The many facets of Felicia Jones nursing career have a common thread of love.

by James Coburn – staff writer

Felicia Jonesā€™ pastor spoke words that changed her life when she was a 40-year-old. He said, ā€œThe optimum job is to do something that you would do for free if you could afford to do so.ā€ Jones already volunteered with Meals on Wheels and realized she needed to go to nursing school.
She was a successful bridal shop owner taking care of her mother who was living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that devastates the central nervous system, causing loss of muscle control. (story continues below)

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Jones discovered a whole new world during her first day at the Moore/Norman Technology Center. She was one of the oldest students there in 1990.
At first, she considered being a pediatric nurse. But she fell in love with her clinical studies at St. Anthony Hospitalā€™s geriatric/psychiatric unit.
Today, Jones serves as the staffing coordinator for The Wolfe Living Center at Summit Ridge, founded by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Harrah.
ā€œI love older people. Iā€™m Chickasaw Indian and we take care of our elders,ā€ Jones said.
She spent six years working in the Alzheimerā€™s unit of what was then-Oklahoma Christian Home (Bradford Village). She also did hospice there. God had revealed to her she could do mission work for the least of His children in Edmond.
ā€œI got to rub the feet of missionaries, ministers, people who had served the Lord all of their lives,ā€ Jones said.
She found peace working in hospice. Jones recalled an elderly man who was a member of the Disciples of Christ Church who did a Bible study. He developed congestive heart failure and the doctors said he would not make it. So, his family was called to be at his side.
ā€œI could see the signs it was happening. I would just stroke his hand and remind him that Jesus said, ā€˜In my fatherā€™s house there are many mansions.ā€™ I said trust. ā€˜You always trusted. Now is the biggest trust.ā€™ And so, as he was dying and I was stroking his arm, he would open his eyes and say, ā€˜Am I dead yet?ā€™ And I would say no and sing to him.ā€
Finally, after three or four times of repeating himself, the man closed his eyes and opened them, followed by a deep exhaling of breath.
He looked up and he was gone, Jones said. But Jones knew in her heart where the gentleman had gone. She would sing ā€œIā€™ll Fly Awayā€ at his funeral to honor his request with his son-in-law playing the banjo.
Her career lovingly spanned different places from there, including memory care at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City and did end-of-life care for then-Grace Living Center (The Timbers) in Edmond. In Wichita, Kansas, Jones served as an activities nurse, driving a bus to the zoo and picnics.
She returned to Oklahoma City and worked at FountainBrook Assisted Living and Memory Care until her son Daniel was diagnosed with Huntingtonā€™s disease at age 29. Huntingtonā€™s is a progressive brain disorder caused by a defective gene. She had adopted Daniel from DHS when he was 8 months old. Huntingtonā€™s disease ravages the central area of the brain, which disturbs movement, mood and thinking ability.
ā€œIt got to where I couldnā€™t work like I wanted to because I wanted to take care of him as long as I could,ā€ Jones said.
After four years after Huntingtonā€™s had progressed for Daniel, she could no longer give him the specialty care he needed. She found a place to assist Daniel.
She became a CNA instructor for MedNoc Training College in Oklahoma City where she found an opportunity to speak about Huntingtonā€™s with her students. She told them that they will encounter more people living with Huntingtonā€™s disease than she ever had.
ā€œI still get calls from them saying, ā€˜I met my first Huntingtonā€™s patient. I remember what you said about Daniel,ā€™ā€ Jones said.
She discovered that Huntingtonā€™s had already surfaced in her son before age 20, but she and her husband didnā€™t realize it.
ā€œI am writing a book about Danielā€™s journey and how we didnā€™t know what was going on,ā€ she said.
Daniel passed away while she was working at MedNoc. Her students attended Danielā€™s funeral.
Jones took a break from nursing before accepting a job training directors of nursing at Belfair of Shawnee. In February of 2020 Jones retired.
ā€œThen COVID came,ā€ she said. ā€œAnd I thought I should be there helping.ā€
Faithful to serve, she came out of retirement to serve as the staffing coordinator from 10-12 hours a week at The Wolfeā€™s Living Center at Summit Ridge.
Jones is also a non-denominational minister and helped share the Gospel. And sheā€™s a nurse recruiter and assists the staff with the schedule.
ā€œOur leadership team is one family. We really work well together,ā€ she said. ā€œWe have devotionals, we pray for the residents.ā€

For More information visit: https://www.wolfelivingcenter.com/