Getting to Know the Caregivers on National Caregivers Day!
February 16 is National Caregivers Day, and we can’t think of a better way to honor the day than by getting up close and personal with some of our own Overture Home Care caregivers.
We recently enjoyed chatting with four of our compassionate caregivers — a sampling of the wonderful professionals we are so fortunate to work with here at Overture Home Care. We asked each why they chose to become a caregiver, what they enjoy most about their work, and what advice they’d give to others entering the field. Then we got to ask some fun questions about the hobbies and interests they pursue on their days off.
Please enjoy their inspiring and entertaining answers —
Lisa Fowler told us that she became a caregiver after working in offices for years. Because she loves helping people, she finds the work with her clients at Overture Home Care so rewarding. Her favorite part about caregiving is knowing at the end of each day that she’s made a difference in someone’s life.
Lisa’s advice to future caregivers is to listen to their clients because they have so much life experience to share: “I can’t tell you how much I have learned and walked away with just by listening.”
Lisa’s favorite hobby is cooking, and on her days off she enjoys spending time with her fiancé, her two sons, her daughter-in-law — and her new 6-month-old grandson. Congratulations, Lisa!
Abbie Johnson learned about compassionate caregiving from her mom, who is an RN. After school, Abbie would walk to meet her mother at her job, where she came to see the older folks in mom’s care not as patients, but as “mom’s friends from work.” Abbie’s favorite part of her work at Overture Home Care is getting to know her patients by listening to their stories about their lives, careers, and families.
The best advice Abbie can give other caregivers is to picture clients as their own grandparents — or even as themselves: “How would you want someone to care for you or your grandparents? If we think of them as family, we can embrace them with love and patience.”
Abbie’s favorite activity during her time off is traveling with her little best friend — her daughter.
Though Takia Gillett has always had a soft spot for helping others, especially the elderly, she credits a higher power for making caregiving her calling: “I truly believe that this is my purpose in life. The Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He placed it on my heart to be a caregiver.”
Takia understands how scary it can be to hand over care of a loved one to someone you don’t really know. That’s why her favorite part of being a caregiver is when she knows she has earned a family’s trust through careful and consistent care, and that they look forward to her shifts, knowing that she can be relied on to do the right thing.
To her fellow caregivers, Takia offers a message of support: “Wherever you are in your journey, know that you are greatly appreciated and there are people that depend on you. Please take care of yourself so that you can be at your best. It’s a tough job and I hope that you know you are making a difference.”
For fun, Takia enjoys resting, relaxing, and reading a good ole’ mystery book at home — with snacks of course, can’t forget the snacks! She keeps a good work-life balance by spending as much time as she can with family and friends.
Sheena Jones shared with us that she became a caregiver to pass on the love and care that her mom gave her as a child after her mom passed away at a young age: “I was never able to watch her grow old, so I give back to my clients what I was never able to give to my mother.”
What Sheena enjoys most about being a caregiver is seeing the smiles on her clients’ faces when they know they are loved and cared for. She also loves the conversations they have and wisdom they share.
Sheena might take days off from work, but she never takes time off from compassion as she tends to her own business and ministry caring for the homeless and less fortunate.
Here’s Sheena’s best advice for her fellow caregivers: “Don’t look at your clients as work. Look at them as family and it will change the way you see them and the way they see you!”
If you’d like to know more about the compassionate caregivers at Overture Home Care — caregivers like Lisa, Abbie, Takia, and Sheena — give us a call 24/7 at (817) 887-9401 or (214) 887-9401 for a free consultation. We are looking forward to your call!