CARE MANAGER

Christine is a former teacher and busy homeschooling mom of four children who felt called to serve others as a Gateway Volunteer. She feels that when you have experienced deep levels of grief you are naturally drawn to people who have experienced the same…. a fellowship of suffering. Her greatest desire in her work is to help the residents, who are also grieving in many ways, and their families to not get stuck in their grief. She started at Gateway by working as a volunteer for 6 months just twice a month for four hours at a time then went on to work the weekend overnight position. she found that it also helped that 15 years prior, while going to school to become a teacher, she worked as a CNA. She’s been happily married for 15 years, has four teens/preteens, 2 cats and a dog. In her spare time she loves to knit, crochet and read.

CARE STAFF

Marian has been a caregiver both professionally and personally for 38 years. She has experience in several areas of health care, including pediatrics, geriatrics, and home healthcare. At one point, Marian was the charge nurse of a floor with 40 Alzheimer's patients. Marian has always known that her "final calling" would be in hospice care. After moving to Ballston Spa after the pandemic, Marian soon reached out to Gateway House of Peace as a volunteer; however, soon, she was hired as our assistant care manager. We are grateful to have her expertise on board at Gateway House.

CARE STAFF

Brittany (McGowan) Mendez is a NYS licensed Registered Nurse with experience in a variety of settings, including hospital ICU, assisted living, and outpatient surgery. She is local to our home and lives in Ballston Spa with her new husband and 3 dogs. She took a detour from bedside nursing to work full-time in the IT setting of healthcare, but after working from home for 6 months felt pulled to do something more – and joined Gateway as a per-diem caregiver in November of 2022.. After seeing end of life from the ICU setting, she was driven to help individuals and their families experience this process from a peaceful and loving standpoint. Her passion lies in being of service to others and strives to make the transition process as unique as possible for each individual and their family members. When not at Gateway, Brittany can be found out on her motorcycle, relaxing with her Great Danes, working out at the gym or visiting a local farm and their goats.

CARE STAFF

Melody is the perfect example of how someone with no experience but a strong heart calling to serve can be excellent service to people facing end-of-life. Melody is an artist who also manages her family's busy life. Because her children were getting older, she wanted to find meaningful part-time work. Melody attended our direct care training with no prior caregiving experience and fell in love with Gateway House of Peace's mission. She looks forward to coming to work for each of her shifts.

CARE STAFF

Kathleen is a 62 yrs old, widow who took care of her husband during his fight with pancreatic cancer. They did hospice in the home. She was with him and cared for him until he passed away in 2018. In 2012/2013 she did some volunteer work at the Joan Nicole Prince Home. She has such a passion for this kind of work. She really feels that she has been called to do it. She loves being with the residents, caring for them, holding their hand and being with them right through the end. She feels it is a great honor to care for someone who is dying. She also feel it is just as important to care for the family as well. She enjoys talking with the family and does her best to make them feel at home at The Gateway House of Peace.

Kathleen has 1 adult daughter. She enjoys her 2 cats, cooking, and has a passion for quilting.

CARE STAFF

Judy is retired from 31 years of working as both an instructor and direct caregiver for the disabled. She has always and an interest in end of life issues and near death experiences. Her interest deepened as she was one of the primary caregivers for a family member as he transitioned. She was recommended to work at Gateway House of Peace by another person on our staff.

In her free time, Judy likes to make art, be in the outdoors and play the the guitar and flute. We are lucky to have Judy offering “private concerts” to our residents at the house as well.

CARE STAFF

Victoria (Tori) Maurer, has been an EMT for 14 years, a Medical Assistant for 3 years and Medical Secretary for 1 year. She had also been the caregiver for family members for post surgical recovery, long term care as well as end of life care. She loves arts and crafts (any chance for creativity) She also studied in culinary arts and has a passion for cooking and baking. Her husband and she recently moved to Ballston Spa. When she came upon the Gateway House of Peace she knew she’d found a wonderful place that she could put her medical background to use in a meaningful way. She could only wished for such a caring and peaceful place for her passed loved ones to have had for their hospice care.

CARE STAFF

Raebeth reached out to us when she wanted to "do something different" after overcoming breast cancer. Her goal was to find meaningful work that enabled her to apply the new insights she gained from being a temporary patient herself. Raebeth remembers the "complexities" of receiving help from her family and friends when she was sick and how it can feel disempowering to rely on others. It is from this deep spirit of compassion that Raebeth serves at Gateway House of Peace. It is always her intention to "spoil" patients when she arrives for her weekly shift,

CARE STAFF

Diana has a bachelor's degree in Health Occupational Science and is a certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. After working at a few nursing homes during the pandemic, she wanted a change of environment and went into homecare. While looking for ways to be of service to others, she stumbled upon Gateway House of Peace and knew it was exactly what she was looking for. In the future, she hopes to continue to be of service to those experiencing their last moments by becoming a death doula. She considers it a blessing to be with those who are about to depart from this life and go on to the next adventure life has in store for them. This experience makes her appreciate every moment life has to offer. When she is not at Gateway, she is either coaching/training at her local gym, reading or learning something new, or out in nature.