This is an entry to recognize a top caregiver in the industry, submitted by Kathi at Home Instead in Florida. Please join us is recognizing a care job well done.
Gail started with Home Instead in 2017. When asked to describe what she does Gail said, “I give one-on-one personalized care to clients by assessing their individual needs, paying attention to them and then tailoring individualized care to meet their particular needs.” For example, she has a client with Alzheimer’s, and was previously a teacher who loves art and music and dance. When the client needs to take a shower (something she is very reluctant to do) Gail will put on the music and the client starts to dance and Gail will air dance with her into the bathroom and into the shower by focusing on what makes the client happy and using this to assist in making life easier and more enjoyable. Gai said she tried to relate to her in her world and that is what makes for a better CAREGiver.
For another client with dementia and Alzheimer’s she reads to him entire books she brings with her from start to finish as he enjoys it so much. Also, this same client enjoys playing checkers with her and Gail feels the checker patterns help to improve his cognitive ability. Both really enjoy this and it is engaging for both of them and the client really relates to that. When working with people with Dementia or Alzheimer’s Gail finds you need to sometimes enter their world as they know it and understand what is best for that client.
All CAREGivers have different strengths, and we can learn from one another and the clients appreciate the differences in their CAREGiver team each with unique strengths and as a result all benefit from one another.
Gail likes working one -on -one with clients and as part of a caregiving tram. You become pseudo family with the clients.Gail had another client who loved to go get her hair done at the beauty salon and when her health no longer allowed her to go out Gail became her Beautician and would wash her hair and style it. The client got such pleasure at having her hair done and they found a way to have fun with it without leaving the client’s home.
You need to find out what benefits the client and design their personalized care to meet their needs said Gail. As a CAREGiver you need the power of observation to understand their needs and encourage their independence while giving them the best care possible. It’s all the little things that make a difference.
We are honored and blessed to have Gail as part of our wonderful team of professional CAREGviers here at Home Instead.
Interested in learning more about working a care job or becoming a certified caregiver? Check out the free resources at myCNAjobs.com