Award-winning Care Professional Melissa Callahan, who has worked for Home Instead® of Collin County in Plano, Texas, for a little more than 20 years, admitted: “I get attached to many of the clients. You’re not supposed to do that, but I can’t help it.”
Melissa fondly recalled a 103-year-old client who walked without a cane or walker and was mentally sharp even at the end of her life. “She was clear as a bell, and we communicated well. Sadly, she knew when she was dying. It broke my heart. She was pragmatic about it, and showed me the clothes she wanted to be buried in. She talked some about final arrangements and then told me she ‘was ready to go home,’ ” Melissa recalled.
Melissa’s client entered hospice care one day and died three hours later. Among the client’s final words for Melissa were: “You are the best caregiver I ever had. Melissa, you need to stay in the caregiving field because you could help so many people.” Melissa assisted the client’s family members with the funeral because they were not fully aware of the details. Melissa said: “I knew her last wishes. She told me God had spoken to her and told her it was time to go. Then she told me she’d see me later.”
Yes, there were tears. That’s why senior-care professionals are advised to try to keep their emotional distance from their clients. But it’s tough to serve someone mechanically like a robot. Melissa then touched on the obvious when she said: “Death is unavoidable in senior care. You know it’s coming, but it can still be crushing.”
Melissa is one of those rare, compassionate and empathetic souls who can step into a challenging caregiving situation and win the day. Melissa revealed: “I’ve had a few adult children of clients tell me privately that, while they love their parents, they honestly were never cut out to be caregivers for seniors. They confided that it’s really hard. Some people emotionally have a hard time watching their loved ones age.”
Melissa added: “It’s hard to try to remember someone who hasn’t liked me, but that does happen on occasion to any Care Pro and even for no reason at all. It’s all about how you address them. I don’t pressure clients to do anything. I talk to them about certain things that are beneficial or are necessary for them. For instance, to get someone to bathe, I tell them how much better they will feel. I prepare everything, getting the towel and wash cloth ready, etc. It might take two days of persuasion to finally get it done.”
Among Melissa’s three regular clients, one has set himself apart. “He’s 48. I have never had a client like him. I adore him. He’s a doll. He can’t walk and has a hard time speaking. One side of his body is basically inoperable. He is as neat as can be. He’s really cool. He lights up like a Christmas tree when he sees me. He’ll say, ‘Book, book,’ and that is his way of asking me to read to him. I read Bible verses to him from a book of Bible stories. He prays before lunch and dinner. He has audio books about Jesus. His dad told me that his son knew about Jesus before they told him about Jesus. He knows the story of Jesus from the Bible. I help him practice his faith. He sings and listens to music,” Melissa explained.
The client lives with his parents, and his mother told Melissa: “Our son is an introvert and not vocal with most people. You bring out the best in him. As I watch you two do high-fives, I know you have brought him out of his shell.”
Melissa, who has been helping her client for about two years, knew when she had won over her client. “It took me about a week. I talked to him and gave him attention. His mother loved me from the start. His dad says I am part of their family. He told me, ‘You’re not quitting us.’ ”
Melissa recalled another family that grafted her into their inner circle seven years ago. “I took care of a man, whose daughter and son-in-law were nurses. They asked me to become his Care Pro because he liked me. As a result, I took on a considerable number of hours to assist him,” said Melissa, who also took care of the client’s dog. “He was a very sweet man, one of my favorite clients. The daughter and son-in-law also were very sweet, and we became friends.”
Melissa added: “His daughter would come for lunch when I was making chicken. The client and I talked about all kinds of things. One thing he loved was CNN, which I didn’t care for, so I’d go to the grocery store. One thing he loved to do was argue, which seemed to make his day. It really saddened me when he left this world. We got along fantastically.”
Melissa is an important part of the Care Pro team at the Collin County franchise, a member of a network comprised of Home Instead, Inc. and its parent company, Honor. With the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform, Honor and Home Instead are revolutionizing care for older adults, their families and Care Pros. Combined, the network has more than 100,000 Care Pros across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (972) 744-9898 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website at homeinstead.com/home-care/usa/tx/plano/413
