Debby’s Family Caregiving Set Her on Career Course
As the last child among four siblings in her family, Oluwabunmi “Debby” Ajide was the one who took care of her parents. She did it out of necessity, but also out of love and compassion. Her siblings had married or moved to another state for jobs.
“It wasn’t much of a difficult job being a family caregiver,” Debby humbly said, “but I can say it taught me basic caregiving skills like being patient and observant. It has also braced me up to do exceptionally well as a Home Instead® CAREGiver because I always have it in the back of my mind that taking care of other people’s parents is just like taking care of my parents.”
Because Debby takes care of others as if they were family members, she was honored as the March CAREGiver of the Month for the award-winning Home Instead franchise of Philadelphia that is owned by Steve Levin. HR Manager Charlea Lyn Grieco announced Debby’s honor.
“Let me say I am indeed much honored to be chosen as the March 2021 CAREGiver of the Month. I started working for Home Instead as a CAREGiver in July 2020, and I can say it’s been a great pleasure working for them. Home Instead is one of the best agencies for whom I have worked. They are organized and know how to develop teamwork between the CAREGivers,” said Debby, who found Home Instead in Facebook advertisements.
“I had recently moved to Pennsylvania from New Jersey, where I had worked as a Home Health Aide. I was looking for agencies, and Home Instead caught my eye. I applied, and Charlea contacted me on the phone. She was so nice and professional at the same time.”
Debby said the Home Instead hiring protocol is stringent and thorough, but she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
“I had so many forms to fill out, the background check, the drug test and other medicals to be done. I had a New Jersey Home Health Aide license that had required testing and competency, so I thought that certification would help greatly in order to be employed in Pennsylvania, but Home Instead wanted more. In the end, I was happy to have done all these requirements because it shows Home Instead takes everything very seriously when it comes to the clients’ welfare,” said Debby, who had worked with three agencies in New Jersey before moving to Philadelphia. She had worked in caregiving for day and night shifts, and also served as a live-in caregiver.
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Debby provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Debby and other CAREGivers offer personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, 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.
For Debby, touching lives impacts her soul. “What I love most about my job as a Home Instead CAREGiver is the satisfaction that comes with being able to help someone other than myself. I also love my job because I feel I have the potential to make a difference in someone’s life, the sense of relief I feel when I see the look of gratitude in the eyes of my clients,” Debbie said.
“I haven’t really worked with a lot of clients since I just started last year. I really enjoy my present client. He is so full of gratitude for every little thing done for him. It is easy for me to always want to do even more for him. He makes caregiving so easy.”
Debby loves being a part of the CAREGiver team for owner Steve’s 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 13 other countries.
Debby 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 Debby 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 (215) 925-4610 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
