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Entrepreneur Turned Visiting Nurse Loves Helping Patients Regain Health 

When Kelly Melendy’s son left home to join the Coast Guard, she found herself at a turning point. With her nest suddenly empty, she decided it was time to pursue the career she had always dreamed of: nursing.

Healthcare had long been part of Kelly’s life. As a child, she often visited the former Choate Hospital in Woburn, where her mother served as CEO. As a teen, she volunteered there, assisting staff and witnessing firsthand the impact nurses and clinicians had on patients. However, she decided to follow her entrepreneurial spirit and build a business while raising her son.

Years later, with her son grown, Kelly returned to her original calling. She earned a nursing degree and spent more than a decade providing direct care and serving in managerial roles at a skilled nursing/rehabilitation facility and other settings. Earlier this year, she brought her experience and passion to VNA Care’s home health care team.

“I love everything about being a visiting nurse,” said Kelly. She especially values the opportunity to connect one-on-one with her patients and collaborate closely with other nurses, therapists, and social workers to improve lives.

One patient especially stands out in her memory: an elderly woman recovering from a stroke that had left her unable to walk and with limited use of her right arm. In addition to managing a difficult wound, Kelly provided emotional support throughout the woman’s recovery. She often reminded the patient of how far she had come, thanks to her determination and the expert care of VNA Care’s rehabilitation therapists.

By Kelly’s final visit, the wound had healed, and the patient was walking with a cane and using her left hand for daily tasks. “I can’t believe my progress,” the patient told her. “I never thought I was going to get there.”

Kelly regularly works with patients facing significant barriers — people unable to afford medications or forced to choose between food and other basic needs. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said. VNA Care’s home health team helps ease those burdens by connecting patients to community resources and support programs that improve their quality of life.

Whether serving patients in upscale neighborhoods or in communities struggling with addiction and poverty, Kelly brings the same level of care and compassion to every home.

“Everybody deserves exceptional care. Everybody deserves to be heard. I try to listen to what they really need,” she said.