Maintenance worker Generoso Gozo goes out of this way to help residents at St. Mary’s Health Care Centre in Trochu. While Gener, as he is known, goes about his task of fixing things in the residents’ rooms, he makes a point to connect with them.
“I treat the residents like they are my grandparents,” says Gener. “I see them every day, and I laugh with them, and I treasure these happy moments with them.”
When he goes into a resident’s room to perform a task, he is mindful that he is entering their personal space. “I respect that the room is theirs and that everything in that room is very important to them. If they have 10 pieces of belongings, those will be the 10 most important things to them.”
He recalls a time when a resident asked him to hang 30 decorative plates on the wall. The resident had been collecting the plates since her youth.
“I hung it exactly the way she wanted. It took me about two hours, but to see her smiling face made me very happy to do it. I am a problem solver; I think a lot as a maintenance person so that I can fulfill the wishes of my clients.”
Due to the challenges of COVID-19, Gener has had to minimize his interactions with residents, which he knows is an important safety measure. “I avoid close contact with them and make sure I wear full PPE all the time.”
He says that maintaining eye contact is key and that he can still show he is smiling with his eyes.
Gener has been nominated for Covenant Health’s Mission Award for demonstrating respect to those we serve.
“I am very honoured to be chosen and nominated by people working with me. I am happy that people are able to see the character of a person and not judge them just by the job that they do — they took it as a whole. Being a good person to me is more important than anything else.”
Congratulations, Gener!
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