When David Moore started as a certified nursing assistant at Quiet Oaks Health Care Center in 1995, a co-worker pointed him down the hall with three words: “Sink or swim.”
“I really didn’t know what that meant at that time,” Moore said. “And after a couple of hours, I realized what it meant. But I came up swimming, and I’ve been swimming for 31 years.”
On that first day, Moore witnessed a resident die. Panicked, he ran down the hallway ready to quit on the spot. Joanne Wrenn, wife of current Quiet Oaks administrator Chris Wrenn, stopped him.
“Joanne grabbed me by my collar and shook me.” Moore said. “She said ‘No, you’re not. You’re gonna calm down and you’re gonna be OK.’ And I was OK.”
Moore wasn’t just OK, he’s become a cornerstone for the facility. His three decades of services were formally recognized this month with a nomination for Georgia CNA of the year.
"When families walk in the door, the first question is often, 'Is David still here?'” Wrenn said. “They know David, and it helps them feel at ease."
Growing up in Stephens, Moore graduated from Oglethorpe County High School in 1994 despite facing learning challenges and people who doubted he would make anything of himself.
His path changed when he began to care for his great-uncle Charles Moore, a Navy veteran living near Maxeys whose health was in decline.
That experience inspired him to pursue his certified nursing assistant (CNA) license at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, formerly Coosa Valley Tech, in 1995, before starting his career at Quiet Oaks.
“Every CNA is not called to be a CNA,” Moore said. “If you don’t have a heart and the right mindset, you might as well go back where you came from.”
Over his 31 years, Moore has cared for generations of local families, including mothers, daughters and sisters residing at Quiet Oaks simultaneously.
“David shows up with that heart every single day,” Wrenn said. “To do this work, it’s not a career choice. It’s a heart choice.”
That care is felt directly by residents like Frankie “Spanky” Brooks, who moved into Quiet Oaks in 2020.
“If he doesn't see me or hear from me during the course of the day, he comes by and says, 'Are you OK? Do you need anything?' " Brooks said. "He cares. He cares about everybody."
CNA supervisor Latoya Graves said she counts on Moore’s reliability, saying he arrives at 6:15 a.m. for every 6:30 shift. Beyond punctuality, she values how easily he connects with residents on the floor.
"A lot of them just love him," Graves said. "The way they interact and joke around. It's just nice to see.”
Through decades of physical demands, shifts to digital charting and the isolating years of COVID-19, Moore’s commitment hasn’t changed. For Wrenn, that presence represents the core of care at Quiet Oaks.
"CNAs are the backbone of long-term care," Wrenn said. "If you do not have CNAs, these buildings do not work. Someone like David is what makes us go around."
Looking back over his 31 years at Quiet Oaks, Moore measures success not just by the number of shifts he worked, but by doubts he proved wrong.
"Proving people wrong who said I wasn't going to do anything; that's what I'm proud of," Moore said. "I overcame a lot of things, but I've managed to make it. If your heart is in it, you keep going."