When Ana de la Cerda first interviewed with Áegis Living, she believed she was the proper match. With advertising and government director-level expertise at a number of senior dwelling communities in California, her {qualifications} spoke for themselves. However to her shock, it wasn’t her spectacular résumé that gained her the job—it was one thing extra.
Áegis usually recruits from the hospitality world as a result of one of many objectives of the group is to supply a radically totally different form of expertise than conventional eldercare.
“I can’t fake that being an immigrant, being a Latina, on this {industry} has all the time been simple. There are misconceptions. However I need to be an instance of what’s attainable. I hope my story exhibits different Latinas that there’s a manner ahead—and that they’ll rise.”
Ana de la Cerda
Whereas lots of her friends come from luxurious inns and customer support backgrounds, her unwavering dedication to senior care is what units her aside. As Áegis’ vice chairman of regulatory affairs, she attracts on a deep nicely of {industry} experience to assist redefine what getting older with dignity, function, and pleasure can actually seem like.
A Ardour for Eldercare
Simply as de la Cerda’s hiring at Áegis Residing broke the mould, so too did her journey to the US. Years in the past, as a younger pupil from Guatemala, she accompanied her mom on a go to to a pal in San Francisco. She spoke little English, however she made essentially the most of her college break and customer visa, staying within the US for six months. When it got here time to return to Guatemala, she made a life-changing resolution.
“I advised my mom I wasn’t going again,” de la Cerda recollects. “I utilized for a pupil visa, studied English as a second language, and finally met my husband—who I’ve now been married to for forty years. Collectively, we found our shared ardour for senior care.”
That zeal developed right into a lifelong mission. De la Cerda constructed her profession from the bottom up, working for each giant organizations and family-run operations within the eldercare {industry}. Alongside the best way, she developed experience in navigating regulatory frameworks throughout quite a few states. Her management prolonged past the office, with lively involvement in industry-specific associations such because the California Assisted Residing Affiliation (CALA) and later, the Washington Well being Care Affiliation (WHCA), the place she now serves on the board of administrators.
“Organizations like these are the voice of suppliers, residents, and staff,” she says. “From early on in my profession, I knew I needed to be concerned. They create areas for collaboration, connection, and actual progress in our {industry}.”
Becoming a member of Áegis introduced that progress into overdrive. The corporate’s mannequin—rooted in hospitality greater than healthcare—reshaped de la Cerda’s considering round what assisted dwelling and reminiscence care might seem like. It deepened her perception in a extra dignified, enriching expertise for elders, and bolstered her dedication to vary.
A Servant Chief
As Áegis has developed, de la Cerda’s function as a pacesetter did too, and she or he turned a voice for these typically missed within the caregiving workforce. In states like California, Hispanic folks symbolize greater than 39 % of California’s inhabitants however are underrepresented in each workforce class and area amongst forty-seven key licensed well being professionals, as referenced within the California Department of Health Care Access and Information website. She sees each a duty and a chance.
“I can’t fake that being an immigrant, being a Latina, on this {industry} has all the time been simple,” de la Cerda says. “There are misconceptions. However I need to be an instance of what’s attainable. I hope my story exhibits different Latinas that there’s a manner ahead—and that they’ll rise.”
De la Cerda leads with a servant’s coronary heart. She believes true management in eldercare means lifting others up and getting ready them to guide in flip.
“My objective has all the time been to develop my group to the purpose that they’re able to take my job,” she says. “While you put others earlier than your self, that’s the place actual success begins.”
That very same spirit extends to her private life. At house, de la Cerda cherishes quiet moments along with her husband and grown youngsters and grandchildren, particularly their film nights, even when she’s not all the time offered on their cinematic tastes.
“I’m not a giant film particular person, however it’s how my youngsters prefer to spend time with me,” she says with a smile. “I do it as a result of I like being with them, they usually’ve discovered how to decide on movies I’ll truly take pleasure in.”
Because the devoted daughter of her ninety-four-year-old mom—who resides in a senior group and lives with delicate dementia—de la Cerda deeply understands the influence her work has on the lives of seniors and their households. She has skilled firsthand the emotional journey of discovering the appropriate group, one which ensures a liked one is handled with compassion, respect, and dignity.
“Because of this I’ve devoted my life to this lovely {industry},” de la Cerda says. “As a result of every of us has the facility to make a significant distinction.”
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