Caregiving Story

When I started working at Allstar Home Health Care, I was assigned to work at a retirement and assisted living facility in Arlington, Virginia. I was thrilled to be working with the elderly and getting the opportunity to gain knowledge about the healthcare field because I was in school, studying to be a nurse. My first day was quite overwhelming. I was told by my supervisor that the people I would be seeing everyday were "tough, old birds" and that this job wasn't a "walk in the park". She told me about each client and their specific needs, as well as little quirks about each one. When she came to Ms. Helen, she told me about her Care Plan and about her mild Dementia and said that she was especially needy because her family didn't come to visit very often. She said that she often was lonely which meant she would keep on talking to you until you told her you had to leave. She said there were even times when she probably wouldn't recognize me. I was immediately super-excited and scared all at the same time! I didn't know quite what to expect with Ms. Helen, but I pushed my fears aside and walked up to her room and knocked on the door. That moment started a relationship that would forever change my life. Ms. Helen was the sweetest little old lady I have ever met! She did talk my leg off, but it was so wonderful! I heard so many stories about her family and her life that I came to look forward to seeing Ms. Helen every day I went into work. She was always the first resident I went to see when I arrived and the last resident I visited before I left. I even began to come in on the weekends, when I didn't have to work to see her. She was so kind to me and always had such great advice for a young woman just getting started with her life. I will never forget her kind heart! When she got sick one day, she called the front desk, knowing that I was there working that day, and asked them to send me up to her room. I was so touched! I ran up there and didn't leave her side until her family got there. I checked up on her everyday until she felt well again. She was such an inspiration! It has been a long time since I've seen Ms. Helen because I returned to school in the Fall, but I do think of her often and wonder how she is doing. She might have told me the same story a hundred times, but that was just fine with me. She was genuine and I loved seeing the light in her eyes every time I walked through her door!