When Home Instead® of Martinsburg, West Virginia, answers the call to help a hospice client, Caregiver of the Month Karla Johnston is almost always the first choice for the assignment. The reasons are obvious: great compassion, empathy, skills, experience, a quick-bonding soul and strong spiritual faith. Long story short, the Home Instead staff said: “Karla is gifted.”
“Home Instead has asked me to help hospice clients because I have handled those challenges. It is in my nature to be compassionate in such times and provide a situation of stability, security and comfort. I handle personal care, just whatever is needed for the situation. I allow the family members to feel secure in knowing I am with their loved one. Of course, it hurts to lose a client no matter how long you’ve been with him or her,” said Karla, who joined Home Instead in March 2015.
If it is possible, Karla wants to be with hospice clients as a source of comfort when they pass away. “I believe in God, so I know I am not alone when I am with a client during those final hours. I know He is with the clients and watching over them when they are passing,” said Karla, who knows not all clients hold a spiritual outlook and does not push her faith on anyone. Some have faith-based questions, and Karla is ready to chat if they ask.”
Karla recalled several memorable situations with hospice clients. She was with one client for two years and grew close to her, but Karla stepped away when she sensed the client’s family members ought to have private time with their senior loved one. “A Caregiver follows the family’s cues. Depending on the circumstances, the client’s comfort and needs also are important. I do respect the families’ wishes and give them their privacy,” Karla recalled.
“On the night when that particular client died, I was not there, but I felt that angels were near as I slept. I woke up at 3 a.m., and I just knew in my heart my client had passed away. Then, shortly after I had awakened, the client’s daughter texted the sad news to me. During the next day, for the first time ever, a bird got into my house and was flying around. I felt it was a message more than a coincidence. Was my client somehow letting me know she was OK?”
For another hospice client with whom Karla had bonded after two months, she also could sense on the day when her client had passed away. “I had gotten quite close to her. I was not with her on that Saturday morning, but her family was,” Karla said.
Karla’s compassionate heart was on display long before she joined Home Instead, a situation where she was faithful to the client to the very end. When working for another senior-care agency in West Virginia, a client and his lawyer asked Karla to serve as the power of attorney for her client. He was suffering from cancer and had begun a downward spiral after Karla had been forced to give him up as a client because of her health issues.
“He was like a grandfather to me. He had suffered the loss of a leg in a motorcycle accident 30 years ago. I had a second job while also working as a Caregiver for him, but I had to give up caregiving for health reasons. . . . Then he had no one to take care of him after he was diagnosed with cancer. I was asked if I would serve as his medical and business affairs power of attorney, so I said yes. When he died, I handled all of the funeral arrangements.”
The funeral home director told Karla, “You are an amazing person.” The client’s lawyer told Karla, “You were true to your word until the very end.” The client wanted Karla to be present at the cemetery in Maryland and witness his coffin going into the ground. “That final act was important to him. I did everything to the tee,” Karla recalled.
Karla has “been there, done that” as an active family Caregiver. “I’ve been helping my father for more than 15 years. I’ve been with him since my mother died of cancer. My sisters have been helping me with my father’s care, which has helped give me a break. Everyone needs a break as a family care, and that’s what we Caregivers are often doing when we are with a client. We are giving the family members a break,” Karla explained.
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Karla provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Karla offers personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. By expertly doing so, Karla and her fellow Caregivers not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
In October, Karla was honored as the Martinsburg Caregiver of the Month, announced Allyson Starling, HR and recruitment and retention manager for the Winchester and Martinsburg offices. When Allyson revealed Karla’s award, Allyson said Karla displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.” For Karla and her fellow Caregivers, touching lives impacts their souls.
Karla loves being a part of the Caregiver team for the West Virginia franchise, a member of a network comprised of Home Instead, Inc. and its parent company, Honor. With the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform, Honor and Home Instead are revolutionizing care for older adults, their families and Caregivers. Combined, the network has more than 100,000 Caregivers across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
All Home Instead Caregivers are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please apply online at www.homeinstead.com/location/733/home-care-jobs. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website at www.homeinstead.com/location/733.
