The Journey Here: Korey (March 2025)

The sun is shining as Korey Long pulls into a parking space outside Concordia at Rebecca Residence.

An occupational therapist, Korey mentally prepares for his day as he strolls toward the building. He spots the ducks, recently returned from migration, strutting around across the pond at a similar pace. One that says, “I have all the time in the world.”

For Korey, it certainly feels that way, at least it has since he began working with Concordia a little more than two years ago.

A New Commute

Before Concordia, Korey worked for 18 years at a nonprofit facility in Pittsburgh. When the facility closed, he transitioned to the organization’s home health services and eventually became a manager. Every day, he drove to Squirrel Hill, a 45-minute commute one way.

An Allison Park resident, Korey’s commute now takes about 10 minutes, giving him more quality time with his wife and two children.

“Whenever I drive to Squirrel Hill now, I think it’s crazy that I did that for 18 years,” he said.

Yet Squirrel Hill and his former facility helped pave the way for Korey to gravitate toward nonprofit healthcare.

A Supportive Environment

Korey’s former employer provided great employee benefits, including good healthcare and a matching 403(b), so he was excited when offered the same at Concordia.

“Retirement is a long way away for me, but it’s inching closer and closer each day,” he said. “Having an employer-matching retirement plan is huge because there’s not many companies that do that.”

Korey also appreciates the ability to share a Christian connection with his Concordia patients. He feels it helps his patients remain optimistic about recovery.

“Even just being able to say a quick prayer with the patient is fantastic,” Korey said. “Nobody wants to come to a skilled nursing facility. Having that faith in our care gives comfort to a lot of our patients.”

Geriatric All the Way

Korey views each patient as a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he has for some time.

Graduating from Bishop Carroll High School (Ebensburg, Pa.), Korey studied occupational therapy at St. Francis University, following the same path as his older brother.

“I knew I wanted to work with people. I knew I wanted to get into healthcare in some respect,” Korey said.

Korey loves the flexibility of occupational therapy. He could treat pediatric patients one day and geriatric patients the next without having to relearn a specialty. But Korey found himself leaning toward seniors, something he noticed even as he worked at Applebee’s throughout college.

“I talked to the elderly people. I would sit down and have conversations with them. I enjoy working with the elderly population. It’s where I feel comfortable,” he said. “I knew that right from the beginning. That was going to be my focus.”

This focus has only intensified over the years, especially as he has heard the recollections of seniors about their lives, especially from Holocaust survivors at his previous employer.

“I was literally working with people who ran for their lives from Nazi Germany,” he said. “Their stories are absolutely amazing.”

Korey heard stories torn not from the pages of history, but from personal journals and memories. He offered those patients his respect and a commitment to helping them with occupational therapy.

“I learned so much from them,” Korey said. “I’ll never forget their stories.”

Motivated Therapy

At Concordia, every day Korey steps into the building he works toward getting his elderly patients back home.

“If they can be home independently, then they should be home independently,” he said.

Korey works with them, identifying individual goals and guiding them through exercises. Each visit is more than a number to him and to Concordia, unlike at some for-profit service organizations.

Korey said Concordia empowers him to make the right decision for his patients, the people – not the numbers. It’s another reason he sought another nonprofit employer.

“They let us treat patients for what they need, and that’s really what I appreciate a lot about Concordia,” he said.

He cherishes seeing his patients regaining strength and mobility and achieving their goals. He said there’s no greater sense of fulfillment in the workplace.

“I always tell my patients, you always have the ability to get stronger, it might just take you a little bit longer,” he said.

View all open careers at ConcordiaCareers.org and connect with us on social to learn more about our employee culture! And, to learn more about Korey’s perspective on her Concordia career, check out the December issue of Concordia’s Faith in Caring magazine.

Subscribe today by emailing giving@concordialm.org.

Check Out Other Journeys from This Past Year

The Journey Here: Kathy (Dec. 2024)
The Journey Here: Kayla (Sept. 2024)
The Journey Here: Sean (June 2024)

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Founded in 1881, Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a faith-based, CARF-accredited Aging Services Network and recipient of the inaugural Pennsylvania Department of Aging Excellence in Quality Care Award. As one of the largest nonprofit senior care providers in the country, the organization serves 50,000 people annually through in-home care and inpatient locations.