New director finds support as career grows

Lacey Hasker, who recently took the helm as Director of Assisted Living at Salina Presbyterian Manor, has found a lot of helping hands since her early career in 2014.

“I feel like I’ve had a lot of support here as I’ve grown,” Lacey said. “I feel like I just keep learning new things from everyone all the time. It’s a good experience.”

Lacey began her career with PMMA in 2014, first working as a Certified Nursing Aide. She later became a nurse, working her way to team leader on the healthcare side. In January, she began her latest role as Director of Assisted Living.

“I do a little bit of everything,” Lacey said. “I oversee the staff, nurses, medication aides, and CNAs. We work to make sure everything is running smoothly and the residents are taken care of. We discuss any concerns about residents with each other, and they will bring things to my attention and I’ll see what I can do to take care of it. I also do a lot of communication with family members.”

Along the way, Lacey has put a great deal of effort into advancing her education and professional development - but that has included a supportive network of co-workers and supervisors.

“I really love the staff,” Lacey said. “They are great at teamwork. Working as a CNA, if we had issues or were behind, another CNA would come over to help. As a nurse, I really had support and encouragement to keep going when I was in school. On my nursing journey, they really helped - they’d come over to watch, and help. They helped me gain knowledge and experience.”

The support she received wasn’t limited to staff, however.

“The relationships with residents are great,’ Lacey said. “As an aide, you’re with the resident all the time, and you see the family a lot. You get to know each other. I had support from family and residents. Even when I took a break from work, they reached out to me, gave me gifts for my baby shower. They become a part of your life.”

When she’s not working, or developing her career, Lacey enjoys spending time with her husband, her five-year-old son Kenrick and 20-month old daughter Milana.

“They’re just super fun,” Lacey said. “In the past, before COVID, we’d have Easter Egg hunts at work and the kids love it. My son always wants to see where I work. My daughter hasn’t gotten to do any of that, but she loves people. And I love showing off pictures of them to the residents.”

Their family loves to take their Golden Retriever, Bear, for walks, and they love to travel to small towns around the area.

“We don’t go very far,” Lacey said. “My son loves to go to different towns - as long as he gets to go swimming.”

Lacey plans to continue propelling her career - with plans to work on another degree in the future.

“I’d love to keep moving up in the company,” Lacey said. “There are a lot of growth opportunities here.”

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