Mary Jane ‘Had to Be With Client’ During Hurricane
Since most longtime Floridians have weathered a hurricane or two during their lifetime, they could appreciate Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Mary Jane Pheasant’s unique hurricane story that centered on being with a dementia client.
Mary Jane has been a twice-honored Care Pro with the award-winning Home Instead franchise in Clearwater, Florida, since 2015. But her hurricane experience took place 1,100 miles northeast of Clearwater 10 years ago while she was assisting a 24/7 Alzheimer’s client on behalf of the Home Instead franchise in Sewell, New Jersey. The date was Oct. 29, 2012, and the storm was “Sandy,” at first a Category 3 hurricane and later a post-tropical cyclone (“Superstorm Sandy”).
Mary Jane, who usually worked from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the client, drove to her client’s home so she would not be alone. The client lived 10 to 15 minutes from Mary Jane. “I knew in my heart I had to go,” Mary Jane said. “It had been really windy before I started, and then the conditions became calm because the eye of the storm was passing over. Driving there and back wasn’t too bad. There were some tree branches over the road and power outages. I took the main highway to get to my client, and I think the authorities tried hard to keep that road open.”
Mary Jane added: “My client was a sweet lady who had no clue a hurricane was raging outside her home at an independent living complex. I talked to her, turned music on for her and cleaned while the storm was going on. As it became night time, I stayed because her night Care Pro could not make her shift of 3 to 11 p.m. I was there until maybe 7 a.m. the next day.”
The client had perpetually felt cold, but she felt even colder when the electricity went out during the storm. “I had her put a coat on before the power returned on a half-hour later,” Mary Jane said. In a common occurrence, the client shuffled to the front door and “wanted to go home.” It is a dementia behavior that results in confusion, possibly what is known as a “sundowning event.” Mary Jane said, “She was a sweetheart. She was my first client at the franchise.”
Mary Jane, who became at CNA in 1989 in Virginia and worked at a hospital, compassionately handled the client’s confusion because she is skilled, experienced and empathetic.
A state-certified Home Health Aide in June 2012, Mary Jane worked for three Home Instead franchises in New Jersey before joining owner Julie Castle’s Home Instead franchise in Clearwater in October 2015. In the first of three Care Professional of the Month awards, Mary Jane was honored Dec. 23, 2013, at Home Instead of Barnegat, New Jersey. At Home Instead of Clearwater, Director of Care Professional Services JC Crady announced Mary Jane’s awards in November 2016 and July 2022.
Mary Jane’s concern for seniors can be traced back to her days as an 11-year-old in New Jersey, where she couldn’t bear to sit still at home and always was on the go. “I fondly recall making the 10-minute trip on my Schwinn Sting-Ray bike to my grandmother’s home. We played the 500 rummy card game for half of the day. I loved visiting with both of my grandmothers. I talked to them and did things with them, such as running errands with them. My grandparents were fun people who were very social and had grand get-togethers. One grandma died in the 1980s, and the other one passed away in 2008,” she said.
Mary Jane said, “I get an enjoyment out of talking to seniors. There are terrific stories. My grandfather was in World War II and went on and on with his war stories. You just had to keep nodding your head if there was repetition. I had a nice Alzheimer’s client in Clearwater. He could remember distant memories really well and could recall past events in detail, but not his recent memories. As the dementia progressed, he did not want to get out of bed. His wife was upset because she couldn’t get him up. When she was working with Home Instead to find the ‘right’ Care Pro, she would said, ‘Try sending someone else who can get him moving. Sometimes I’m not sure if he’s alive.’ ”
Mary Jane was just the Care Pro for the challenge. “He’d always get in the shower for me, but many dementia clients don’t like the feel of water running down their skin. I had a stroke client who went in and out of verbal function. Some days he could put words together, and other days he could not. Patience and empathy are the keys,” she said.
Asked what her future holds, Mary Jane said: “I probably will be with Home Instead until I decide to stop working altogether. I can see sitting down with the schedulers, who are very flexible and work well with me, and talking it out. Maybe I’ll eventually cut back my hours. I want to drive to clients who live near me, and I don’t want overnights. But I have no retirement plans. I remember ending my job at a rental agent for an apartment building in New Jersey more than 10 years ago. I said to my sister, ‘What do I want to do?’ Well, this is it.”
Our office serves all of Pinellas County, including Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Oldsmar, Largo, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Belleair, St. Petersburg, Gulfport and surrounding beaches. All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (727) 799-1400 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
