There is an unmistakable sound in the hallways of the Good Samaritan Society – Comforcare in Austin, Minnesota.
Chris Hanson’s laugh rings from room to room.
“Kind of to brighten everybody’s days up,” says Hanson, a registered nurse and the location’s minimum data set coordinator, a role overseeing residents’ care plans. “Gotta brighten ‘em up.”
And it works.
“She’s always laughing and then she’ll do a dance,” says resident Mildred Murphy. “She makes you forget about your troubles and not feel like a patient. She makes you feel like a person.”
It’s those kinds of kindred connections that steered Hanson to long-term care.
“I worked in a hospital before. I did not care for it because you didn’t have the bonding, the closeness with the people,” says Hanson, who joined Good Samaritan in 2007.
“I’ve always wanted to help people to help them get through life with the things that they can no longer do,” she says. “We’re going to age and get to that point, too. And I certainly would hope that somebody would be there to help me, too.”
‘She makes you feel good’
Being there for people has become a calling card for Hanson, who also serves as the nurse manager of the rehabilitation unit.
Murphy has been undergoing rehab since December due to chemotherapy that took a toll on her legs. She’s walking and getting around again with Hanson by her side every step of the way.
“When I came here, I was feeling terrible and in a lot of pain. She made me feel good and forget about the pain, which is not easy to do,” Murphy says. “She always laughs if you’ve got a joke. And then she’s got a joke. She makes you feel good.”
It’s a comfort that carries over to Hanson’s colleagues.
“She’ll pick up an extra shift or she’ll stay after her shift if there’s a call-in,” says administrator Clara Stitt. “She’s so consistent. You know she’s going do what it takes for the residents every single day.”
That dedication doesn’t adhere to a schedule, occasionally spilling over into a weekend or overnight shift.
“Chris is a jack of all trades. She’s an MDS coordinator, but she’s so much more than that,” says nursing director Jenna Craig, RN. “She can fill in a lot of different roles in our facility – some roles that people probably don’t even realize that she has here.”
Hanson chalks it up to how she’s wired.
“They ask if I can do something, and even if I don’t know how to do it, I’ll just say, ‘Well, let’s take a peek and see if it’s something that I can figure out,’” she says. “Our job is to care for people and provide the best that we can for them every day. And if there’s nobody there to provide it, then somebody has to step up and do it.”
National Ever Forward Leader Champion
Hanson is encouraging others to step up – and showing them how to do it.
As a preceptor, she teaches new nurses the ins and outs of the job, from detail-oriented tasks to the more personal aspects of nursing.
It’s an investment not only for the current needs of her residents, but for the future of long-term care.
“Chris does a phenomenal job of investing in the newer hires and the newer nurses and the CNAs, and explaining to them, ‘This is why we do it,’” Stitt says.
It’s one of the many reasons why Hanson is being honored as the Good Samaritan National Ever Forward Leader Champion.
“She really is a servant leader,” Craig says.
The award announcement left Hanson feeling “very humbled” and “very, very surprised,” but it was also recognition for her call to service.
“To be nominated for the Ever Forward award means the world to me,” Hanson says. “I’ve been a nurse ever since I graduated from high school. I went into training and that was to help people because I saw how some parents, grandparents and other people have been treated and didn’t get the care that they needed. I felt that that was going be the mission in my life – to provide that care and do what I could to make everybody comfortable.”
That mission is carried out with a resilient and positive outlook.
“In the toughest of times, Chris has a laugh and a smile when you most need it. She lifts the team up,” Stitt says. “When things are all looking to be downhill, it’s really comforting to know that she’s been through this and she’s able to laugh and relate to the residents and relate to the staff. I think that’s what makes her a great leader.”
Making a difference
Stenciled messages line the Comforcare halls, serving to uplift and empower. One of them reads, “Humility is wanting to help others and not worrying about who gets the credit.”
There may not be a better description for the location’s third Ever Forward recipient in five years.
“Chris is the embodiment of humility. She doesn’t care who gets the credit. She does something because it should be done and she does it the right way,” says Stitt, a 2022 Ever Forward Champion. “She’s doing it because she’s a very good nurse and a very good leader, and she is leading the way for her coworkers and for the residents.”
It’s a leadership style that begins with a smile and a laugh.
“Chris can always make me laugh on the toughest days, especially through COVID,” says Craig, a 2021 Ever Forward Champion. “I honestly think it plays a great role in our residents’ recovery and our rehab unit. Hearing somebody laugh, it does bring joy and I think it brings hope to them.”
The familiar, friendly sound of a laugh also brings warmth and compassion, which is what drew Hanson to join Good Samaritan nearly two decades ago.
“You have to be compassionate for the residents – I think that’s number one – so I do what I can to make them smile, make them laugh,” she says.
“It’s nice to feel loved and wanted and needed,” Hanson adds. “So that’s what I like to give off to the residents, too. So they feel loved and wanted and to know that they make a big difference in everybody’s lives.”
Learn more
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- Nursing champion takes on improving care for all
- Nutrition supervisor serves connection with every meal
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Posted In Awards & Recognition, Nursing and Nursing Support, People & Culture, Sanford Stories, Senior Services
