Social Worker Salute – March 2026
Robert (Bob) Rossbach, LSW, TCU Social Worker, Good Samaritan Society- Ambassador, New Hope, MN
A Strong Calling To Caregiving
As a kid Bob was always very fond of his paternal grandparents and spent a lot of time with them. In part it is what led him to his first job in 1984 at Maple Manor Nursing Home, part of Good Samaritan Society, in Maplewood Minnesota.
He was clearly motivated as he took it upon himself to study for and earn, at his own expense, his Certified Nursing Assistance certification.
Without realizing it Bob walked into the interview two steps ahead of the competition. He wore a suit coat and mentioned he already had his CNA certificate. The nursing home was accustomed to providing CNA training at their expense.
A Steady Vocation Of Service
Following high school Bob left for Notre Dame to study engineering. It wasn’t long before he realized it wasn’t him. In searching for direction Bob was given the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory.
The survey results made it clear that he leaned toward the Social, The Helpers. So, he headed home to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis to pursue his bachelors degree in sociology.
While working at the nursing home part time Bob graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1986. Then he began his professional career in 1987 with Good Samaritan in New Hope Minnesota working in long term geriatrics.
In 1989 when Minnesota’s new social work licensure was instituted Bob was grandfathered into his LSW certification in consideration of his education and experience. Then in 1988 Bob earned the title of Director.
In 1990 Bob moved into specialty care at Good Sam’s southeast Minneapolis facility. This was followed by a move to their new Robbinsdale campus in 2012.
Social Work Is A Many Splendored Profession
Working with older adults in long term care and transitional care includes several tasks. These services and tasks include admissions, public assistance applications, care conferences, mental health evaluations, hospice care, discharge planning and more.
The rest could easily fall under the title “And other duties as assigned”. For Bob it simply didn’t matter what needed doing for a patient, he was always up for it. As Bob said “You can never have too many assistants or CNAs.” And as most know there really aren’t ever enough hands.
Bob always brought his “sunny side” attitude. The social work role in part became the complaint department for venting about frustrations of any needs not being met.
As Bob explained fielding complaints mostly involved making patients feel heard even if they were minor. Often times they were things that were not too hard to solve. Bob’s tack was to regard the “Complaint Department” instead as the “Improvement Department”. That approach produced a less stressful reaction to complaints and focused attention on the satisfaction patients experienced when solutions were readily administered.
Team Work Is The Ticket
Bob was quick to add that “You can care a lot, but working together is what makes the difference.” He added “It’s the multi-disciplinary teamwork that really makes the world function effectively.”
The Extra Mile
On top of Bob’s positivity and teamwork mindset he often went the extra mile for patients. If he saw a patient eating alone he’d make sure to plan to eat his lunch with them. If he had a free evening he’d come back to play cribbage with a patient.
Bob recalled making a special visit to a long term patient who had to stay at the Minneapolis VA for a time. He said “Sometimes it’s just the look in the eyes or sound in the voices of residents and patients that convey you made an important difference for them.”
Bob wistfully recalled the daughter of a patient who wrote Bob a touching thank you note for the remarkably good care he provided her dad.
Dedication Comes Full Circle
In 2024, after nearly 40 years, Bob was offered a chance to move campuses. He accepted. And since then he has been back at the New Hope campus where it all began. Bob smiled “It’s been like coming home. There are even a couple staff who are still here from when I began in 1984.”
And to close the circle in the nicest of ways, that daughter who wrote the thank you note all those years ago recently became a resident herself.
Congratulations Bob on a terrific and dedicated career of service to Good Samaritan and all its patients and residents.