Effie Farnham’s more than 50 years of nursing experience will support the ongoing well-being of independent living residents
Effie Farnham, Wellness Nurse
Encouraging our residents to lead an active, healthy lifestyle is an integral part of our community’s design. It’s why you’ll find amenities on our campus that include outdoor gardening spaces and over 1-mile of walking trails. Inside there’s an arts and crafts room, a game room, a woodshop, and two fitness rooms for our residents to enjoy. But this commitment goes beyond providing opportunities to keep busy. It includes caring for the overall wellbeing of our residents.
That’s why today we’re excited to announce that long-time Gifford nurse Effie Farnham has joined the Strode Independent Living team as our wellness nurse.
If you’re familiar with Gifford, Effie’s name may ring a bell. She’s been a staple with the organization for over 50 years. Since her retirement in 2018, she’s been a go-to resource for Gifford when presented with unique opportunities. In just three years, she’s offered assistance in the hospital’s quality department, overseen daily operations at Project Independence in Barre before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently has manned the phone for Gifford’s COVID testing program.
For Effie, staying active was a driving force behind her decision to work at Strode.
“I want to keep busy, not just sit at home,” shared Effie who, over her 51 years at Gifford, has worked in nearly every department in the hospital–from the Birthing Center to the inpatient unit, primary care clinics, and her true love–the emergency department. “Working at Strode gets me out, keeps my mind going, and keeps me energized.”
In her new role, Effie will be onsite two days a week. Her work will cover three general areas. The first is to conduct pre-admission wellness assessments of prospective new residents to ensure independent living is an appropriate and safe housing option for them.
Once they become a resident, Effie will assist them in establishing care with local health care providers, including the more than sixty primary and specialty care providers within the Gifford Health Care network. She’ll also conduct annual reviews of resident health forms to keep facility records up-to-date in case of an emergency. This will include helping residents complete their advance directives and set up Vial for Life kits for their apartments.
Lastly, she will work with other Strode and Gifford staff to plan health talks. And for those residents who wish to utilize our two fitness rooms, she can assist in scheduling time with a Gifford physical therapist to learn how to properly and safely use our exercise equipment.
But what most excites her about her new position is meeting our residents.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know all of the residents and finding out their needs and how I can assist them in any way I can,” shared Effie who admits the health care system can be overwhelming and hard to understand. “I’m about the same age as the residents so I understand a lot of what they’re going through because I’m going through it too.”
In her free time, Effie and her husband enjoy fishing, panning for gold, traveling, and spending time with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Learn more about our Wellness Nurse Program.
