CMSS is proud to introduce Board Member, Mary Kakenmaster. Mary began her career as a registered nurse. Since 2010, Mary has been a Professor of Nursing at Oakton Community College. In this role, Mary revels in teaching and training the next generation of nurses. She believes teaching is her destiny and her mission. Mary has been a member of the CMSS Board since 2020.
Mary brings invaluable expertise and insight to the CMSS Board with her nursing background. She received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from Northwestern University and her Masters in Nursing from Saint Xavier University. We are so grateful for her leadership and depth of knowledge.
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Q: Can you tell us when and how you first came to work with CMSS and what initially interested you about the organization?
My relationship with CMSS began when I learned about the Senior Connections program. I coordinated student nurse volunteers for the program. I was so impressed with what Senior Connections was doing for seniors that I inquired about joining the CMSS Board of Directors.
Q: Your career has focused on nursing, training, and mentoring the next generation of nurses. Can you share a little about how working with the next generation has been for you?
Training the next generation of nurses is a passion for me. Having a competent and compassionate workforce of nurses is key to quality healthcare and will be necessary to meet the needs of our country’s aging population. I believe nurses should focus on using a holistic approach – utilizing the great scientific and technical advances the field has seen over the past years, and also focusing on compassion.
Q: From the start of your career to now, what have been the most significant changes in the field of nursing, specifically as they relate to caring for the aging population?
The scientific and technical advances in nursing have been positive and have enhanced safety. However, healthcare has become more complex, costly, and less personable over the years. While there have been great medical advances that give patients more options, new medications also come with new sets of side effects and complications. Because costs have increased so much, many older adults and families are caught off guard when it comes to covering care. It is important that nurses understand how complicated and difficult the system can be for patients to navigate. Nurses should be poised to assist in advocating for patients.
Q: How has your academic and professional background informed your leadership on the CMSS Board?
Academically, I have completed graduate work and several certificates, which prepared me for the structure, process, and collaboration that comes with serving on a Board of Directors. I have been fortunate enough to have worked as a bedside nurse in acute and critical care, as a home care nurse, as a medical device specialist, as a cardiac surgery clinical specialist, as an independent consultant, in outpatient care, and as a professor. Many of these positions required leadership and being a visionary. When I joined the CMSS Board, the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun and nursing was the organization’s largest cohort of employees. I feel I was able to use my clinical expertise to help guide CMSS during that difficult time.
Q: We greatly appreciate your leadership on our Board. Could you share which CMSS programs and initiatives you are most enthusiastic about and what you eagerly anticipate for the organization?
I am very excited about the Senior Connections program, and look forward to seeing how it grows. Additionally, I know there is a growing need for home care as older adults increasingly seek to age in place. I am eager to see how SASI continues to adapt to meet these needs. I believe we will also see a growing demand for affordable housing, specifically for seniors, and for dementia care for older adults.
I am concerned about the growing occurrence of placement agencies in the aging care field. While many families depend on agencies like this to help them find the right care, I believe that providers like CMSS are often better poised to serve as an advisory resource to older adults and their families. CMSS team members have always focused on being a resource first and then a provider for seniors seeking care and support.
Q: We know no one is all business, all the time. How do you enjoy spending your free time?
I love to garden. I have two large vegetable gardens and I use my harvest to cook and to make sauces, spices, and preserves. I love expanding my culinary skills! I also enjoy camping. We have an old Airsteam trailer that we will be updating this winter. We hope to take the trailer to some national parks over the next few years. Finally, I love spending time with my family: my husband and sons, as well as my sister, brothers, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. I am so blessed to have them all in my life!
