A couple of weekends.
That's all it took for a son-in-law to decide CAREGiver of the Month Shana Garcia was "The One" for his mother-in-law. … every day of the week. Shana had just started with Home Instead Senior Care® of Victoria on Valentine's Day this year. Her original plan was to work as a weekend on-call specialist for the award-winning franchise owned by Stephanie Niles.
Shana began assisting the client on weekends, but quickly added weeknight shifts from 5:30 to 9. Seven days a week? "Yes, but it's fine," said Shana, a Certified Medical Assistant who works full time on weekdays from 8 to 5 for a doctors' office in Victoria.
Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey said: "When I think of Shana, I see dedication at its finest." Shana's inner drive to help society's most vulnerable was never more evident than when she accepted a bigger assignment for her regular client, who has Alzheimer's disease. There was a learning curve. In race-care drivers' terms, Shana has gone from "zero to 60" in figuring out how to best care for her client, who is in her mid-80s.
Shana admitted: "I hadn't taken care of anyone with dementia before this. I had no idea what it would be like. In addition to my Home Instead training and seat-of-my-pants experience, I've joined Alzheimer's support groups to help me understand the multi-faceted disease. She has good and bad days, but she remembers me every day, even my name. Her Sundowning is challenging. Sometimes she wants to be left alone. I honor that and sit at the dining room table."
One day, Shana discovered that music was a soothing solution for her client's anxiety. "One day out of the blue, she asked to listen to music. I didn't know what kind of music she'd like. I turned on her alarm clock/radio and tuned it to a country music station. I think any kind of music could calm her, but I've left the country music station on," Shana said.
Shana found a proven therapy. According to experts, music can spark good outcomes even in the late stages of dementia. Music can shift mood, manage stress-induced agitation, stimulate positive interactions, facilitate cognitive function and coordinate motor movements. This happens, experts say, because rhythmic and other well-rehearsed responses require little to no cognitive or mental processing. They are influenced by a part of the brain that responds directly to auditory rhythmic cues.
CAREGivers such as Shana are among the reasons Home Instead Senior Care of Victoria is an award-winning franchise. Shana and her fellow CAREGivers are given the opportunity to take the Home Instead Senior Care network's Alzheimer's Disease or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and Education® Training Program.
CAREGivers who are trained in the CARE program have a passion to work with Alzheimer's clients and receive ongoing instruction and testing to enhance their already outstanding care techniques. The Home Instead program offers a personal approach to taking care of seniors with Alzheimer's disease at home – where 60 to 70 percent live, according to the Alzheimer's Association. It is a unique program that has received acclaim and endorsements from experts.
The program equips CAREGivers to provide the highest quality of customized care. CAREGivers can provide assistance with establishing a regular routine and restoring the simple pleasures of life, among the best non-medical treatments for the disease. Keeping her client calm or even engaged whenever possible, Shana said, is a goal. To that end, music has shown to be a helpful avenue.
Pets can be another source that calms a dementia client, and Shana's client has a 2-year-old Yorkie, Kenzie. "We all share in her pet's care, including the family and me. The dog is good and loves me. The client says I spoil it too much. Sometimes she says, 'The dog whines too much,' so I put it outside where they have a fenced yard," Shana said.
"My client uses a walker. I handle her personal care, including the showering. She's not fond of it, but I talk her into it. Her family handles the grocery shopping and makes other meals for her. I handle dinner when I come in the door. She's hungry when I get there. Sometimes she just wants to eat and go to bed."
Shana added, "But getting her to bed is not easy sometimes. I try to get her to bed before I leave. I am doing well in understanding how to handle everything. Sometimes when we talk, I don't understand what she says, but I remain attentive. She does like to watch old TV shows that are familiar and nature shows. She can't follow plots on things such as mysteries. Overall, you have to be flexible and go with the flow."
The challenge of two jobs is fine most of the time for Shana. "I love Home Instead Senior Care. It is going well," she said. "The fulfillment factor is definitely there."
All Home Instead Senior Care CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about CAREGiver employment , please apply online or call (361) 433-0330. For additional home care information visit Home Instead Senior Care.
Rewarding Care Careers in Victoria, TX
