Karla’s Helping-Hand Experience Eventually Guided Her to Home Instead
During a friend’s time of dire need, Karla King stepped up. Her friend’s mother had begun to slip further from the debilitating effects of late-stage dementia. The friend sought help so she could continue to work while also searching for a skilled-care community with a memory-care unit. Karla’s deep reservoir of patience, empathy and compassion kicked into overdrive.
“I volunteered, and I enjoyed taking care of her mom. It made me feel good two times over because it helped my friend, and I enjoyed doing it. It was only three or four times. Our friends kind of all pitched in to help until our friend was able to have her mother placed in a nursing home,” Karla recalled.
Karla pointed out: “I didn’t have much of a background in the family caregiving realm other than raising my son.” When Karla went on the hunt for a part-time position to go with her full-time job, she found Home Instead® of Clawson. “I found them on Indeed.com, and that met my need. Among other things, I needed job flexibility,” said Karla, who joined the Home Instead franchise in April 2020.
“As far as senior care within my own group of relatives,” Karla said, “I haven’t had to take care of any family members yet, but the skills I have learned from Home Instead have prepared me to take care of my mom when the time comes.”
In addition to her strong companionship skills that were clearly demonstrated while helping her friend’s mother, Karla provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands for Home Instead clients.
She also offers personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, dementia support, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility assistance. Karla not only assists her Home Instead clients, but she helps their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom just as she did for her friend.
To build on their knowledge and experience, Karla and other 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®. The training incorporates the evidence-based dementia-care practice recommendations in these areas: Alzheimer’s and dementia, person-centered care, assessment and care planning, activities of daily living, and behaviors and communication.
Karla was honored as CAREGiver of the Month by showing she has gone above and beyond the call of duty when circumstances required it. Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Karla embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
Praising the award-winning franchise, which is owned by Bert and Stephanie Copple, Karla said: “What I like most about working for Home Instead is taking care of some of the sweetest people and working with our amazing staff! It’s one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had.”
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.
