Episcopal Homes has had the good fortune to have Nirmala Dias as a nursing assistant for the past 9 years, primarily at the Terrace and more recently in the memory unit, Katy’s Cottage in Iris Park Commons. She came to the United States in 2008 from Mumbai, India, where she was born and raised.
Nirmala was a Catholic nun in India for 32 years. During this time, she travelled all over the world while part of the Catholic religious order and lived in Hong Kong and the Philippines. She spent 3 years in La Crosse before moving to the Twin Cities.
Nirmala feels her religious training contributed to the kind of worker she was to become. “I can’t leave things half done,” she says. “The training is what made me the person I am today.” Nirmala has also been working part-time at Our Lady of Peace Hospice. What she learned about compassion and caring there contributed to her learning of how to care for elderly.
Anne Nelson-Murphy, a resident of the Terrace, shares her huge amount of respect for Nirmala. Says Anne, “She has cared for my mother (another Terrace resident) for a long time and really improved her quality of life. Anne continues, “Nirmala has this wonderful level of empathy and I can’t thank her enough for all she’s done.” Nirmala said she has been so thankful for the positive feedback she received from the Terrace residents and their families.
Nirmala is returning to India where she will live with her sister and is looking forward to spending time with her family and friends as well as the religious community that she was so much a part of while she was a nun. She may pursue some volunteer work once she has settled in a bit.
While she said she is going to miss so many people and things about Minnesota, she will not miss Minnesota winters and the short days that accompany it! We wish Nirmala the best of luck in all of her future endeavors and thank her for wonderful service to Episcopal Homes.
Honor Nirmala’s service with a gift to Episcopal Homes made in her name
Use the comments section of the giving form to denote In Honor of Nirmala