Long Journey to a Golden Goal: Melanie Loves Being a CAREGiver
Home Instead CAREGiver of the Month Melanie Coloma, a native of the Philippines who worked in Israel for nearly 10 years as a senior-care professional before landing in Michigan with Home Instead® of Clawson, views life through a philosophical lens.
“If things are meant for you, they always will find their way to you.”
“Patience, sacrifices and efforts were poured out just for me to reach my dreams.”
For Melanie, it was meant to be. She is glad to be working for her award-winning Home Instead franchise, owned by Bert and Stephanie Copple. “I’m very thankful to my petitioner and sponsor, Mr. Bert Copple, not only for me, but also for my fellow Filipino here with Home Instead. Bert is such an amazing man,” said Melanie, who joined Home Instead on Aug. 8, 2019.
“During my time in Israel, I made good friends. Through them, I was able to learn of Home Instead. One friend asked if I was willing to work in the United States in senior care, and I said, ’Why not?’ We were co-workers in an Israeli nursing home. I waited a long time and invested money just to have this dream come true. My previous job in Israel covered both medical and non-medical challenges. For instance, I dressed my client’s wound, cut her hair, gave her medications and provided all sorts of other kinds of care.”
In Israel, Melanie felt comfortable with her clients, including a widowed teacher whose family often traveled outside the country for business. “I have been attached to my clients for as far back as my assignments in Israel. They treat me like a family member. Even now, we are still in contact and are asking how each other’s life has been going,” Melanie said.
Before traveling to Israel, Melanie was a family caregiver in the Philippines. “My father was diagnosed with dementia at an early age. As the oldest as sibling in my family, I took care of him, including personal care. I feel as if I have been in caregiving my whole life. But before that, I was a dressmaker in the Philippines,” Melanie explained.
Melanie has continued to shine with Home Instead, and she pointed out: “What I like about working with Home Instead is its sweet clients. I have never felt as if I am simply a CAREGiver, but rather someone who is a part of my client’s family as well. I have a story to tell them, and they will listen and be inspired by what I have gone through just to be here in America.”
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Melanie provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Melanie and other Clawson CAREGivers offer personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, dementia support, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility assistance. By expertly doing so, CAREGivers not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
To build on their knowledge and experience, Melanie and other Clawson CAREGivers are offered the opportunity to increase their dementia-care skills by taking part in the Home Instead network’s one-of-a-kind training protocol. Home Instead’s Person-Centered Care Training for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias is recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association® for incorporating the evidence-based dementia-care practice recommendations in these topic areas: Alzheimer’s and dementia, person-centered care, assessment and care planning, activities of daily living, and behaviors and communication.
Melanie has the universal tenderhearted and patient touch that bridges all cultures. She recalled: “One client always was crying late in the night, and I would just tell her how fortunate she was and comforted her, and she stopped crying. I can’t be thankful enough for all of my clients, who appreciate my care and efforts to help them. Through God’s grace, I am still with Home Instead and exactly two years later, I am the July CAREGiver of the Month. It feels good.”
It’s easy to see that Melanie loves being a part of the CAREGiver team for the Michigan franchise, a member of a highly successful network founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Paul and Lori Hogan. The Home Instead network is the world’s leading provider of in-home care services for seniors, with more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises that provide more than 80 million hours of care annually throughout the U.S. and 12 other countries.
Melanie is among more than 90,000 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 Melanie 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.
