Barbara Hedges, RN, will be joining Ativo Senior Living of Yuma’s team as the Health Services Director (HSD). She comes to the community with a tremendous amount of experience as a registered nurse for 26 years and a prior CNA for 12 years.
Her nursing career started out in a family practice setting but her heart eventually led her to seniors and working in skilled and assisted living communities. Barbara has always been a natural caretaker. She not only assisted seniors in the neighborhood while raising her children, but she lived and cared for her mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with dementia, for five years. Her love for nursing also expands to teaching as Barbara is certified to teach first aid, CPR, mental health, and dementia. During COVID, she received her certification as an infection preventionist to become more educated on control programs, recommended practices, and other infection prevention methods.
One of the joys she finds in her career is getting to know seniors and their families so she can hopefully make their day better. “With a total of 38 years in the healthcare industry, you can tell caring for others is my passion. I truly believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Everyone deserves love and to be treated like my family, and that is my every intention at Ativo. Welcome to my family!”
Barbara has been married for 27 years, and between her and her husband, they have 5 children and 12 grandchildren that are the loves of their lives. Tired of the cold, they traded in the snow for sunshine as they recently moved to the area from northern Idaho.
