“Winter Wonderland,” a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard, obviously has a seasonal theme as a Christmas song. But for one of CAREGiver of the Month Rosa Garza’s clients, it is a song for all seasons. Since it continuously loops in the 83-year-old client’s mind, Rosa uses “Winter Wonderland” as a source of comfort and companionship.
Rosa explained: “The client responds to ‘Winter Wonderland’ for many prompts. When I start humming the song, she will hum along. She forgets something that’s objectionable to her if we are humming. To get her out of bed in the morning, I start humming the song. When I hum the song, she recognizes me. It is like a cue I’m here.”
“Winter Wonderland” isn’t the only song Rosa hears when her client plays the piano, but it always is one of the selections. “We have a routine going after I arrive at 7 a.m., where we get other things accomplished first before I ask her to play around 2 or 3 p.m. She says, ‘Yes,’ and sometimes plays for 45 minutes. She asks, ‘How did I do?’ I tell her, ‘Play another one.’ She’s getting to the point where she is forgetting the notes as she reads music, and her vision may also be a factor. What she plays and how she plays it is fine and dandy with me.”
Rosa thrilled the client by recording a piano session on her cell phone and playing it back to her. “You should have seen her face with the big smile. She watched and asked, ‘Who is that?’ ‘Is it me?’ ” Rosa said. “She also works with puzzles and coloring books. She does a lot of activities for the brain. Her short-term memory is fairly challenging. I tell her, ‘I am here for you.’ She was my first client, and I’ve helped her for all of my time with Home Instead. When I hear, ‘I love you,’ I also reply, ‘I love you.’ It is a wonderful feeling. Her words are coming from her heart.”
Rosa’s wonderful bonding and interaction with the client is one of the reasons she was honored as CAREGiver of the Month for Home Instead® of Victoria, Texas, after nine months of service with the award-winning franchise that is owned by Pietro Jordao and Dillon Rice. Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey said: “Rosa is a great lady and has helped many times when we were in a pinch. She is another one of our angels on Earth.”
Rosa found Home Instead online. “I was sitting at home one day with too much time on my hands and decided to do something about it. Caregiving comes naturally, and there are people who need help. You have to love this work, and I love my clients dearly,” said Rosa, who was bored on weekends and during the summers. She has a fulltime weekday job during the school year, and she generally works on weekends for Home Instead.
“On weekdays, I’ve been a bilingual school aide for the past five years with students in grades first through third. I also work 45 minutes a day with special-education children. In this job, I’ve learned sign language and Braille. I previously had worked for 17 years with severely challenged special education students,” Rosa explained.
Rosa serves her client from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. If the client has no one else to help her, Rosa has spent 48 straight hours with her. “It was not a problem. She sleeps all night,” Rosa said. When asked about a fatigue factor, Rosa said: “I don’t feel overwhelmed or tired. God gives me the strength. It’s all up to Him.”
While she savors her job with children, Rosa can’t help talking about what she and her client do on the weekends. “This is not a situation where she is inactive. She does her shower in the morning. Then she sits outside and watches the birds and squirrels. She loves her plants. When the weather is good, we pull weeds. That’s one of the ways I stay engaged with her. We also water plants and fill the bird feeder,” Rosa said.
“We walk a half-block for more exercise. When my client walks, I hold her hand. She doesn’t use a walker and is trying to walk as long as possible on her own. Of course, there’s the piano, puzzles and coloring books. I just try to keep her mind going and her body active.”
Part of keeping the client’s mind active is the use of memory cards with pictures of the client’s family. “We play a game: Who are they? Sometimes I point out her grandchildren, and I may reacquaint her, which is OK and low-keyed. If clients talk about negative things, I try to refocus them to something positive and keep repeating it.”
Rosa added: “My client loves homecooked meals, and I whip them up. I can cook everything. I told her, ‘I am here to please you.’ I want to do for her and any other clients exactly what I’d want someone else to do for me. Her family is comfortable with me. They know I’ll do what’s right.”
When Rosa prepares to go on Sundays, the client asks, “Are you leaving already? Why do you have to leave?” Rosa’s heart aches when she hears that. “I find myself at home worrying about her. I worry because I like working with people. I’ll keep doing this until God puts an end to it.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (361) 433-0330 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
Rewarding Care Careers in Victoria, TX
