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Jean Freuck, Kathy Bernaden and Terri Isabell specialize in different fields – finance, human resources, and fundraising respectively – but they all came to Three Pillars for the same reason. “The culture,” Freuck says. “You feel the connection whenever you are around the residents.” They were each accomplished leaders in their previous positions, but coming to Three Pillars offered them the chance to apply their skills by helping people and families looking for active adult living or long-term care. At the same time, they’re helping lead the organization into an exciting new chapter, including assisting with oversite of an ongoing expansion, as the community doubles in size over the next five years. This includes opening a state-of-the-art resource center and new memory care community, growing their staff and much more. “Long-term health care is a growing field with lots of opportunities,” Isabell says. “But the real benefit in our work is spending time with residents, listening to their stories and laughing with them – it’s a real joy.”
“We are passionate about providing the best place to live and work.”
-Kathy Bernaden
Q&A
What do you think sets Three Pillars apart from other senior living communities?
Kathy Bernaden: I think it’s the long-standing tradition. There are not many organizations in Wisconsin that have been around for over 100 years. But I also think it’s the type of leadership that we have – all our leaders are here to serve others. Three Pillars really embodies that in all that we do.
Jean Freuck: I also feel it’s the forward-thinking leadership. We’ve been on the cutting edge of senior care for our entire history. In 2010, we opened our short-term rehab and started our master plan for the future. We’ve right-sized our long-term care, and we’ve gone away from the institutional long-term care model. In the future, we’re going into the next version of active adult living. We’re helping to define what active adult living looks like. And, we’re also doing memory care, with a state-of-the-art resource center.
Terri Isabell: When people walk in our doors, there’s a sense of warmth and community. There’s always activity and things for people to do. Our residents take a lot of pride in where they live.
What are some of the achievements your most proud of?
JF: I’m proud of our strategic planning. We’ve all had a part of moving that forward.
TI: Everyone is involved: our leadership, finance, housekeeping, maintenance, social workers, nursing staff. It’s really great that we’re all working together to build this expansion. Everyone has a say.
KB: From an HR perspective, we’re proud of helping create an HR team that’s really focused on our staff. We really take care of our employees. We’ve created employee emergency loans; we’ve created a staff appreciation fund so the residents can show their appreciation for staff. Long-term health care is one of the fastest-growing industries, and I don’t think people realize how much career growth you can have in this field. There are a lot of opportunities.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
TI: I’ve had the opportunity to get to know many of the residents, and it’s been an honor. They are really amazing and they are so kind and generous. I think more people should consider a career working with seniors.
KB: For me, each day presents a different challenge. There’s never a dull moment in health care.
JF: I agree. I remember years ago, one of my bosses wondered aloud if my work would become repetitive, but that’s never once happened! Every day of my career has posed new and interesting scenarios. It has truly been fulfilling.
