approach focuses on understanding behaviors as communication: “Finding what that trigger is for a person. Sometimes it’s a physical comfort thing that becomes hard to communicate. I have a resident who usually is pretty cheerful, but sometimes cries a lot and gets upset. I discovered that it’s often because she needs to use the bathroom or she’s freezing cold. Once we make those adjustments, she’s good.” This detective work extends to educating families and staff, creating consistency in approach that dramatically improves quality of life for memory care residents.
Tips for families navigating skilled care.
Dedicated caregivers are essential for resident quality of life in skilled care facilities, but they also provide useful perspectives and information for families. Victoria offers a particularly important observation about how loved ones change over time: “Family members will visit and try to be helpful by adjusting temperature or making menu requests, but they don’t realize that their loved one’s needs and preferences change over time and in a new environment. We as caregivers are keeping track of these changes.” Consistency and agency plays a big role at The Restoracy, so she encourages families to ask staff about their senior loved one’s needs and preferences.
Phyllis addresses another crucial misconception when it comes to rehabilitation care: “Families often think their loved one has 100 days of therapy. They don’t. Under most circumstances, this is a number hospitals will give without the appropriate caveats of what Medicare covers and how.” Understanding these limitations helps families set realistic expectations.
Speaking of medical care, Kourtney adds, “As much as we work to make The Restoracy home, we’re still a regulated medical care facility and we have rules we have to abide by that the state wouldn’t enforce on individuals in their homes.” This includes respecting residents’ autonomy—they cannot force someone to shower or eat, even if families insist.
How slowing down gives you more.
High resident to caregiver ratios in many facilities lead to rushed and stressed caregivers who aren’t always guaranteed to be helping the same residents day after day. With fewer residents per caregiver, The Restoracy’s care team can slow down and deliver exceptional care as a result. Plus, the team experiences less turnover because caregivers aren’t burning out from unreasonably demanding workloads.
Kourtney treasures the opportunity to learn from residents during moments of connection. Speaking of the veterans she’s cared for Kourtney says, “It was just such a 360 thing because they served me in their own way before they even knew I was going to exist. They fought for so much, and then I was able to turn around and serve them when they couldn’t take care of themselves.”
Phyllis, having returned to direct care after years in management, finds particular joy in seeing immediate impact. She says, “It’s refreshing to be able to see a CNA have a light bulb go off about how to better help a resident. It’s not just the residents I’m able to help directly.”
Advice for future CNAs.
For those considering the skilled care field, these caregivers offer honest guidance. All three agree that team work is an essential skill. Being able to support your fellow caregivers, therapists, and staff and understanding the expectation that caring for residents is a shared goal, that’s what success looks like for them.
Kourtney is direct when she says, “It’s dirty. It’s messy. If you don’t have the heart or the capacity to come in and just love these people, even on the bad days, it might not be for you.”
“People aren’t forced to become CNAs. So, I would like for them to do it with the best heart and care that they can,” adds Victoria. “These people come from different places, and you don’t know where they come from, what they’re going through, and you could be the highlight of their day,” she notes.
Phyllis identifies two essential qualities for future occupational therapists–empathy and flexibility: “Be able to listen with empathy and be flexible enough to make adjustments that meet people where they are.”
A different way forward (for residents and staff).
The Restoracy fundamentally reimagines what skilled care can be when caregivers have the time and support to truly see and respond to each resident as an individual.
“I think with the boom that geriatrics is going to have in the next 10 years, I’m really hoping that our small home setup catches on. Because seniors deserve that quality of care,” Kourtney adds.
For families seeking care for their loved ones and professionals considering this field, these caregivers’ stories show that quality care for teams and residents is cirtical for a sustainable model that honors and protects the dignity of individuals and the connections essential for people to feel truly cared for.
See life at The Restoracy for yourself. Schedule a tour and bring your questions about senior care.