Our Kaplan House “Founding Team Members” (left to right): Amanda Lavoie, RN Staff Nurse; Cindy Berry, Hospice Aide; Stacy Hess, RN Team Lead; Janet Geanoulis, RN Staff Nurse; Jill Olson, Kitchen Coordinator

Longtime Staff Reflect on 20 Years Working at the Kaplan House

In 2025, Care Dimensions celebrates 20 years since the opening of the Kaplan Family Hospice House. Central to the facility's mission over the past two decades has been its team of professionals, who offer compassionate, expert care each day to patients and families.

Five Care Dimensions employees have been at the Kaplan House since it opened, dedicating 20 years of their careers to Kaplan: Amanda Lavoie, RN Staff Nurse; Cindy Berry, Hospice Aide; Stacy Hess, RN Team Lead; Janet Geanoulis, RN Staff Nurse; Jill Olson, Kitchen Coordinator.

“The staff here truly make Kaplan House what it is,” said Jen Sawyer, Clinical Director at the Kaplan House since 2012. “Their commitment to dignity and respect for every patient and family is unmatched. We are blessed to have so many longtime employees here, especially these five individuals who have been at Kaplan since its start.”

Here are some of the insights these team members have shared about their time at the Kaplan House.

Care From the Kitchen

For the past 20 years, when someone stops by the kitchen at the Kaplan House, they will likely find the friendly face of Jill Olson, Kitchen Coordinator. Jill is tasked with providing meals and modifications to best meet the patient’s needs, appetite, and preferences. Beyond food, Jill is a listener; and she is someone who brings a unique perspective to the house.

She recalled a recent example where a large family arrived before the patient. They were all very anxious. She offered them tea & coffee and a treat to help to calm their anxiety. Then, she engaged in conversation, giving them reassurance that this was the right place for their loved one, and helping them feel as close to at home as possible.

“When a visitor says they have never been here I say you are fortunate to be in such a peaceful place,” said Jill.

Jill says there have been numerous changes over the years but there has been one constant: the great people who work at Kaplan House.

“I think the reason why this place works the way it does is because we are a well-oiled machine. This team has worked together for a long time.  We stand up for each other. We help each other out. I think that translates to exceptional care for our patients and families.“

Overnight Team Keeps Kaplan Calm

While Jill greets visitors during daylight hours, the Kaplan House offers round-the-clock care. When the sun goes down, team members including Janet Geanoulis come in.

As a Baylor Nurse, Janet works weekend overnights, present and prepared for whatever the night may bring, while most of the world is asleep. It’s a shift that many people might avoid, but Janet has happily worked it for the past 20 years.

“It’s a team effort, especially on the overnight shift,” said Janet. “We’re a family here.”

Janet can remember the Kaplan House being built. At the time, she was working in a hospital setting, where she saw first-hand the need for a facility like it. Back then, patients who needed hospice were set up in special rooms or wings, but the clinical teams weren’t experts in end-of-life care, and the setting was less than ideal.

“In a hospital, you’re seeing all sorts of patients throughout your shift. And while not all hospice patients are the same, the level of care and comfort they need has a common thread, and it’s certainly different than someone who’s coming in for a broken leg or needing surgery.

“When I first stepped into the Kaplan House, it was so different than what I was used to. The expert care was the same, but the atmosphere was calmer, more centered. It was so peaceful.”

Janet remembers hearing some fear and hesitation in the community when the Kaplan House first opened. As the first-of-its-kind facility in the state, a lot of people were unsure what a hospice house would look like. Over the years, that fear has turned into support and understanding of the benefits Kaplan provides.

“There’s a lot of love here. I can feel it when I step into the front door. And I think the families can feel it too.”

Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future

Regardless of their role, longtime staff at the Kaplan House share similar stories of the importance of teamwork and a sense of calling to spend the better part of their careers supporting hospice patients and their families. Perhaps Hospice Aide Cindy Berry sums it up best:

“I’ve been with Care Dimensions for 25 years, 20 of them here at the Kaplan House. I love my job, and, in many ways, my job is my life. Helping people through hospice is what I was meant to do.”