Diann Smith reaches 30-year milestone at Emporia Presbyterian Manor

On Sept. 11, Home Health Nurse Diann Smith celebrated 30 years of employment at Emporia Presbyterian Manor—although if you were her, you probably wouldn’t have noticed.

“It was just like any other day,” said Diann. “There really wasn’t any big celebration, although Andraya Taber did get me a lovely gift bag.”

However, now that the milestone has passed and Diann has had a chance to reflect, the length of her tenure has begun to sink in.

“I’ve been here half my life!” said Diann. “My kids were all little when I started here, and now they’re grown.”

Diann spent the bulk of the past 30 years providing restorative nursing in the Health Center before transitioning over to Assisted Living two and a half years ago, where she rediscovered her true calling.

“I love home health,” said Diann. “It’s wonderful working with the residents and taking care of them and meeting their needs.”

During her time at the community, Diann has seen a lot of changes, from how it approached the concept of senior living to the physical environment itself. However, she says nothing compares to the changes she has witnessed within the field of nursing.

“The biggest thing that happened was that we went from paper to computers. I’m an old lady, so that was a big change to learn. I took typing in school but that was a lot of years ago, so I had to reteach myself to type fast,” said Diann.

As for the secret to her longevity, Diann says it’s simple.

“I’ve loved what I do, I love helping people—that’s what kept me here,” said Diann. “This is where the Lord has had me be.”

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