It was many years ago, but Michelle Castronova’s 7th-grade community service project was life-changing for her.  

It led her to a more than 20-year career serving older adults and now to her new role as director of nursing at The Danish Home, a boutique senior living community in Chicago. 

Hailing from Chicago, Castronova’s childhood service project entailed visiting with older adults at a nearby retirement community, talking and sharing meals with them.  

She discovered that she “enjoyed talking with the seniors and getting to know them. We can learn a lot from them,” she explained.

Inspired by the experience, Castronova started out working as a CNA at a senior living community and went on to earn her LPN and RN degrees. In the years that followed, she took on supervisory roles and was a director of nursing at another senior living community. Along the way, she also received certification in restorative nursing, which focuses on restoring and maintaining patients’ physical, mental and psychosocial health. It requires active participation from both patients and caregivers— an approach she embraces.

“You can help people be involved in their own care,” said Castronova. She cited the example of a caregiver who may encourage a wheelchair-bound person to walk a little by putting their wheelchair a few feet away when they get up to wash their hands or do another task. 

Since joining The Danish Home in late February, Castronova has been spending time getting to know residents and their medical histories, ensuring that care plans are customized to their particular health needs. 

Her goal, she said, “is to help residents attain and maintain their highest level of function and independence.” 

Castronova was drawn to The Danish Home because of its small size—a maximum of 49 residents served by 25 staff members.

“It’s small, allowing everyone to get to know each other,” she said. 

She also likes that many of the team members at The Danish Home have been there for many years. 

“Having a lot of long-time staff says a lot about the quality of The Danish Home,” she said. 

Longevity allows staff and residents to build strong connections, which are essential to providing the best possible personal care. 

“When you know people, you can provide better care,” she said. 

She described The Danish Home as “a special place. It’s very home-like and family-like. I’m excited to be part of it.” 

Castronova, who has previously volunteered as a coach for youth sports in her spare time, is motivated by those on both ends of the age spectrum. 

“I love seniors, and I love children,” she said. “I want to ensure that vulnerable populations are well taken care of.” 

Her ultimate goal at The Danish Home “is to treat everyone with respect and dignity and ensure they are receiving the best care we can.”