CAREGiving With a Positive Attitude and a Smile
Many people look forward to retirement as an end to the stress of work obligations and a beginning to a slower, more relaxed lifestyle. But for some people, it may seem a little too uneventful. When Linda Curtis retired, she realized she didn’t like being home all the time. Then she saw an ad for Home Instead CAREGivers and thought, “That’s perfect! I love people!” So she applied, got the job and “It’s been nothing but a positive ever since,” she said.
And ever since, it has been nothing but a positive for Home Instead Senior Care of Frederick County and our clients as well. Linda has become an invaluable asset to our team due to her outstanding people skills, her positivity, and her deep compassion for those she serves. To recognize her exceptional service throughout the past year, we named Linda our 2010 CAREGiver of the Year.
“We are honored to award Linda Curtis as our CAREGiver of the Year,” said Brad Snively, owner of the Frederick County Home Instead office. “Her compassion and dedication to serving our clients truly helps them continue living independently and comfortably at home, which is what this business is all about.”
Linda has a special ability to find out what clients really enjoy and engage the clients in those ways to bring out the best in them.
“Linda recognized my mother’s preferences and interests and encouraged her to pursue these things,” said one of her clients’ daughters. “Specifically, Linda encouraged Mom to teach her her favorite card game, Double Solitaire, and Linda played with her frequently. My mother loved plants and gardening and because she could no longer walk outdoors to enjoy her yard, in the spring, Linda took pictures of the flowers and trees so Mom could still enjoy them.”
For Linda, CAREGiving is a learning process with each new client and with every day.
“I have to experiment, find out what they love,” Linda said. Whether her day involves testing out her artistic abilities with a client that loves to paint, quietly encouraging a client resistant to care, or simply providing a gentle touch to the arm of an ill senior, Linda adapts to the situation at hand and gives it her heart and soul.
“It gives me adventure!” she said.
Linda also understands that a positive attitude can go a long way.
“If you go in with a negative thought, the first thing they’ll see is the negative thought. I always go in with a smile on my face,” Linda said.
Our staff coordinators have said that if they could make about 20 clones of Linda they would, not only because of her rapport with clients, but because of her flexibility, dependability, and willingness to accept the most difficult or last-minute assignments. Linda has even offered to reschedule a personal doctor appointment and miss a family event in order to fulfill an assignment. To Linda, her clients come first.
When awarded as CAREGiver of the Year, Linda said, “I’m tickled pink! I think it’s great. I never guessed it would happen.” But more importantly, the true joy of CAREGiving, Linda expressed, lies in sharing seniors’ lives with them, loving them, and above all, “just meaning something to them.”
