Caregiver Spotlight – Melissa Williams, Gentle Compassion

Melissa Williams works the night shift as a Memory Care Support RCA (Resident Care Assistant) at UMRC’s Towsley Village Memory Care Center, a Positive Approach® to Care (PAC) “Participating” organization. A PAC certified coach, Melissa cares deeply about the residents she serves who live with dementia. “They are truly amazing human beings,” says Melissa. "To help them during this very scary and difficult time in their lives is truly an honor.”  

“The PAC philosophies really resonate with Melissa,” says Towsley Village dementia care specialist, Katie Garvey. “She has a gentle, compassionate demeanor that makes her very skillful at building rapport and recognizing changing care needs. We are blessed to have her on our care team.” 

Melissa enjoys helping her fellow care partners be successful.“Working in dementia care can be very challenging,” shares Melissa. “So being able to learn and then teach different techniques that help a care partner provide the highest quality of assistance, care, and understanding to a resident and their loved ones is paramount. I am blessed with some of the most compassionate and incredible co-workers.” 

This is Melissa’s first time working as a care partner, but she has provided care to her husband for over a decade following a serious car accident. Once she returned to work, she knew that caring for others was the career for her.   

“The greatest thing about my job is the residents,” says Melissa. “You essentially become part of their family, and there is nothing quite as rewarding as being able to provide them with the best quality of life.”