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Why I became a caregiver? By: Beverly Hughes

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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.


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