The Oregon Caregiver SPRING/SUMMER 2023 www.ohca.com 20 PROFILE Afra Mayfield, Regional Director of Operations, One Life Senior Living LEADER Afra Mayfield is currently the regional director of operations for One Life Senior Living and has been serving in the in the long term care sector for 14 years, working in various capacities at Bonaventure, Avamere Health Services, and Arete Living. How did you start your career in long term care? I started in the hotel industry and had a vison and a plan to stay in that field. Then, I was recruited off of LinkedIn over a two-year period. The recruiter there said, “Afra, I really think you’re going to enjoy being in this industry,” and she was right. In hindsight it made sense because I had to take care of my mother in the past. So, I thought I didn’t know anything about senior living, but sure enough, I actually did know a little about caregiving. My passion went into this industry very quickly. What is the most rewarding part of your job? The most rewarding part of my job is supporting the staff who are in this industry. It is also an honor to be able to support our seniors through an end-oflife transitions. I was able to do that for my mother, and to be able to do it for other people’s families and truly have the understanding and empathy of what the process could look like for any individual is a very humbling and empowering experience. I love it. What are some misconceptions people may about long term care? I think what people don’t really know about long term care is that the people who work in this industry, who are here every day, are truly in this industry because they have a heart for it. They have a love and a passion, and we love what we do; we enjoy what we do. We have our good and bad days but it’s important to understand that we love our residents. OHCA is making advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in long term care a priority. What kind of impact do you want to make as a female Black leader in this sector? I think I have the advantage being raised the way I was. I am very much empowered to teach and train. I think people overall, they’re foundationally good, and when I come into a situation, even with seniors who may not even understand my role and may assume that I’m a housekeeper, I’m okay with that and just explain to them who I am. It’s a very enlightening experience for me. The impact I hope to make as a leader from an employee standpoint is I hope that people look at me as a mentor. I hope that people, specifically women of color, can see that we can be in roles of management. I would love to be able to make an impact and show that we are out there and we’re doing our thing and we’re enjoying ourselves while supporting the long term care industry. What have you learned as we slowly come out of the COVID-19 pandemic? Now that I’m on the other side, I can appreciate the lessons learned. It has really solidified who I am as a person, who I am as a leader, and even how I approach situations. I know I can handle a lot because I’ve been there, and I’ve done it and you either rise to the occasion or you don’t. I was able to rise to the occasion and provided support when I needed to and got into the trenches when I needed to. I learned that life is short; it really is, and it is precious. To see my residents being okay one day, and then, within 24 or 48 hours, I’m looking at labored breathing and wondering if they’re going to be there tomorrow. It has made me appreciate life. What have you been doing to combat burnout during this challenging time? I’ve done little things, but what worked best for our team when I was at Arete Living communities was creating employee wellness rooms. All of my former communities have their version of a wellness room. Some have bean bags, they may have music playing, they have healing crystals, everything. I had another community that had hydration water stations with smoothies. Its about really appreciating the people who are in the trenches and just saying, “Okay, I get you need to take PTO, but I need you to have wellness too when you’re here with us.” Wellness rooms have a good energy and they work well. What are you looking forward to now? I’m looking forward to being able to connect with people again. Virtual is great; it works, but it’s nothing like CONTINUES »
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