Joanne began her journey over 3 years ago when they purchased land to build their retirement home. In the midst of the build she began to search for employment opportunities in the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA).

At that time, Joanne had searched the IERHA website and was fortunate to discover a casual position at Sunnywood Manor. She had been working in Long Term care in Winnipeg for 30 years as a frontline nurse and in Management.

As she browsed the website she discovered a full time, Clinical Resource Nurse position at Sunnywood. Joanne and her husband had not completed the building of their home but after discussing their options, she chose to apply for the position - which she was successfully awarded.

"It was a dream come true to be able to work in a community that we wanted to settle into and to be in an amazing setting of extreme beauty and tranquility."

"I tell everyone it’s like a working vacation given the environment in which I work, the ability to decompress comes naturally and I do not miss the high stress of city living. The staff and small community living is very family like, very caring, very generous, and welcoming."

Joanne stated that her understanding of retirement was having a plan to get to retirement. Her husband and her have implemented part of a plan of change.

"The build and move is part of transitioning into retirement and living a dream of being where we want to be to fulfill our dream of making a change. It is one thing to have a choice of change rather than being forced into change without choice."

Given her years of experience in Long Term Care she brings new ideas, a clinical understanding of why change is necessary and provides the educational component of the change.

Joanne has been able to communicate clinical changes to staff who have a willingness to embrace it and have a thirst for knowledge . Staff have also given her venues of knowledge and she can honestly say that the frontline staff at Sunnywood are an amazing bunch who are very Resident centered and caring.

"I have been very fortunate to be able to work with staff who are so caring and kind and know every day when I go home we did a good job in providing the best care possible with the Residents at Sunnywood Manor and to this end that is where I want to be in my final days of my life."