'They trust in you': Nurse achieves dream of opening assisted-living facility in Lakeland
LAKELAND — Gladis Vaccianna exuded the color red as she stood on the front porch of the Abundant Love & Care assisted-living facility: scarlet jacket and matching cowboy hat with a white, fluffy fringe.
Vaccianna had another color in mind, one evoked by the gold blades of the oversized scissors she used to slice through a ribbon of red tape bearing the words “GRAND OPENING.”
“We’ve got to live up to the ‘Golden Girls’ standards,” Vaccianna said, referring to the 1980s sitcom about four senior ladies sharing a home in Miami.
At an age when many are anticipating the golden years of retirement, Vaccianna, 64, is launching an endeavor that she hopes will provide comfort and companionship to elderly residents. Abundant Love & Care occupies a 5,300-square-foot building at 825 Plum St. in the Parker Street neighborhood.
At a time when many senior facilities are large in scale and corporate-owned, Abundant Love & Care is independent and has a capacity for only 23 residents.
“I think it's better when you are an individual and don’t have a corporation because a corporation, they really don't know what's going on,” Vaccianna said. “They send people out to run the facility, and they just look at paper and books. They don’t get to engage with the residents. Whereas someone as myself, I get to engage.”
'Ready to get to work'
Vaccianna, a registered nurse, said she worked in hospitals for 22 years, leaving her position at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in June. She said she has also operated a group home in Winter Haven for 19 years, a facility for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Vaccianna said she began pursuing the idea of opening an assisted-living facility in 2019. The COVID pandemic delayed her plans but only made her more determined to make the aspiration a reality.
Abundant Love & Care received its license from the state in November, Vaccianna said. Though the facility had no residents as of Thursday’s dedication, Vaccianna said a man toured the site on Monday and told her he plans to move his wife there after they give notice at her current facility.
During Thursday’s event, the ebullient Vaccianna thanked supporters from the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and the law firm of Howell, Buchan and Strong, which helped her get the facility established, among others.
A banner stretched above the front porch bearing the words “GRAND OPENING,” along with the Abundant Love & Care logo and “ISAIAH 26:3.” That Bible verse reads: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
“I’m overwhelmed but ready to get to work,” Vaccianna told the assembled group, which included her husband, Dudley.
Spotless bedrooms, even a beauty room
Vaccianna, who continues to run the Winter Haven group home, said she will initially serve as administrator, nurse and educator while also overseeing the food services.
The building has previously been a training site for people released from incarceration and the headquarters of a Christian mission organization. County property records show that Vaccianna’s organization bought the site in April for $955,000.
Supporters wandered through the facility, which contains 11 double rooms and one single room. About half of the rooms appeared ready to host residents, as they were equipped with beds, furniture and wall art. One room contained beds with matching, light peach spreads and gold pillows bearing the word “grateful” in lower-case script. The word “Blessed” had been applied in gold on the wall above the room’s window.
The dining room held one long table and a few small ones. The facility also has what Vaccianna described as a “quiet/beauty room,” containing a hair-styling chair and shampoo sink, while rows of multi-colored nail polish lined a wall. Vaccianna said she hopes to find a hair stylist for the staff.
The bedrooms were spotless, and Vaccianna vowed that she will maintain a clean facility after residents arrive.
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Vaccianna said that in her final years of working at the hospital, she grew frustrated with the time pressures that kept her from devoting as much attention to patients as she thought they needed. She said she looked forward to more one-on-one contact with future residents of the assisted-living facility.
While she is focused on finding residents, Vaccianna said she aspires to build a memory-care unit at some point.
Keeping people active
Vaccianna has formed a partnership with Faith in Action, a nonprofit providing a range of services for frail and chronically ill seniors. Residents of Abundant Love & Care will automatically become members of Faith in Action North Lakeland, 1123 Omohundro Ave., allowing them to take part in programs that include social activities and presentations by medical experts.
Mildren McMillon, who founded the local Faith in Action branch in 2003, attended Thursday’s event, joining Vaccianna at the podium for a brief address.
“I think with our partnership that we can bring good social ties,” McMillon said during the ceremony. “People need to socialize with each other because people don't realize that we feed off each other. So if you don’t socialize, you struggle mentally and physically.”
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Longtime nurse opens assisted-living facility in Lakeland
