Stacy Finds Life-Enriching Experience as a CAREGiver
With her son college-bound, Stacy Jolly was searching for a part-time job to augment her income; she already had a full-time job. One of Stacy’s co-workers enjoyed her part-time job with award-winning Home Instead® of Lorain County, Ohio, in North Ridgeville. She thought Stacy might be a good fit for senior care, especially with Home Instead’s scheduling flexibility.
“Well,” Stacy said, “never did I imagine how I would stumble upon a life-enriching experience.” In December 2018, Stacy joined owner Karin Kollar’s franchise that serves Wellington, Amherst, Avon Lake, Elyria, Kipton, Lorain, Oberlin, Vermilion, Lagrange, Sheffield Lake, Avon, Grafton and Columbia Station, in addition to North Ridgeville.
Stacy was never a nurse nor had she received any formal medical or caregiving training other than with Home Instead. But Stacy had a great role model. “Throughout my life, my mom was excellent at caregiving for family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. I also would help if someone needed something. I by no means appreciated the importance of it all until I was much older and my life’s experiences made me see things in a much clearer light,” she said.
After her first day at a Home Instead client’s house, Stacy knew “this was not just ‘a job’ ” to supplement her income. “This was going to be something I truly was fortunate to do with my time. I realized that just as I may be filling a spot to help enhance a client’s life, they in return added a richness to mine,” said Stacy, who was honored as the Home Instead franchise’s CAREGiver of the Month for March.
While embracing the companionship aspect of her CAREGiver position, Stacy said she heard wonderful stories that clients shared about life “back in the day” and during “the good old days.” Stacy said: “There are such interesting people, war veterans, folks who lived through the Great Depression, hardy souls who worked on farms and people with other diverse experiences.”
She added: “It’s hard to explain the value I hold to this responsibility unless you’ve also experienced it. I will be able to carry on stories that clients told me. When some of the clients share stories or show pictures, you can see their joy in remembering their younger years.”
The CAREGiver job, Stacy explained, is not without its challenges, and there is always the “getting-to-know-you period” where foundational relationships are formed and later thrive. Referring to Home Instead clients, Stacy said: “I’m sure it’s not easy to open up your home to a perfect stranger at your most vulnerable stage of life. So, as a CAREGiver, I am there to make them comfortable, listen to their needs and do things for them the way they like them done.”
Clients face varying degrees of physical and emotional challenges, and pain might be soothed best with a CAREGiver’s smile and laughter when it’s appropriate. “I always bring a cheerful, pleasant mood with me. Sometimes we CAREGivers are the only people with whom a client may interact for periods of time. I like to keep things light, happy and interesting. I treat my clients as if they were dear friends and family, and I assist them just as I would expect to be treated,” Stacy said.
Faith and compassion, Stacy pointed out, are definitely woven into a caregiver’s role. “I’ve accompanied clients to their churches. I have prayed with them, always watching and learning and walking away with so much gratitude to be a part of the good stuff,” she said.
In addition to her companionship skills, Stacy provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Stacy 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. CAREGivers were given training for defense against the COVID-19 virus, and they are provided with personal protective equipment (PPE).
“As far as this crazy COVID-19 pandemic,” Stacy said, “I’m very surprised that not many clients are afraid. Masking can be a challenge with clients who have hearing loss. I personally find it heartbreaking that this has caused some families to have to stay away from one another. Many people are vaccinated, now so things are looking up.”
In addition to developing rich relationships and drawing fulfillment from supporting her clients and her families, Stacy listed other positives of her job as a Home Instead CAREGiver:
- “Having the flexibility in the hours, and the company in return is a good fit for me.”
- “Home Instead is a company that provides continuous support for their CAREGivers, always teaching and mentoring.”
- “Our training and instruction are specific to the clients’ needs, and we CAREGivers work closely with the families, who keep us updated on any changes with the clients.”
Stacy loves being a part of the CAREGiver team for the Karin’s Lorain County 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.
Stacy 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 Stacy lives the Home Instead® principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
Stacy added: “I feel very fortunate to be with Home Instead.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (440) 353-3080 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
