Fifty-two years is a long time. 

In 1974, Canadians were paying about 30 cents for a loaf of bread and buying homes for less than $40,000. Gas could be purchased with pocket change, and the average annual salary was around $12,000. It was also the year Linda Galarneau became a Registered Nurse. 

And if you ask her where all those years went? 

“It feels like it went by like that,” she says, snapping her fingers. 

Now 73, Linda is preparing to retire after an extraordinary 52-year nursing career, 46 of those years spent caring for patients at Providence Care. 

“I just loved what I was doing,” Linda says simply. “If you find something that you love to do, then you don’t really feel like you’re working.” 

Linda’s journey toward caring for others for more than half a century began when she was just 16 years old. 

Growing up in Ottawa, she thought she might become a teacher. Then one summer, her high school advertised jobs at St. Patrick’s Home, a long-term care home for older adults. Linda started in the kitchen, but before long, she was helping care for residents at the bedside. 

What began as a part-time job became a calling. 

“I just loved them,” Linda says of the residents she met. “They all had different stories, different lives, different experiences. It was really eye-opening and really interesting. They were fun to be with.” 

Linda graduated from the Lorraine School of Nursing in Pembroke and began her nursing career at The Ottawa Civic Hospital. Five years later, she and her husband made the move to Kingston and in January 1980, Linda walked through the doors of St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital, beginning what would become a 46-year chapter with Providence Care. 

“I’ve always been interested in people. I like helping them as much as I can. Every person is different, every day is different and every day you learn something new.”

One of Linda’s proudest accomplishments came while working on Gibson 2 Rehabilitation. Recognizing the need for safer patient handling practices, she pursued specialized training and helped develop educational videos that taught staff how to move patients safely. 

“People aren’t boxes,” she says. “At the time, the training videos for lifting techniques involved showing how to move boxes and how not to hurt yourself. That is important, but I wanted to make sure staff were also not hurting patients and were teaching them safe transfer techniques for when they left our care.” 

In 1993, Linda returned full circle to the population that first inspired her career, transitioning into geriatric medicine. 

Over the next 33 years, she became a familiar and trusted face for older adults referred to Providence Care’s specialized geriatric services. Many of the patients she works with are experiencing mobility or memory concerns, recovering from a fall or injury, or facing health challenges that make it difficult to remain independent at home. 

Today, as Triage Coordinator at the Geriatric Medicine Clinic at Providence Care Hospital, Linda is often one of the first people patients meet after being referred to Providence Care. 

“Our goal is to help people remain at home, independent and living well for as long as possible, safely,” she explains. 

Working alongside physicians and other members of the care team, Linda helps older adults understand, implement and navigate their care plans so they can remain healthy, independent and supported at home. 

“You’re not just looking at one part of someone,” Linda says. “You’re looking at the whole person.” 

While Linda isn’t quite sure what retirement will look like yet, she is ready for a slower pace and more time focused on her health. That doesn’t mean she’ll be slowing down completely, though. She shares her home with her daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, who range in age from 15 to 27. 

As Linda prepares to hang up her stethoscope one final time and reflect on a career spanning more than half a century, she hopes to leave behind one simple lesson: 

“I hope everybody finds something they really love doing,” she says. “If you find something that is spiritually fulfilling, it makes you a good practitioner, whatever it is that you do.” 

What began as a summer job at a long-term care home at 16 years old, grew into a remarkable 52-year nursing career dedicated to aging adults. 

From everyone at Providence Care, congratulations Linda on an extraordinary career and your well-earned retirement.