Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you got into caregiving?
Hi. My name is Sharnice. I live in San Andreo, California. I've been a caregiver for ten years and a seeing aide for three years. The person that inspired me to be a caregiver was my mom. She worked in assisted living in the kitchen as a cook.
Who is one of your most memorable clients?
In my career as a caregiver I worked with dementia clients, Alzheimer's, stroke, Parkinson's and many more. A client I'll never forget was Mrs Winks. I was with her for about a year and a half, 12 hour shifts about four times a week so I got to really get to know her. She had some back problems. She had two surgeries when I was with her. Life changing things happened and I followed her with two different companies so she couldn't get away from me. So, I was always there with her even when people called off I'd sometimes do five days a week with her. What I admired most about her was her strength. Even though she didn't sleep all night or she didn't have enough energy she would also make herself up as if she had 12 hours of sleep and she looked like she came out of a magazine every single day. So I really admired that about her.
What piece of advice would you give to a new caregiver?
My advice for a new caregiver is to have fun, be safe and get to know the client and know the ins and outs and dislikes and likes.