What comes to mind when you think of assisted living? Isolation? Monotonous? Depressing? Not at HeartFields. Not if Anita Evans has anything to say about it.
Executive Director of HeartFields Assisted Living at Frederick, Anita Evans was made for this. Hailing from Finland in the small, village-like town of Kurikka, she enjoyed a close relationship with her grandparents; so close that when the time came to move them into a nursing home, she pursued (and landed) a job in the very same one to ensure they were getting the quality care they deserved.
“They need help. They raised us and now it’s our turn to help out,” she asserted. This passion to honor her elders launched Anita into a now decades-long career in senior care where she’s using her skills to impact the lives of the aging in a beautiful way, right here in Frederick.
Having moved to the U.S. as a nanny for the Finnish Ambassador, Anita had plans to return to Finland for nursing school; but things changed after meeting her husband here in the States. Soon after, she was married and living in Rockville with a budding family. After raising four sons, she earned her nursing degree at Frederick Community College. Then came HeartFields.
Anita started at HeartFields as a floor nurse in 2000, and after being promoted once, she was again promoted to Executive Director in 2008. Now serving in her 22nd year there, it seems Anita has found her match with HeartFields at Frederick.
With the mission to “honor and enrich the journey of life,” the staff at HeartFields does just that. The residents at this incredible place are not just surviving the aging process. They didn’t suffer a life downgrade due to medical requirements or the need for daily assistance. They are thriving and carrying on their lives; but now, with closer friends, no chores, beautiful amenities and constant access to the help they need. Instead of burying their passions in the past, residents continue doing what they love, on their own and with personalized programs crafted just for them. A social life? Opportunities to build and nurture friendships abound through the many social and recreational events offered. And to boot, the food is top notch and happy hour is happenin’. But that’s not all that make HeartFields special.
“Frederick is earthy, homey, with a lot of history…I think HeartFields is just like that,” Anita shares. “We’re small, we know all our people. We know their families, we know their pets, we know that they like and what they don’t like. We create individual plans for them, we have fun. We’re more like family than a large business. Our staff is very passionate and friendly and real…we do healthcare; we do it well, but we do it in a family way.”
At HeartFields, they don’t just take care of their residents; they love them and they invest in them with joy. That’s what makes HeartFields so special. Anita Evans and HeartFields are making sure the elderly of Frederick are living their best lives, and then some.