When Barbara Burwell was a child, she went to a nursing home to entertain the residents with her music. She noticed a contrast between the care of the residents and that of her grandmother, who lived with her family.
“Whenever I went to the nursing home, I never saw the residents being taken care of very well,” Barbara said. “When my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, Mom took care of her, and my grandfather, too. I didn’t want my grandmother to go to a nursing home.”
Barbara added: “Some families need just a little help keeping their senior loved ones at home. Home Instead can do that,” said Barbara, who joined Home Instead® of Martinsburg for the first time 12 years ago while she also was working with a longtime private-duty client. She took a break and rejoined Home Instead five years ago.
Barbara was honored as the June Care Professional of the Month at Martinsburg, the award-winning Home Instead franchise that serves West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. She also was in the spotlight several times earlier during her Home Instead tenure. On Nov. 30, 2018, a Home Instead staff member praised Barbara during a ceremony, noting: “We have some amazing employees. We just want to say a big thank you to Barbara for going above and beyond for Home Instead during the snowstorm this month. We can’t thank her enough for all she does!”
Barbara explained: “I have a heart for taking care of people. It is a passion. Even if they are able to remain in their homes, some seniors are alone quite a bit of the time. That’s hard to fathom, but it does happen for one reason or another. I’ve done this kind of work off and on for 39 years.
I’ve been helping the elderly since I was 16, when I learned CPR and other first-aid methods. I wanted to be a nurse and pretty much followed that path.”
Barbara added: “I’ve done other jobs, all kinds of work. But I keep coming back to caregiving. When you lose a longtime client to death, it’s a process to get over the sorrow. There’ve been times where I’ve left this line of work after a client’s death, only to come back to it later. I’ve taken a year off or maybe more and did something else for a while.”
Among other pursuits, Barbara served as a volunteer EMT for the Shepherdstown fire department. She kept her CPR certifications current and accomplished other first-aid certifications. She responded to everything, from car accidents to unexpected births. Before that, when she was attending Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri, Barbara had a part-time private-duty caregiving job with a senior.
“I helped her with medications, cooking and housekeeping. She needed companionship, too. Helping her got me interested in senior care. Just a few hours a day with a senior for companionship is very important. Seniors need human contact,” she said.
Barbara pointed out that she treats clients the way she’d like her grandmother to be treated. “I try to make it personal. You need to sit down with them and get to know them. I’ve met hundreds of amazing seniors. Many of them were quite accomplished. I really like listening to the clients’ stories. I love it when they tell me about their backgrounds, where they traveled, revealing their hopes and dreams, their families.”
She added, “If the clients tell you enough of their stories, you can later on remind them of their good old days when the challenging ones come up or if they forget. It’s important to help them not be fearful or scared for what may or may not be ahead for them. If they have dementia, they may not know what’s going to happen next, and it frightens them. It certainly would frighten me. You’ve just got to reassure them.”
While working with two clients, a husband and wife, Barbara has experienced several fulfilling moments. One day, after Barbara got the husband to bed, the wife told Barbara her husband wanted her there all the time to help them. The wife said, “You are the best of the best. You are compassionate and provide senior care in the right way. We really like the way you do your job.” Later, Barbara again heard the same words. “I am happy to know there is a company like Home Instead that helps keep seniors in a home setting. I enjoy doing this,” she said.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (304) 263-4472 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
