Following Husband’s Passing, Laura Entered Caregiving
Out of the tragic circumstances of her own situation, Laura Plaugher has chosen to make life better for others. “I got my start in caregiving while caring for my husband. After he passed away, I decided to pursue a career in caregiving,” said Laura, an honored Care Professional for Home Instead® of Clearwater, an award-winning franchise owned by Julie Castle.
Before joining Home Instead, Laura had worked for assisted living facilities since 2011, which is where she obtained her DCA (Direct Care Aide), RMA (Registered Medical Assistant) and CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) licenses. When Laura moved from Virginia to Florida, she wanted to continue her caregiving work, but she wanted to take a position outside of a facility setting. “I checked into several different agencies and found Home Instead to be the best fit for me,” said Laura, who has worked for Home Instead for five months.
In no time at all, Laura was recognized as the Home Instead franchise’s Care Pro of the Month for January in an announcement made by Director of CAREGiver Services JC Crady.
Among the considerations for achieving Care Professional of the Month status, an employee has shown he or she has gone above and beyond the call of duty, JC pointed out. Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Laura embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.” She is someone who is exceptional at her work with any client, JC emphasized.
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Laura provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Laura offers personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. By expertly doing so, Laura and her fellow Care Pros not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
“I enjoy taking care of people. I try to help them have a better quality of life and bring them a little bit of joy,” Laura said.
Some clients have a way of brightening a Care Pro’s day, too, Laura said. One such client is 76 years old and is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, but she still enjoys the finer things in life and depends on Laura to help her do that.
“She is a very classy and worldly person. She asks to go out to eat every night, and she has an assigned restaurant each night. When we arrive, the staff greets her by name and lets her choose her own table. After we order and she gets her 6 ounces of wine, she starts narrating the conversations and status of everyone who is sitting near us,” Laura explained.
With a laugh, Laura said, “My client then tries to set me up with dates with the male staff. One evening, before I knew it, she had everyone in our section of the dining room involved and laughing their heads off.”
Laura added: “I hope when I am her age I will look at life the same and will be able to make everyone around me laugh and forget all the negativity in the world, even if only for the time it takes to enjoy a meal together. She is living her best life.”
Laura loves being a part of the Care Pro team for the Florida franchise, a member of a highly successful network founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Home Instead network is the world’s leading provider of in-home care services for older adults, with more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises that provide care throughout the United States and 13 other countries.
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 CAREGivers 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.
