Jacquie ‘Unretires,’ Finds Ideal Job
A recurrent sweet dialogue between CAREGiver of the Month Jacquie Moore and her late Home Instead® client was priceless. It was a form of Jacquie’s unwavering reassurance for the client that never got old.
- Client: “Jacquie, what would I do without you?”
- Jacquie: “You will never know the answer to that question because I will be there for you until you no longer need me.”
“I was able to fulfill that promise to the client and her family,” said Jacquie, who saw similarities between her client and her mother. “My client’s birthday was May 12, and my mother’s birthday was May 13, with only one year’s difference in their ages. My mother and my client were so much alike that I seemed to always know what the client’s needs were.”
Jacquie added: “Although I have helped a few other Home Instead clients, I had spent the majority of my time with this client, who just passed away. I started helping her around the beginning of April 2019. We had such a great relationship, and I will always cherish our time together. I can’t count the number of times the client told me she didn’t know what she would do without me.”
Jacquie joined owner Kristin Goluska’s award-winning Home Instead franchise of Denver South about 18 months after she retired May 31, 2017, following a 30-year public-health career. “I have been with Home Instead for 2½ years. I had 10 years with Tri-County Health and 20 years with Denver Public Health,” Jacquie said. “My first 10 years in the field was with the Tri-County Health in their family planning and OB program.
“At Denver Public Health, I was a disease intervention specialist in the tuberculosis program. I visited folks in their homes, administering treatment and educating the families and businesses about TB screening, treatment and prevention of tuberculosis. My last 10 years with DPH was spent working with the CDC and their research studies as a study coordinator. I was a Certified Medical Assistant.”
Jacquie knows a lot of things, and about four years ago, she learned something new: She had left the workforce too soon. It’s actually a quite common feeling. The Home Instead corporate office noted the conundrum when it unveiled its “UnRetire Yourself℠” campaign that was aimed at hiring older, more experienced CAREGivers:
“Many people envision their retirement years as a time to do all the things they’ve been meaning to do for ages – travel, spend more time with friends and grandkids, or even clean out the basement. But after a while, retirees often find themselves longing for the structure, sense of purpose and fulfillment of a career. We want them to know it’s not too late to “UnRetire Yourself.”
Jacquie saw the signs and attempted in different ways to remedy the situation. “I tried doing some other things when I realized I really wasn’t ready to be retired. I was absolutely positive I didn’t want to work in health care any longer. But, after trying five different types of work between December 2017 and December 2018, I realized God gives us talents and gifts. We can either use them and find happiness or hide from them and be miserable,” Jacquie revealed.
“So, I decided to go back into the field, but I wanted to assist people in their homes and not in a clinical setting. That’s how I found Home Instead. It was their invitation to be compassionate and thoughtful, and to build trust that made me choose this agency over all others that’d offered me a position.”
Jacquie is among more than 90,000 CAREGivers worldwide, and she has helped add to those numbers because of her belief in Home Instead’s purpose. It’s easy to see Jacquie lives Home Instead’s principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
Jacquie’s family caregiving experience came nearly nine years ago when she cared for her brother after he went into hospice because of heart failure. He was released from a hospital Dec. 12, 2012, and he passed at 12:03 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2012. “Those were the toughest 12 days of my life, but I cherish the time my brother and I had and the conversations and memories we shared. I am blessed to know I gave him comfort and strength in his last days,” Jacquie said.
“I feel the same way about every client with whom I have shared this journey since I started at Home Instead. What a privilege and an honor to share the experience and make it easier for the client and their families. I know I make a difference, and that makes all the tears and hard work worth it. What I like most about my job is that I can make someone’s life better by just being a companion and friend. I am a caregiver at heart. It’s what I do best … take care of people. Home Instead lets me be myself.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (303) 389-5700 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
