Skip to main content

Why I became a caregiver? By: Beverly Hughes

By
Why I became a caregiver?
By: Beverly Hughes

Being a caregiver has been my passion in life. I started giving care when I was just 12 years old. That was a good 19 years ago, but it feels like it was just the other day.
Back then, I would typically spend nights and weekend at my best friend’s house. Her mom had live-in clients. My thinking then could be explained in two short sentences: Wow, I can't wait for Friday. And then, TGIF, I get to spend the weekends staying up late, watching movies and having limited or no rules. While all this seemed to be the life, it wasn't until one night when I heard a little old lady praying and thanking God just how thankful she was to have a caregiver.
Some time went on and I didn't think much of it. Until one day, that same little old lady took my hand and said "dear someday this will be your mom". From that day on, I provided care in any way I could, to anybody in need. Brushing dentures and washing urinated clothes didn't seem all that bad to a now 13 year old. The caregiver pay would buy me the necessities in life I needed, more like wanted, as my single mom could not afford much. The new shoes and clothes I got, for brushing those dentures and washing those clothes, suddenly felt as if I did not deserve them. I came to believe that providing care to another beating heart was, and is, a reward all in itself. My Friday nights turned into old war stories and what the 1940's were about. Now that I look back, time spent with those folks was the highlight of my teenage years. Knowing was being spent bringing about a real difference in the life of an elderly indeed made up all the difference in my life.

Today, I am a single mom, and if there is anything I can ever give to change one life at a time, I have realized that it could be simply my time. What I have found in TLC Home Care Services is only blood doesn't make you family. There isn't a drop to be found, but there is family in every corner over here. When I am asked why I chose to stay up all night, clean butts and sweep floors, my response is still the same. I simply state, I have passion, and time, that some folks need. Being a caregiver is not a job, it's a choice, and it's my choice that I will make again and again. It is my love, my career, and my passion. The amount of appreciation a caregiver receives is not to be found behind a counter. There is no better feeling than to know you just changed a life in the beat of a wheelchair, or with a simple cup of coffee. We all have our callings, I have answered mine.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Story to becoming a Caregiver by Yenda’Me Malia, LNA

By
I grew up in Claremont, New Hampshire with my mother, father, and older brother, Tony. All of us were healthy, except for Mum, she was always sick. I cannot remember a time in my childhood, or my adulthood when she did not have something wrong with her. She had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and diabetes, to name a few. She fought hard to be well, and, with the exception of all her life-threatening illnesses, she was able to lead a somewhat normal life. There were, however, a lot of trips to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, a lot of check-ups with her general practitioner and a lot of treatments; some common, some experimental, some that could kill her. As a young child in elementary and middle school, I worried about my mother all the time. There were many days I envisioned coming home from school to find her deceased, and it terrified me. When I knew she was having a particularly bad day, I would do extra chores to help her out, so she could rest. I knew, from that young age
2 comments
Read more
By
Is Home Care the Right Fit? People typically reach a point in life where they either don’t know what to do or feel like they are stuck between two incredibly difficult options, when it comes to what the best choice for an aging loved one would be. Do you put them in an assisted-living facility where they have care 24/7, but risk making them unhappy as they will be living in an unfamiliar and potentially uncomfortable environment? Or do you look to see if there is a different option available that causes less stress and change? Regardless of what decision is made, seeing a family member or loved one age can be a difficult process as there are so many different things to think about and balance. You always want what is best and safest for your loved one, but sometimes it seems like the easiest option would be to put them in a assisted-living facility so they can get around the clock care. However, there is an alternative option out there that minimizes change in one’s life and that
1 comment
Read more

Becoming an LNA By: Angeline J Hemple

By
Becoming an LNA By: Angeline J Hemple My story in a nutshell on why I feel I am who I am today. When I was a child, I noticed I always had a sensitive side, mostly with Animals. Where I grew up the kids were not so nice so I stuck to myself a lot. But I wanted to be sweet and cheerful and I felt sad because I couldn't be those things. I was told I had to be tough, Not to show my sensitive side so other kids wouldn't think different of me. I lived basically in a wooded area growing up and it was full of life. A place where I could be me. I pretended to be a doctor and would go in the woods and build a fort from whatever I could find. When I finished my task, I would go find nature animals, knowing how dangerous it could be. But I didn't see it like that. I always knew there is a danger in whatever it is you do. But I was not afraid. And that’s where I found my first patient, a baby bird that fell out his nest by the river. I knew the rules if you touch it, mom would n
1 comment
Read more