Jeannette is our
CAREGiver of the month for November. Jeannette has been working for Home
Instead Senior Care since February 2012.
Jeannette is a
perfect caregiver in as much as she REALLY cares for people! She truly enjoys
being with her clients and chatting with them. She loves hearing their stories
and according to her; for the most part working with her clients doesn't seem
like work at all. "For example what other job would allow their
staff to drive to the Conservatory on a Sunday morning, sniff the
beautiful flowers & plants, accompanied by a client who is absolutely
delighted to be there, and also get paid?”
Why did you
decide to become a CAREGiver? It was my friend Sylvia who
suggested I look into CAREGiving. I had recently left full-time employment to
focus on starting my own business. It was early days for the business so I had
a lot of time available to do other things. One day I was saying to Sylvia I
was looking for a flexible work position preferably working with seniors as I
had really enjoyed working with this age group in my previous position. With an
overwhelming amount of enthusiasm she said, "You've got to call
Julie!" I did and the rest is a happy history.
What is your
most memorable or happiest moment(s) with your clients? There
are so many it is difficult to identify just one though last Halloween
I dressed one of my 90ish year old clients up as a witch (a very gorgeous
looking witch) feather boa, orange & black stripped stockings, a great hat
and a stuffed black cat. We then went for a stroll around the hospital handing
out candy....she was tickled pink with all the complements especially from the
folks waiting in the E.R.
What advice do
you have for any new CAREGivers? Ask your client about their life.
The stories are fascinating.
What do you
enjoy doing on your days off? Hobbies you have or groups that you belong to? I
work very part time with Home Instead so when I am not off visiting or running
a client to an appointment I work on growing my own business, being with family
and friends, volunteering at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, the Children's Book
Mart/Sell and on a variety of other projects. When the weather turns cold &
snowy I like to curl up under a blanket and read.
