Linda Straube and her client have been inseparable for about four years. But there was some concern nearly three years ago when Linda and her client found themselves adrift without an in-home care company. Home Instead Senior Care® was the lifeline that kept them together.
"I was taking care of the client while working for another company. For whatever reason, the company was sold, and the situation just wasn't working out. I wanted to stay with the client, and he felt the same way. I was just praying the client would go with Home Instead Senior Care," explained Linda, who joined owner Michael Lammers' award-winning Home Instead Senior Care franchise of Boulder and Broomfield Counties just after Easter in 2017.
Linda explained further: "I actually had been working for three companies before I came to Home Instead Senior Care. I was not getting enough hours with just one company. Because someone always needs your help, I was cobbling together a schedule by helping clients from all three. I had worked for one of those companies off and on for about 15 years. Now I work with just one company: Home Instead Senior Care."
Home Instead Senior Care is happy to have Linda. Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Rianne Matthews said: "Linda is phenomenal. She has been working with the same client for many years – we acquired both of them when another agency closed shop. Linda looks after her client with the care and attention you'd expect of a family member. Even when things have been especially tough, Linda has held true and continued to provide stellar care to her senior."
Linda has been providing outstanding care since she first earned her CNA license in 1985, and she has kept the license ever since. "I worked in health care and held jobs in facilities for 22 years. One of my jobs was working in a rehabilitation wing where people went after hip surgeries. Our happiest times were the days when we sent a patient home after our end of the recovery," Linda explained. "I was interested in nursing when I was young. I had begun nursing school but then started a family, and it was impossible to finish all of the requirements. With the work I'd already done, I obtained my CNA license."
Linda's client, who will be 99 on Valentine's Day, is a widower who lives alone – an independent soul who has only some short-term memory loss. Linda is with him four to five hours at time, usually 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., for four days a week. Other CAREGivers handle the other three days. The client's daughter and two grandchildren live four blocks away. Other visitors include a next-door neighbor who is a good friend and talks often with the client.
"The client was originally from New York and served in the Navy. He has good stories. He can tell you everything he did during his working years – he was a sewing machine repairman. He did a good job of troubleshooting a problem with my sewing machine. I told him the cabinet model and described it, and he asked a few more questions to solve the problem," Linda said.
Explaining their routine, Linda said: "I get breakfast for him and help with dressing. He gets Meals on Wheels at noon, but we leave it in the refrigerator for later, and I prepare a hot lunch.
Sometimes I bring food from home for him such as homemade pancakes and pulled pork. He knows the difference between frozen and homemade and appreciates it."
The client uses a walker and likes to stay active, but his biggest challenge is being a fall risk. "We will take walks outside when it gets warm. I keep him going. When we go grocery shopping on Wednesdays, he uses an electric cart. He is independent and handles most things," Linda said.
Linda never calls off a shift because she believes every client "needs someone." She added: "My job with Home Instead is going fine. Every day when I go into a client's house, I make them happy. That's the satisfaction. With my help, they know they can stay in their homes. They are all special to me."
Home Instead CAREGivers, who are screened, trained, bonded and insured, provide a variety of in-home services to help keep seniors independent. For inquiries about employment with Home Instead Senior Care, please call 720-432-4956. For further information, visit www.homeinstead.com/397/home-instead-senior-care
"I was taking care of the client while working for another company. For whatever reason, the company was sold, and the situation just wasn't working out. I wanted to stay with the client, and he felt the same way. I was just praying the client would go with Home Instead Senior Care," explained Linda, who joined owner Michael Lammers' award-winning Home Instead Senior Care franchise of Boulder and Broomfield Counties just after Easter in 2017.
Linda explained further: "I actually had been working for three companies before I came to Home Instead Senior Care. I was not getting enough hours with just one company. Because someone always needs your help, I was cobbling together a schedule by helping clients from all three. I had worked for one of those companies off and on for about 15 years. Now I work with just one company: Home Instead Senior Care."
Home Instead Senior Care is happy to have Linda. Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Rianne Matthews said: "Linda is phenomenal. She has been working with the same client for many years – we acquired both of them when another agency closed shop. Linda looks after her client with the care and attention you'd expect of a family member. Even when things have been especially tough, Linda has held true and continued to provide stellar care to her senior."
Linda has been providing outstanding care since she first earned her CNA license in 1985, and she has kept the license ever since. "I worked in health care and held jobs in facilities for 22 years. One of my jobs was working in a rehabilitation wing where people went after hip surgeries. Our happiest times were the days when we sent a patient home after our end of the recovery," Linda explained. "I was interested in nursing when I was young. I had begun nursing school but then started a family, and it was impossible to finish all of the requirements. With the work I'd already done, I obtained my CNA license."
Linda's client, who will be 99 on Valentine's Day, is a widower who lives alone – an independent soul who has only some short-term memory loss. Linda is with him four to five hours at time, usually 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., for four days a week. Other CAREGivers handle the other three days. The client's daughter and two grandchildren live four blocks away. Other visitors include a next-door neighbor who is a good friend and talks often with the client.
"The client was originally from New York and served in the Navy. He has good stories. He can tell you everything he did during his working years – he was a sewing machine repairman. He did a good job of troubleshooting a problem with my sewing machine. I told him the cabinet model and described it, and he asked a few more questions to solve the problem," Linda said.
Explaining their routine, Linda said: "I get breakfast for him and help with dressing. He gets Meals on Wheels at noon, but we leave it in the refrigerator for later, and I prepare a hot lunch.
Sometimes I bring food from home for him such as homemade pancakes and pulled pork. He knows the difference between frozen and homemade and appreciates it."
The client uses a walker and likes to stay active, but his biggest challenge is being a fall risk. "We will take walks outside when it gets warm. I keep him going. When we go grocery shopping on Wednesdays, he uses an electric cart. He is independent and handles most things," Linda said.
Linda never calls off a shift because she believes every client "needs someone." She added: "My job with Home Instead is going fine. Every day when I go into a client's house, I make them happy. That's the satisfaction. With my help, they know they can stay in their homes. They are all special to me."
Home Instead CAREGivers, who are screened, trained, bonded and insured, provide a variety of in-home services to help keep seniors independent. For inquiries about employment with Home Instead Senior Care, please call 720-432-4956. For further information, visit www.homeinstead.com/397/home-instead-senior-care
