Sharon Thompson lost her grandparents when she was a young girl. Having sadly missed out on potentially precious granddaughter memories, Sharon found a way to bond with seniors years later. The Care Professional of the Month at Home Instead® of Victoria said: “By providing the one-on-one care, I am getting to have time with ‘grandparents’ I never had.”
Thinking back to her only contact with seniors during her childhood, Sharon said: “I was in a junior high home economics class, and we made baked goods for nursing-home residents and took them there for the holidays.”
After high school, Sharon tried nursing-home work at an assisted living facility. “They just threw me in there without much training, and there were a lot of residents to help. I never got to know the residents because I had to move from one to another too quickly. That didn’t work for me,” Sharon said.
Seven years ago, Sharon took CNA classes, and she later worked at a hospital’s post-acute care unit. “I had usually seven patients. Generally, four to five needed assistance to take nutrition, and there were other responsibilities, so I did a lot and learned a lot,” Sharon said.
Her life then took a difficult turn when Sharon was diagnosed with cancer in an eye. “I had to step back from work. I was driving 40 miles one way for my job, which became a strain in itself. At work, I didn’t want to injure a client or myself,” she explained. “Battling the cancer took a toll on me, and I withdrew from people. I had to go through rebuilding my self-esteem. I quit driving for about 2½ years.”
There was more: Sharon took care of her mother-in-law, who passed away in 2016. “Then I lost both of my parents a year apart,” she said. “My husband had back surgery and then neck surgery, and he became disabled. That is where my nursing’s training came in handy.”
Sharon became cancer free, and life began to change. “In 2020,” she said, “we moved from Lolita, Texas, to Victoria, and I wanted to return to work. My daughter-in-law went to work last spring for Home Instead. I was not aware of Home Instead until she joined them. I actually had never heard of one-on-one care providers before we moved to Victoria. My daughter-in-law was in awe about how considerate the Home Instead office staff was. I thought, ‘I can do this. At the very least, I can try.’ ”
On July 12, 2022, Sharon said “yes” to Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey’s job offer and joined the award-winning Home Instead franchise owned by Pietro Jordao and Dillon Rice. Sharon said: “I had not worked for six years. I felt I had a calling to get back to it. I give the credit to my daughter-in-law. When I interviewed, Maegan understood my self-imposed transportation restrictions. She is flexible. The office absolutely understands and accommodates. Maegan said, ‘We can figure it out.’ Communication is good.”
Six months later, Maegan announced Sharon had been honored as the franchise’s Care Pro of the Month. “I get to spend quality one-on-one time with a client, and I love it. The clients’ needs all are different. Some of them need companionship because they are capable and independent. Some need more care,” she said.
A client’s daughter expanded Sharon’s shifts from two weekdays to all five. The 81-year-old dementia client lost his wife last November. “He is still grieving, and there is confusion. He sometimes will ask where his wife is. His dementia situation is fairly typical in that he can recall distant memories but recent ones cannot be remembered,” Sharon said.
“His daughter moved him in with her. Like most family caregivers with elderly parents, she had never done this before and is stressed at times. I reassure the daughter that it’s going to be OK. I answer any questions she has, or I get the answers from our Home Instead office. Providing reassurance is a big thing.”
When Sharon is not with the client, he notes her absence and tells his daughter, “Hey, we’re missing someone.” Then he asks his daughter, “Where is ‘she?’ ” The client doesn’t remember Sharon’s name, which is typical of those with dementia. He does remember her compassionate face and reassuring voice. When Sharon arrives at his house, he’ll say, “There ‘she’ is! I’ve been missing you!” Sharon noted: “He can carry on conversations. He asks, ‘How’s the family? How was your weekend?’ I can answer his questions. With some conversations, sometimes I have to redirect. He is like an extension of my family.”
One former client also clicked well with Sharon. The client, in the early stages of dementia, told Sharon, “How did I get so lucky to find you? I love the fact that you came here. I am wonderfully lucky to have you.”
Speaking of the sum total of her Home Instead experiences, Sharon said: “I am very fortunate to be doing this. I absolutely love this work and plan to do it long term.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (361) 433-0330 or apply online at https://www.homeinstead.com/location/781/home-care-jobs/ .
