When most people her age are just passing time in elder care facilities and awaiting an occasional visitor, 91-year-old Rose Hansen has decided that’s not for her. For over 30 years, the sprightly nonagenarian has been the most beloved employee at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner Personal Injury Lawyers, doing secretarial work at the firm’s Fort Myers’ headquarters.

Rose started working with the Scheiners in 1978, after relocating to Fort Myers from Ohio. At a time in life when most people would have settled for shuffleboard and knitting, Rose felt it was important to keep busy. She enrolled in night school to keep her secretarial skills sharp. One day, a fellow student needed a ride to the local Manpower employment agency, and Rose was happy to oblige. While waiting for her friend, an employee convinced her to try her hand at the skills testing herself. On a lark, Rose accepted the challenge, if only to see if her typing and shorthand skills had held up over the years. After all, in her 60s, she was not looking for a job.

As she expected, Rose was still capable of typing 100 words a minute, and taking shorthand at 120 words a minute. She was then contacted by Manpower to ask if she would like to apply for a position at a fledgling law firm. Once again, she was up for the challenge, and has been a valued member of the Scheiner family ever since.

“A lot of friends my age are experiencing depression, loneliness and physical ailments,” Rose says. “I think by staying in the workforce, I’m really helping my overall health, both physically and mentally”.

Rose still puts in 5-hour days, working side-by-side with the Scheiners. Theirs is a relationship of mutual respect and love. “Rose is truly part of the family, and adds an immeasurable warmth and positive presence to our office”, says founder and senior attorney Bruce L. Scheiner. “We all have been blessed to have worked with her all these years.”