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01/30/2019 07:30 AMIn one way or another, Tina Masciangelo has been working in the care industry since she was 17.
Growing up in East Haven, Tina found the inspiration for her career in her cousin Walter who had a condition called spina bifida, a rare birth defect which prevents the spinal cord from developing properly.
“His disability never affected him. He was inspirational,” Tina says. “He played with us; he did everything we did, except he did it from a wheelchair.”
In particular, Tina remembers Walter’s love for Halloween when he was growing up. She says he had the best costumes from Stevie Wonder to Gene Simmons.
“He’s no different. Even though he was in a wheelchair and he may look different...he was never different to us,” says Tina. “That is a lesson that I’ve taught my kids.”
Tina says it was Walter, who died in July 2018 at age 52, who really spurred her decision to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). She earned her qualifications from Eli Whitney School.
“I wanted to help people be better. I wanted to help people be as great as he was,” Tina says. “He was such a bright spot for everybody.”
Her career in nursing actually started out in the kitchen of a New Haven nursing facility where she got a job cooking meals for patients at 17. After some years away from the facility, Tina would later return as an LPN.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just knew that I wanted to be a nurse,” Tina says. “I ended up in geriatrics and that’s where I stayed, and I love it.”
Tina now serves as the director of admissions and marketing at East Haven’s Whispering Pines Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, formerly Talmadge Park. The facility was recently reopened and primarily serves East Haven residents in need of both long-term and short-term care.
“It’s people who live healthy lives in the community who may have had an unfortunate accident...and they need to come here, get better, to return to normal life,” Tina says. “Unfortunately, today families can’t be there the way they were years ago...That’s where we step in.”
Whispering Pines began operation under its new owners in November 2018 and changes are already underway.
“Talmadge Park was great in its time, and it went through a lot of changes and, unfortunately, some negative,” Tina says. “Everybody is so excited for the change here.”
A remodel of the facility is expected to begin this year, but the new owners have already begun the process of upgrading its programs with a new food menu and recreational offerings.
It was her experience at the New Haven facility that Tina says prepared her for her newest role at Whispering Pines. Prior to joining the team in East Haven in September 2018, Tina was a LPN in New Haven before taking a supervisor’s position and managing a 56-bed unit for 12 years.
“I loved being that point person, that problem-solver that put the care all together,” Tina says. “I learned a lot of triage things and… ‘[putting] out fires’ before things get bigger.”
Now, Tina is in charge of assessing patients, usually over the Internet, who may be eligible for care at Whispering Pines.
“Doing what I do now gives me the benefit of being out in the hospitals and still being involved in acute care but managing the long-term part,” Tina says.
Finding a patient who is a good fit for their facility involves assessing not just the clinical state of the patient but also the financials and the family itself.
“It’s difficult for [families] to give up control, and that’s understandable,” says Tina. “You have to work together gracefully and realize that family knows [the patient] better than we ever will. We have to take their lead in some ways and know when not to.
“Everybody that’s in the medical field has their niche. Some people love pediatrics and that’s why they’re there; some people love the acute care setting,” Tina says.
At a facility like Whispering Pines, the nursing staff has the opportunity to meet the needs of a diverse set of patients from those recovering from surgery to those struggling with geriatric related illnesses. The joining of those two fields is satisfying for Tina.
“Seeing them go out the door to go home and they’re walking out with their families, it’s a great feeling to know that you helped them to get to that point,” Tina says.