Elizabeth Learned About Caregiving at an Early Age
Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Elizabeth Bronson is inspired by an upbeat client who is confined to a wheelchair because of double-leg amputations. Elizabeth herself is an inspiration, a humble person who doesn’t say much about her role as a teenage family caregiver for her late mother. Elizabeth’s overwhelming focus is on the clients who seek help from the award-winning Home Instead franchise in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
Referring to her wheelchair-bound client, Elizabeth said: “He gets around well and tries to remain as independent as he can. You’d be amazed at what he can do. He is wise enough to know what his limitations are. Despite it all, he tells me he feels blessed. He said it was ‘all right’ when he had to lose his legs because he was in so much pain. I’ve been with him for about six weeks. His attitude is he doesn’t want to be a burden, but I convinced him I am there to help him in every possible way.”
Elizabeth added: “He treats me like family. We bonded quickly. I think companionship is important to every client. I like to listen to this client. He has good stories about his childhood. I am ready for just about any challenge he faces.”
Now, about Elizabeth. Family caregiving at a young age shaped who Elizabeth became – a person who is devoted to helping others.
Elizabeth’s mother died from colon cancer at age 50 when Elizabeth was 16. When doctors found the cancer, Elizabeth’s mother underwent surgery and lived for seven more years. “There was not a whole lot I could do for her. It was a hard time for me. I was the only one at home when she got sick and was the one who was helping her most. The last two years were really hard,” Elizabeth said.
After high school graduation, Elizabeth continued to help others. “I provided unpaid private-duty caregiving for people who were like family. Later, I ran a daycare for other children in my home when I was a stay-at-home mom,” Elizabeth said.
In later years, Elizabeth became certified as a medical technician who worked with the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled. “I did this kind of work for 14 to 15 years. I worked at three different group homes or facilities. I took clients to medical appointments and to their day programs. They had goals they needed to meet to live independently, and I tried to help. Some never met the criteria. During the first year of COVID-19, I worked the whole year with a group home of five girls, and we were so careful that no one got sick. We worked on sterilizing the house nonstop. We kept them safe,” Elizabeth recalled.
Before arriving at Home Instead, she had worked for her previous company for 10 years. “I loved the clients, but it got to the point I just wanted to do one-on-one care, and overnights were too much,” said Elizabeth, who joined Home Instead in May 2022 after she saw Home Instead in a television commercial that was advertising a job fair. Elizabeth then discovered one of her friends worked for Home Instead.
“Rhonda told me it was a good company. I have known her for a long time. We together worked for a different company some time ago. So, five to seven years later, we met up again. We reconnected at Home Instead,” Elizabeth explained. “I worked with five or six clients at the start with Home Instead, doing fill-ins. Then I got regular clients, but I still do fill-ins. The fill-in clients ask me to come back. That feels good, and I like what I do. If I am helping someone, that makes me happy.”
Elizabeth added: “Home Instead is really organized. They show concern for their employees as well as their clients. They are the sweetest people I’ve met. They wanted to get me more hours at the start, and told me to hang in there when I was getting 13 to 15 hours a week. Then I got regular clients. I like to meet new people. I’ve never had someone who didn’t like me. I’ve adjusted to their ways, although there is a balance where you’ve got to keep them safe.”
For Elizabeth, it has been “mission accomplished.” Home Instead Staff Coordinator Sharon Bledsoe acknowledged that fact when she announced Elizabeth had been honored as Care Pro of the Month for October. “I could not ask for a better place to work,” Elizabeth said.
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