Jamaican wants to open nursing home in homeland

Jamaica-born New Jersey resident Desrine Johnson wears many hats; but last weekend, the vivacious Cockburn Pen native was all about having a good time at BRT Weekend in Atlantic City.

In between taking shots with her friends and gyrating to the music that blared from the speaker boxes, the Hudson County Jail pharmacy technician said she currently holds at least four positions in order to take care of her family and contribute towards charity.

"I am also a security officer, a notary public, and I also have a small juice business. But the most important of all of that I do is my nursing home, called Magic Hands Comfort Keepers," she said.

Johnson said she decided to open the nursing home after her father was diagnosed with cancer several years ago.

"My father was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in September 2016 and as I watched him go through the different stages, I saw how important it was for cancer patients to be comfortable, and I just told myself that I was going to focus on taking care of persons with cancer," she said.

According to Johnson, Magic Hands currently has three patients and two staff members.

She stated that she tries not to accommodate more than five patients, as she wants each of them to get individual attention.

"I let my patients know how much I love them. I hug and kiss each and everyone every morning and night. We play games and have conversations and I just try to help them forget about their illness as much as I can," she said.

Speaking passionately about the land of her birth, Johnson said she looks forward to opening a nursing home in Jamaica, and is in the process of packing a few barrels to contribute towards different local hospitals.

"I am really looking towards opening a nursing home in Jamaica because we all know that our island does not have the best healthcare system. Some of our nursing home don't have the resources, so the patients are not comfortable," she said. "We really don't have a nursing home that has passion, and we need to do something for the elderly who have no one to take care of them. They are humans, and they need to be shown the same love and compassion as everyone else."