On any given day, approximately 1.2 to 1.3 million Americans reside in a nursing home. There are approximately 14,700 certified nursing homes nationwide offering roughly 1.6 million licensed beds.

One of those certified nursing homes is located right here in Callaway. It takes a team of dedicated professionals to care for the residents of the Callaway Good Life Center, and Shirla Streit has been doing that for a long time.

She grew up just down the road in Arnold and graduated from Arnold High School. She attended Mid-Plains Community College and obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing, and immediately went to work at what was then the Callaway Good Samaritan Center on June 13, 1993.

“I actually started working before I had my license. Back then, they only offered the testing once or twice a year, so they let you work under a graduate license until you took the boards,” Shirla explained. “I took the test in June or July and didn’t get results until about October, so you waited a long time.”

At the time, the RN program at Mid-Plains was still new. Shirla was a member of only the second graduating class in that program. Though she can’t pinpoint exactly when or why she decided to pursue a career in nursing, she said that by the time she graduated from high school, she knew that would be her path.

She started her career in Callaway as the charge nurse, and after 33 years, Shirla still holds that same position.

“It has changed a lot,” she shared. “There used to be people who would actually check themselves in here because they wanted to come in while they were still well enough to enjoy it. It is very different now.”

Shirla shared that the change in that mindset has resulted in a difference in the level of care required in the facility. In the early days of her career, she said the nursing home was more like today’s assisted living units. “There weren’t as many complex medical things,” she said.

With so many people now choosing to stay in their homes longer, they often don’t enter the nursing home until they require a high level of care. “And it’s expensive to live in a nursing home,” she added.

While burnout is fairly common in geriatric care, Shirla said she loves what she does and has no plans to do anything else. “At one time, I wanted to do pediatrics,” she admitted. “But I didn’t want to leave the small town. And I really don’t like change.”

She is the mother of three boys - 24-year-old twins, and a 20-year-old. One of the twins is autistic and still lives at home with her, while the other two now live in Kearney.

Working at Callaway Good Life Center has also given Shirla the opportunity to help care for her grandparents and both of her parents at different times in their lives. She just lost her mom in May.

“Getting to know the residents is my favorite part of the job,” Shirla said. “Some of them you get more attached to than others. I’ve even taken care of people I’ve worked with.”

The nursing home was owned by Good Samaritan from the time it opened in 1963 until 2012, when it was purchased by members of the community who did not want to see it closed. Shirla said the day-to-day operations of the facility did not see a lot of change during the transition of ownership.

The biggest change, she said, has been going from paper charts to computers. “And they’re not necessarily my friend,” she laughed, adding that her short fingers make her not a very good typist.

She admits that nursing in a skilled geriatric facility is not for everyone. “You either like it, or you don’t. Not everyone enjoys working with the elderly,” she added.

The residents of Callaway Good Life Center and their families would likely agree that they are glad Shirla likes it.