Hope Gallagher is a friend to many in the Noble community, though few have actually met her! She is the popular teacher of Noble’s free weekly balance class on Zoom, but because she joined the Noble team as an Occupational Therapist during the pandemic, her class members have only known her virtually. People lucky enough to see her every day are guests in Noble’s short term rehabilitation and full-time residents whom she helps recover or assists as they work to improve or maintain their daily living and working skills.
Originally from Utah, Hope migrated to California where she joined the military before she and her family moved to Connecticut (her husband’s home state) in 2015. Hope earned her Occupational Therapy degree and certification from Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University and later moved to Falls Village with her husband and her two children.
Hope discovered the area through her family’s love of camping. “We enjoyed visiting the many campsites in the northwest corner.” Because her husband is a forester, they wanted to live on property that he could manage; when they found the perfect 100 acre parcel in Falls Village, they settled in. It has not only become a working farm but they have a conservation easement for tree and wildlife management.
Hope had always wanted to work in healthcare-“I love helping people”- but did not want to become a nurse like her mother. Her inspiration for becoming an Occupational Therapist stems from her oldest son. “He was born about 3 months early and required Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy,” Hope explains. “This sparked my interest in the therapy field. Occupational Therapy is functional based, it gets to the root of the problem and gets people back to doing what they really enjoy doing and giving them back their independence.“
Working at Noble Horizons was a perfect fit for Hope. “I worked as a CNA in high school at an assisted living facility in their Alzheimer’s wing. I just LOVE working with the elderly. Noble Horizons combines my two favorite things about working in healthcare – rehabilitation and the elderly. I learn just as much from them as they learn from me.”
Hope’s greatest joy is helping people return home after a successful rehabilitation stay. “My biggest wins are when people come directly to me from a hospital stay, need help with EVERYTHING, and I’m able to rehabilitate them to the point where they can return home.” Hope tries to connect with each and every person she works with. And although she misses them all, “it’s bittersweet; you grow close with them but your goal is to send them home,” she is thrilled when they are able to get back to their normal lives.
When Hope leaves Noble Horizons at the end of each day, she returns to Acer Creek Farms which they so named because Acer is the scientific name for Maple Tree. There she cares for chickens, goats, turkeys, dogs and ducks, tends the gardens, enjoys time with her two young boys and in winter, helps run their maple syrup operation. Hope feels fortunate to be living out so many of her dreams, and Noble Horizons is grateful to be a part of them.