August CAREGiver of the month

Congratulations to Donna, our CAREGiver of the month! Donna is one of our longest working caregivers. She has been with us since February 2008. Donna is a feisty, energetic woman who makes long lasting relationships with her clients.

 “I became a caregiver because I had time on my hands and saw the ad in the paper and thought I would give it a shot. Never looked back since that day. It has been rewarding in more ways than I can count.

My very first client was Edna (bless her soul) and we became very good friends. One night I had her for dinner here at my house with my family and she stood up on her own accord and toasted us for taking her to our home and loving her like we did. Not a dry eye after that toast. Thanks Brian for paring me up with this gem of a lady.

My advice is enjoy what you do and enjoy your clients as they really have a lot to offer with their wisdom and wit. 

On my days off I do respite work for a young family who have a very disabled girl and also another girl; love them to bits. I also volunteer for the Never Alone Foundation which is a non-profit organization that helps families deal with cancer. Love my time there. 

I also golf and bowl and drive my husband crazy. Life is good 

Once again thank you Brian for taking me on and giving me a purpose. You have a great organization which is much needed.     

Thanks so much,

Donna” 

Thank YOU, Donna. We very much value your contribution to our organization and clients.

July CAREGiver of the Month

 Melita has been with Home Instead Senior Care since May 2012. She is one of our most caring, gentle and patient CAREGivers. We are so lucky to have her working with our clients.

We asked Melita four questions and we love her answers!

 

1. Why did you decide to become a caregiver?

I decided to become a caregiver because this is one of my passions in life. Aside from it is part of my nursing profession, being a caregiver specifically gives me emotional and social attachments to old people who really need special attention-patience, a lot of understanding and most especially love not only in my work but on patients I'm dealing with every day of my life. I always thought that sooner or later I will become old too and the fact that I have developed this connection with them through my work as a caregiver it gives me sense of fulfillment, of peace, of satisfaction. More or less I choose this job because it connects me to people in a genuine way.

2. What is your memorable or happiest moment (s) with your clients?

I think one of the memorable moments, or I may say happiest as well, is when one of my clients remembered the story I have told before about my mother and he suddenly asked what then happened. For me caring doesn't only limit to doing the routine eating, bathing, changing, but it also extends to something really important and that is communicating. And caring for these people with memory problems you cannot always, or rarely expect, that something has been remembered. And remembering indicates that he listened. Deep into his subconscious he grasped what I said and he remembered. For me, that is something to make me realize that I exist in my patients’ life, that my story was remembered, and that my patients’ memory is somehow working. It is remarkable.

3. What advice do you have for any new caregivers? 

First, they have to love not only their job but the people they are dealing with. Be patient to your patients. Understand your patient not the other way around. Remember it is always better to give than to receive. Second, adapt eventually to change. Be flexible. There is no first time that was easy. You always have to start from the scratch. Lastly, go an extra mile. Make a difference not only in physically aspect of your patients’ life but holistically. It will somehow touch your life in a unique way.

4. What do you enjoy doing on your days off?

When I am at work I am away from my family, so basically during my day off I catch up the time I have lost spending with them. My happiness is where my home is. And home is with my family. It is not just about being home but being a mother to my kids, a wife to my husband, and a relative to my cousins. We do some catching up also by having dinner together and going out sometimes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Home Instead Senior Care management and its staff for recognizing my work efforts.

Melita

We thank YOU, Melita!

Memory Walk 2014

As you can see by the photo, we had wonderful sunshine for the Alzheimer Memory Walk this year. Not everyone that walked with us that day is in the group photo but what a great photograph! We had Julie & Brian, Roger Seier from Home Office, caregivers and their families and client families also.

It was a great day and so much fun. There were more than 1,000 people at The Forks that day to create awareness and to support people with dementia. We all enjoyed the great weather, magnificent entertainment and amazing energy of all the people involved.

Brian and the other band members of Vox Phantom entertained us after the walk and it was incredible!

Thank you to everyone that supported us in our efforts for the Investors Group Memory Walk 2014!

June CAREGiver Team of the Month

This month we are happy to honour a wonderful CAREGiver team, Kristine, Rachel and Rosanna. These three ladies took it upon themselves to go above and beyond for their client. What they arranged for her will warm your heart.

They picked up the client from her home and arranged to drive her out to the farm that she had spent many happy years raising her family. On their way to the farm they stopped off at the cemetery where her husband is buried. The CAREGivers were able to get the client graveside in her wheelchair. It was an emotional visit for the lady but she was able to share her fondest memories of her husband and spend some time with her own thoughts.

When they arrived at the farm they were greeted by the client's grandson who helped get his grandmother into the home. There she went from room to room reminiscing and collecting mementos. A couple more family members arrived so the rest of the afternoon was spent visiting. What a wonderful trip for our client and what fantastic Caregivers we have. Kristine, Rachel and Rosanna felt the trip was just as meaningful to them as it was to their client.What a fantastic day for these ladies.

We asked Kristine what advice she would give to new caregivers. "I would advise new caregivers that whenever we're with our clients don't forget to smile. Because that smile can make a difference."
When we asked Rosanna what is her most memorable or happiest moment with a client she replied, "When my client smiles at me and holds my hand without saying a word; that means happiness to me. It's like saying, "Thank you. You're doing a good job."

We are so lucky to have such wonderful and caring people working with us!

.

Memory Walk 2014

We are gearing up to walk for The Alzheimer Society of Manitoba this year. Last year we had 78 walkers and raised $6300.00! This year we are hoping to raise $8000.00 and 100 team members. Feel free to join our team...anyone can join us! Or if you are unable to walk with us you can visit our page to make a donation. The Winnipeg walk is held at The Scotia Stage at The Forks, registration and food from 5 pm to 6 pm on Thursday, June 12, 2014. We'd love to see you there!

 

What a fantastic day for a walk around The Forks we had last year! Sylvia our Community Service Representative and Jeannette one of our wonderful CAREGivers still smiling after the walk.

Did you know that according to the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba,

"It is projected that over the next 30 years the number of people living with dementia will almost double, further increasing the demand for supportive programs and services. It is essential that events like our annual Memory Walk are successful to allow us to meet the growing demands for our programs and services for Manitobans."