Laura’s Soup Warmed the Day for Her Client
When CAREGiver℠ of the Month Laura Watcher made a little extra soup in her own kitchen for her Home Instead® client – enough for a couple of meals – Laura unexpectedly hit a home run. In fact, Laura said: “You would have thought my client had just won the lottery.”
To set the stage, the client had wondered aloud about having a hot bowl of soup on a cold day. “At that time, she did not have the ingredients for soup at her residence, but I felt compelled not to disappoint her. I took the time to make a fresh batch of soup at home for my family and made it just a little larger so I could take some to my client. Her reaction was priceless,” Laura recalled.
Delivering the soup not only thrilled the client, but the act of kindness also warmed Laura’s soul. Her takeaway: “These simple events are the most rewarding for seniors. When you provide even the little things, our clients feel their worth and value. A feeling of worth is a life of value, and this simple bowl of soup made the client feel valued, and that is my mission when I provide care. So, there are many days on which I can look back as rewarding. We all take for granted the things we can easily do but that are challenging for seniors. When we help seniors with those things, they are easiest to speak about and hold close to our hearts.”
Eighteen months ago, Laura joined the award-winning Home Instead franchise in Martinsburg that serves West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. It was her first professional senior-care job, and it was a great scheduling fit for a mom with three active children and who had worked in “people-person” jobs.
“A friend who is employed by Home Instead suggested I might find employment with them as an option for my current personal life schedule,” Laura explained. “I had thought about working again after my three children grew older, but I needed flexibility to work around my older children’s schedules. Home Instead offered me the ability to do so, and the rest is history.”
Laura added: “I have experience with working in the customer service field and felt comfortable working with my new clients in fulfilling their specific requirements.”
In addition to her strong companionship skills that include her impromptu soup-making feats, Laura provides safety assurance, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Laura 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.
It is rewarding, Laura said, to be a part of her clients’ lives. “I see my role as being more like a part of the family versus being an employee. The clients are excited to see me every shift, and it makes me feel that by being there it’s making a difference in the quality of their lives,” she said.
“My clients all have very interesting pasts and are most willing to share their life experiences. I enjoy the camaraderie that is formed as relationships are built. I’m there to cover their specific needs, but it feels more as if I’m caring for a family member versus a stranger. I’ve been able to establish great rapport with both my clients and their families. I feel as if I’m making an impact when I receive feedback from the families in regard to the care I provide.”
Laura 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 and core values. Those core values are: “Honor God in all we do; Treat each other with dignity and respect; Encourage growth in ourselves and others; Build value in our service to others.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (304) 263-4472 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
