Edith Finds Her Niche as a Care Professional
Edith Randolph is well-acquainted with the working world, having perfected her customer-service skills over the years in retail, insurance, cable television and other lines of work. “When working with the public, including stressful situations, I had to be gentle and calm, and tried to keep the public calm. You needed to care about the customers’ problems,” Edith explained. She has put those skills to good use in her caregiving career.
On Sept. 15, 2023, Edith joined Home Instead® of Clearwater, an award-winning franchise owned by Julie Castle. Less than two months later, Edith was honored as one of Home Instead’s Care Professionals of the Month in an announcement made by Director of Care Professional Services JC Crady. Edith displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart,” JC said. Edith offered: “I think this is my niche.”
Edith said, “The most comforting thing about this job is that it is not like the corporate world where you are trying to please many different people and feel the stress of being constantly monitored. I work alone with the clients within Home Instead’s guidelines, but I don’t have someone always look over my shoulder.”
She added: “I build a relationship with a client and worry solely about taking care of him or her. There is seldom, if any, second-guessing. I’m alone but not really alone. If I need something, there’s always someone on the staff who is a phone call or text message away. I get ‘to be me,’ and I have a backup. The staff is always quick to respond. I receive advice when it is needed. No one is on my back. Rather, they have my back. The office is comprised of good people.”
Edith’s initial connection to Home Instead came through a friend and a sister who worked for Home Instead. “During an online search, Home Instead was the first one to respond to me with the scheduling and workload I wanted. Many agencies need employees because there are a lot of seniors who need help. I see a lot of people on walkers out in public. Life is hard for many seniors. You see a lot of families struggling to take care of senior loved ones. Every senior wants to remain independent as long as they can. It can be impossible for them to live on their own. It is hard emotionally for them,” she said.
Before joining Home Instead, Edith got her first taste of professional senior care as a private-duty caregiver. A friend was a private-duty caregiver for a man who also received agency caregiving. Edith began helping her by taking shifts with the client when her friend could not be there. Then Edith’s friend left the client, and Edith stayed with him. “In another private-duty caregiving situation,” Edith said, “a neighbor asked me to help with her elderly aunt. I helped with a great many things, including showering and doing her hair.”
Edith earned her Home Health Aide (HHA) certification after joining Home Instead. A good amount of caregiving strategy involves common sense, Edith said. “I use ‘mommy medicine,’ where I always keep my eyes open,” Edith said.
“The biggest needs in caregiving are companionship, compassion, safety assurance and remaining open for any assistance. You need to be kind and gentle. Just being a friend really helps a senior. You have to have the kind of personality that has empathy and the desire to help a person. It is less scary for clients when they are accepting help from someone who always is kind to them. When I come in, I always ask, ‘What is your day like?’ It is special to provide one-on-one care when you consider the ratio of employees to residents in nursing homes.”
The clients’ families often are affected by the need for care for their senior loved ones, Edith pointed out. “That is something a Care Pro is always aware of and works accordingly,” Edith said. “One client was a family member who had a Home Instead Care Pro with her mother for 15 years. Now she has a Care Pro helping her.”
When asked what she thinks the future holds with Home Instead, Edith said: ”I will just go in and do my job until something happens. I have my day off, get recharged and come back. How long can I do it? I think for a good while because it is fulfilling. With three or four regular clients who all have different personalities and needs, it is not a monotonous job. I know I am caring and compassionate. When a person commits emotionally to a job as I have done with this one, it would be hard to walk away.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (727) 799-1400 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
