CAREGiver of the Month Tina Carter pinpointed one of the benefits of working for Home Instead® of Winchester, the award-winning franchise that serves the Northern Shenandoah Valley. “I feel as if I have six different families. They all have welcomed me with open arms. I have been a people person my entire life,” said Tina, who joined Home Instead on Jan. 27, 2020.
Referring to her job as a Home Instead CAREGiver with owner Keith Clay’s franchise, Tina said, “This is where I belong. I love the job, and I love my clients. I enjoy this work. I’ve done some things I never thought possible as far as stretching my horizons.”
Tina had been in the banking industry for a long time before she got burned out. “In the banking field, I was with one company for 14 years before its office folded here. They offered me a job in Florida, but I didn’t want to be too far from family. I have five granddaughters, and they mean the world to me. The youngest was born in November, and the oldest is 15,” Tina said.
After her banking job disappeared, Tina went to work at a daycare before a medical procedure knocked her out of the employment realm. “Later, I had a job offer at a CPA office but could not take it because I had a surgery and had to take time off,” Tina explained.
Tina heard about Home Instead from a niece who is a CAREGiver. Tina has worked as a part-time office staff member as well as a CAREGiver. “I helped Home Instead by working out of its office with scheduling. I had hurt my back and went into the office. They have always had me help however I can. They know I am committed to my job, whatever it is,” Tina said.
“I know everyone in the office, and we have great relationships. Some of us have nicknames for each other. One calls me ‘Sunshine No. 1.’ Someone else has the ‘Sunshine No. 2’ moniker, and the client-care person is ‘Sunshine No. 3.’ I am doing caregiving completely now,” added Tina, who was honored as the December CAREGiver of the Month in an announcement made by Allyson Starling, who works in the human relations department and in recruitment and retention.
While Tina previously did not work in professional senior care, she has served as a family caregiver for young and old. “I moved my mother back in with me in September. She is fairly independent and still drives, and I help her some. Companionship is important. I am the oldest of seven, and a sister and brother live nearby,” Tina explained.
“As a family caregiver in 1994, I took care of my grandmother for seven straight days, on a 24/7 basis, until she died at age 62. She had gotten sick and was rushed to the hospital. It is important to note that she raised me. Taking care of her was something I wanted to do. As far as my granddaughters go, I love them more than anyone would ever know.”
Of course, Tina has built strong relationships with her clients and their families. She has been assisting her Monday client since April 2020. “That client and I celebrate Christmas together, although it might not exactly be on Christmas Day. Last year we dressed up for ‘our Christmas,’ and we took pictures. We wore red sweaters and made it a special day. We will celebrate our Christmas this year on Dec. 20. She loves me, and her whole family loves me,” Tina said.
Another client’s family asks specifically for Tina, and not only because she has bonded with the client. “They want me because I am more assertive, and the client is OK with that. With others, she tends to ‘walk over’ them because she has a strong personality. I am a people person who has dealt in a good way with all sorts of personalities and challenges,” she said.
Tina is among more than 100,000 CAREGivers worldwide, and she has helped add to those numbers because of her strong belief in Home Instead’s purpose. It isn’t hard to see Tina lives the Home Instead principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (540) 722-8750 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
