Shaun Gambalan - Registered Nurse

Nervous for his interview, Shaun Gambalan’s hands sweat on the steering wheel of his car.  As he drives through the small city of Winkler, he is reminded of the town where he grew up in the Philippines. After studying to receive his Bachelor's Degree in Nursing he worked in several hospitals before moving to Canada in 2007.   

Shaun pulls his car into the stall at Salem Home and steps into the crisp winter air. ‘This town seems great, but this winter is something else!’ he thinks to himself.

Still shaking from the cold, and perhaps the nerves of an interview, Shaun opens the front door of Salem Home.  The receptionist looks up and beams a smile at him.  Cozy lobby chairs and a closet filled with jackets and boots greet his chattering teeth.  As he leans over to remove his boots, he takes a deep breath in.  He thinks to himself, ‘Someone must have opened up a bakery’. The smell of freshly baked cookies takes over his nostrils. His mouth begins to water.

“Mmmm I want to work here,” he whispers under his breath.

They hired Shaun that day as a Registered Nurse.  He has since learned that the secret of Salem Home is not just the delicious baking.

It’s not a place of pagers and intercoms – Salem did away with these to make residents feel more comfortable.  Its not a sterile facility filled with nurses running off their feet – it’s a home, where elderly people are compassionately cared for in a warmly decorated atmosphere.

It’s a place where people go to live, not to die.
 

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