Home Instead Senior Care
Apple Valley, Burnsville, South of the River, SW Suburbs

Local CAREGiver Honored For Commitment and Service to Seniors

Julayne Miller has been selected CAREGiver of the Year by the Home Instead Senior Care franchise serving the South of the River and Southwest Suburbs.

They provide home care in Burnsville and the South of the River Suburbs. She is being recognized for commitment and service to the older adults who are local clients of Home Instead Senior Care, the worlds largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship services for seniors.

CAREGivers like Julayne are the core of our business, said Vitaly Salo. Without dedicated CAREGivers, we wouldn't be able to provide the superior quality of service to seniors that sets our company apart from others.

CAREGivers are the foundation of Home Instead Senior Care and provide the support that helps older adults remain in their homes longer than they otherwise could. Miller was nominated by Mary Anderson, the daughter of a Home Instead Senior Care client whom Julayne cared for.

Home Instead Senior Care provides more than 60 different services including companionship, meal preparation, light housework, medication reminders, incidental transportation, errands and shopping. CAREGivers are screened, bonded and insured, and have successfully completed criminal background checks.

With more than 800 franchises in the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Finland and Austria, Home Instead Senior Care is the world's largest provider of non-medical home care and companionship services for seniors.

But it is the local ownership that makes Home Instead Senior Care the most Trusted name in the senior care industry. After all To Us, It's Personal is not just a catch phrase, or a clever marketing tag line. It is the personal approach to every client and every family. I have seen my mom care for my grandparents in her home. I know the stress, and the physical work that it takes to accomplish the great task of care giving. Said Salo, I also understand how difficult it is sometimes to let someone from the outside come in to help. After all the home is that "sacred" "safe" place, and it takes a lot of TRUST to let someone in. You have to take it personal to gain that trust, and we do it every day because To Us, It's Personal!

The company's 150 CAREGivers provide thousands of hours of client service each year in the Burnsville, Apple Valley, Hastings, Shakopee, and Lakeville area. This area that is sometimes better known as South of the River is home to Home Instead Senior Care.

The CAREGivers are matched to individual clients based on interest, and other factors that make them a good fit for specific clients. They help their clients through activities that include companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, errands and shopping.

The Home Instead Senior Care office is located at 1600 E.Cliff Road in Burnsville. If you would like more information about job opportunities or company services, call 952-882-9300 or visit the organization's Web site at www.homeinstead.com/505

***The following is a letter of recommendation for Julayne****

Julayne Miller became a part of our family when she came to care for my mother during a critical point in Mom's life. And make no mistake; Julayne was a part of our family in any way that matters.

My mom, Virginia Morgan, had battled emphysema for many years. As her health deteriorated, my brother, sister and I were determined to build in enough supports to allow her stay in her own home. As she became weaker, it was much more difficult for us to meet all of her needs by ourselves. It was at that point that I found Home Instead and soon, they sent Julayne to us.

Initially, Julayne came each morning as a caregiver, to get Mom up, fix her breakfast and do a few chores. Very soon, however, she became so much more than her CAREGiver title would suggest. Julayne became a vital link to the outside world, bringing in conversation and stories that helped to keep Mom's mind engaged and her mood positive. Each day when I would stop after work to visit or call on the phone, Mom would relate stories about the many kind things that Julayne had done that day and the stories she had told. I heard about the antics of Julayne's cat and the crafts that she was working on. There were rave reviews about the recipes that Julayne would bring from home and make for Mom, something I so appreciated as Mom's appetite lessened. Julayne had a special way of making Mom feel important and valuable by asking her for recipes, opinions and advice. As a family, we could not have imagined someone so perfect to care for our Mom.

In July, we received the devastating news that Mom had a very aggressive form of lung cancer. Due to her already fragile health, treatment of any kind was not an option. We learned that Mom had perhaps one or two months to live and the way this disease would progress was uncertain. We had entered into an entirely new faze of caring for Mom and quite frankly I, as her primary caregiver with hospice, can't imagine how I would have coped without Julayne's amazing compassion, gentle faith-filled spirit and remarkable skills. Julayne immediately offered to work extra hours, which we gladly accepted, and promised to stay with us until the end. When someone you have loved for your entire life is dying, you become extremely careful about who will be helping to care for your loved one and Julayne had our complete confidence. We were all truly in awe of her.

From Julayne, I learned how to care for my Mom in the days and weeks she had left. She taught me safe ways to transfer mom from wheelchair to recliner and back to bed. I learned how to change the bed sheets and Mom's diapers with dignity and efficiency. Julayne suggested many items that I could have on-hand to add to Mom's comfort and care. She brought soothing music into her room, which relaxed Mom. As Julayne massaged Mom's arms and legs, feet and hands with lotion, Mom would sigh and tell us how good that felt. Since Julayne, Mom and our family shared a strong faith in God, Julayne made a beautiful scrapbook filled with Bible verses for us to read to her. As Mom faced the end of her life, this book brought great comfort to everyone and we continued to read these verses to Mom, even when she was unresponsive. When Mom was sleeping, Julayne and I would talk and I would feel her loving support as I faced my mother's death. Words are inadequate to describe how much Julayne meant to our family and the powerful impact she had on each of us during this difficult time.

It had become a custom during these final weeks, for my mom, my sister and I to hold hands and say the Lord's Prayer together at the end of each day. On the last day of Mom's life, before Julayne left for the day, I asked if she would hold my mom's hand and pray with me. Mom had not spoken in days but when we came to the word "heaven", Mom said it out loud - the last word she ever spoke. Julayne left at 5:00 p.m. that Monday and two hours later Mom breathed her last.

Julayne Miller was truly a gift from God to Mom and our family. As I mourn the loss of my mom, I take great comfort knowing that, thanks to this amazing woman, during Mom's final time on this earth she was cared for with such compassion and competence. Julayne deserves the highest accolades from Home Instead for setting the standards so high. She is truly an exceptional human being.

Mary Anderson
Rosemount, MN