Anderson retires after 43 years at New Horizons Care Center

When Mary Anne Anderson first earned her LPN credential (licensed practical nurse), she wasn’t necessarily aiming to work at a care center, but that’s where fate led her, and it became her calling.

Anderson retired from the New Horizons Care Center in Lovell recently after lovingly caring for residents and their families for 43 years. She said, though it wasn’t the job she originally planned to do, it turned out to be a job she loved and was well-suited to perform.

Anderson originally worked at the “old hospital” on East 10th Street, which housed only about 10 patients in its care center. She went on to work at the current care center after it was built and watched it evolve into the facility it is today.

“We’ve come a long way,” she said. “I’ve learned so much and made so many friends over those years.” 

Anderson said she grew close to her patients and their families.

“It’s almost like you get adopted by them and their family members,” she said. “I really enjoyed the people I worked with, and I enjoyed getting to know the residents. They were like family to me.”

When her children were young, Anderson brought them to the care center to visit with patients.

“All three of my kids practically grew up there,” she explained. “The patients really enjoyed the interaction.”

Having worked at the care center for so many years, Anderson said she literally has cared for more than one generation of patients from some families.

Anderson said to do the job well, it’s important to be caring, understanding and willing to treat patients like family. She said the hardest part of the job for her was to watch patients suffer through changes that are inevitable with aging or with certain diseases like dementia.

Anderson said she hopes to spend more time with family in her retirement, especially with her grandchildren. She enjoys scrapbooking and photography and is looking forward to spending more time on those hobbies. She’s even toying with the idea of taking a photography class at Northwest College.

She said she’d like to travel within the U.S. and beyond, including a trip to Scotland. She said she’d also like to visit Ireland, which is part of her ancestry, and relatives who live in Germany.

Anderson said she will miss working at the care center.

“This is kind of a special place,” she said. “I will miss working here. I’ll miss the people I worked with and the residents, but, right now I just want to slow down a bit and do some things I’ve put aside for a long time.”