Audrey P. shares her experience at Comforts of Home – Care:
“I initially wanted to work with Comforts for the hours. The hours I can choose and wanting to work part time, well it was no brainer. That was the easy part. But, I also missed people and their stories. I’m a great listener and hearing about people’s lives helps me in many aspects that we really don’t think about for our own lives. The discovery for me though…was the absolute feeling of fulfillment.
The fulfillment not only for my clients needs, with them needing my help. But, the “act of providing care and services” for others is actually a “need” for us as well, as caregivers. The willingness to go beyond what is needed is a fulfillment that people don’t really recognize or identity.
For instance, I care for an advanced Alzheimer’s patient in a home. He is blind and has hearing in one ear. I began chatting with him all the time while feeding him, as well as laughing at my own stories and the humor from other day life situations. I play him music from his era and even read short stories to him. I sometimes massage his hands, arms and provide hair therapy. Hair therapy is just lightly brushing his hair all over his head. I basically stimulate the “good” chemicals within the body.
So, over time I know for a fact that it not only helps him, it helps me as well. This was identified at about the third month of working with him that when I speak, he moves his one good arm towards my arm. I sit and lean on his armchair, towards his good ear as I feed and read to him. I noticed that every time I showed up and would start talking, he would immediately struggle with his one good arm and just have it close to mine. There are times when he tries to hold my sleeve as I talk or read to him but he is weak so I move my arm towards his hand and he will just rest it against mine.
That’s how I know we as caregivers need to be genuine in our attitude and service. We may insinuate that they can’t understand it or know us but, they actually do. We can never assume and just rush our times with these people. They need love and care the best way that we can provide.
That is the meaning of being a caregiver! Giving is something that we need too because it fulfills us more then we even recognize!”
Thank you for sharing about your experience!
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