Memories of a Memory Care Coordinator

Monique Francis never considered senior care as a career path, but discovered a new passion through personal circumstance and experience.

“What made me get into health care was my grandmother,” she said.

Francis, the Memory Care Coordinator at The Chelsea at Greenburgh, was her grandmother’s main caretaker up until she passed away 11 years ago.

“She had dementia and she masked it very well,” Francis said. “I made appointments with doctors, I was in every meeting with the doctors, anything with her medication – I was there for all of it.”

It was that experience that shaped her future. She had been in banking for 10 years until she decided to transition to eldercare.

She started as a Home Health Aide (HHA) and was one of the first staff members when The Chelsea at Greenburgh opened its doors in 2020.

Her dedication, work ethic, and passion were recognized and rewarded. She was promoted to Medication Technician and then was encouraged to become the next Memory Care Coordinator.

“I was scared to apply for it,” she said. “I never did something like that before.”

But Francis felt she had terrific support. And she never stopped thinking of the moments she had with her grandmother, inspiring her to go after her goals.

“They gave me all the tools and the resources,” she said. “I can call any community for help. A lot of places you can’t do that, but you can do that with Chelsea.”

She says she’s now motivating others to pursue opportunities that they may feel is beyond their reach. Those staff members remind her of herself when others pushed her for greater challenges when she lacked the courage.

“They saw something in me that I didn’t see, others didn’t see,“ she said, referencing the staff at Chelsea. “This location especially we’re like a family. They want you to do better in life, they want you to grow. Other places say it, but they really do it here.”