Jessica Bingamon is one of the people who makes Decatur House a very special community. Born and raised in Plymouth and now a resident of Bourne, Jess joined the DH team two and a half years ago as a Personal Care Assistant.
“I was a waitress and bartender for 14 years. I decided that I would become trained as a PCA for extra income, but I fell in love with Decatur House so I decided to come here full time,” she said. “I love the environment, the residents, their families, the staff, it’s like a big family. You don’t get that anywhere else,” she continued.
And Decatur House fell in love with Jess! Resident Care Coordinator Nicole Cabral said, “If I could clone Jess I would. She’s personable, gives fabulous care, she’s very reliable, she has a great work ethic, I never have to ask her twice for anything, she’s intuitive, she does what needs to be done without even having to be asked.
Jess can often be found dancing with the residents and has even started leading BINGO games. This is a big deal for her because before she came to Decatur House, she says she was very shy and never would have done either of those things. She feels as though she has come a long way and is finding her voice.
Jess is married with 3 children ages 13, 6 and 3 and a big dog – a 113lb boxweiler who they love to take for walks along the canal. “I like to cook. I’m outdoorsy and make my family do fun things with me,” she said
.
On Jess’ arm she has a tattoo of the name “Alice” with a red tube of lipstick. I asked her to tell me about it. She said that Alice was her great grandmother that lived with her family while she was growing up. Alice had Alzheimer’s and loved wearing red lipstick and walking around the house in high heels; waking everyone up early on Sunday mornings! Being at Decatur House reminds Jess of Alice and family and love.
