Claire Thinks of Her Parents When She Helps Clients
To describe her reasons for joining Home Instead® of Birmingham, CAREGiver of the Month Claire Villapando traces her inspiration to her parents.
Claire explained: “Eight years ago, my 71-year-old mother was in her native Philippines when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. After a few months, she died. I was not able to take care my mother because I was working in Israel then.”
Claire added: “At this time, my 90-year-old father is in the Philippines and has Alzheimer’s disease. Like my mother’s situation, I can’t take care him because I am so far away. I told myself that even though I was not able to take care of my parents, I would divert what would have been my care for them to my clients. I do that by treating my clients like my parents. In that way, I can give my clients the loving care they need.”
Claire has been a professional caregiver for nine years, including eight years in Israel and one year at the award-winning Home Instead franchise owned by Bert and Stephanie Copple.
“I was working in Israel in caregiving when I applied for a U.S. immigrant visa under the category of caregiver. Then Bert Copple became my petitioner-sponsor. It took five years before my visa was approved. That’s why I am so grateful to Home Instead, especially to Mr. Copple for giving me the chance to be one of their CAREGivers,” Claire said.
When Claire worked in Israel, she took care of an elderly woman who never married and had no children. “Her young life was sad. She cried every time she remembered her life during the Hitler’s oppression in World War II. I was there for her, and I listened to her stories and comforted her to lessen her sadness. Among her health challenges was Crohn’s disease, and she underwent colostomy surgery. I learned personal care related to that her medical situation,” Claire said.
Personal care is one of a Home Instead CAREGiver’s responsibilities. In addition to personal care, Claire and other professionally trained CAREGivers provide companionship, safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. In addition to incontinence care, personal care also includes assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, dementia support, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. By expertly doing so, CAREGivers not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
“What I like most about my job as a CAREGiver is that it gives me a sense of love, patience, respect and compassion about taking care of people, especially older people. I love this job, and for me, caregiving is a vocation. It is what I am called to do, to touch the people's lives,” said Claire, whose focus on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped Claire achieve CAREGiver of the Month status in January 2021.
Claire has two regular clients, including her initial client at Home Instead. The 92-year-old client has dementia, and Claire assists her five days a week.
“She can be challenging. To help her, a CAREGiver needs a lot of patience and love, as well as an understanding of her condition. I have developed strategies, especially when giving her morning assistance such as a sponge bath, changing clothes, other personal care and medication reminders. I must be patient and calm in those situations,” Claire said.
“When my strategies work, it gives me a sense of fulfillment, that I felt I had done something good for her. I am always nice to her no matter what her dementia behaviors are because I realize they are a result of her disease and meant as nothing personal for me. She always says thank you and smiles at me when I do something for good to her.”
Claire is among more than 90,000 CAREGivers, and she has helped add to those numbers because of her strong belief in Home Instead’s purpose. It isn’t hard to see Claire 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 (248) 203-2273 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
