October 2021 CAREGiver of the Month: Eileen G.
“CAREGivers should be patient and always listen to what their clients have to say.”Eileen came to Home Instead by way of a job fair. She stayed because she likes the opportunity to put a smile on a senior’s face. Eileen gets a lot of satisfaction helping her clients, and she also enjoys listening to their stories. One pleasant memory that she has is when a client asked her to sit in a chair, covered her up with a blanket, and told her to go to sleep. “I really felt loved, like her daughter must have felt when she was a baby,” Eileen says.
Being a CAREGiver has its tough moments, Eileen admits. Sometimes when people are unpleasant, what they are really doing is “communicating their discomfort about something, and you can try to work with them to correct the problem.” If things get really stressful, she tries to take a short break from the situation. Debbie, Home Instead’s former scheduling coordinator, was also a big help, Eileen says. “She encouraged me a lot and was always available to talk to me.”
As for advice for her fellow CAREGivers, Eileen says they should take advantage of Home Instead’s online Empower learning lessons and read up on Alzheimer’s and other diseases that affect the elderly. And in general, CAREGivers should be patient and always listen to what their clients have to say.
