Tomorrow is a wonderful day for me. It was the day I got a job working for a wonderful company... two years ago. And I am thankful for each and every experience this job has given me. When I first heard about Home Instead Senior Care through my mom, I was a little skeptical. What does being a companion entail? Would I be able to do this? The only employment experience I've had previously had been at kennels and a pet store. Needless to say I felt a little unequipped for this job. But... there I was in the office filling out an application. The company at the time had only been operating for two years at the Trooper location so it was a small office with only a few desks and a table where the interview was later held. I, again, was skeptical. Then on June 6th, I was hired!
My first client, which wasn't one of my best experiences, was wheelchair bound, incontinent, and majorly depressed. All I could do was talk to her and hold her hand. I have had many experiences like this one. Widows wanting a shoulder to cry on, elderly parents missing their children, and loners pushing everyone away. But I have also had the best experiences of my life through this job. My clients have taught me so much. A woman on hospice (who passed while I was assigned to her) taught me that compassion is the best medicine. Another client with COPD passed away with her husband and I by her side. They taught me to cherish every moment with my family as if it were my last. A very cranky client I had taught me that being lonely is harder when you are older and that it can be cured with this kindest word or a smile. Just by having someone there who will stick with him enough to break through the walls to his heart. I've had clients who never believed they were "old" or "weak". That being old is physical, but being young at heart will last forever!
I've had noble prize winners, artists, and engineers. I've had parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. I've celebrated their birthdays, shared their holidays, felt their pain, and laughed in their joys. I will never forget the faces of my clients because in the time I've spent with them (whether as short as a day or as long as a year) they have become my friends and my family.
I was skeptical at first about becoming a companion, but I believe now that this is where God wants me to be! So, here's to another 2... 4...or even 10 years with Home Instead!
