Alice O.

When I got married in 2009, my husband wasn't feeling well and it turned out to be diabetes. I decided to go for home health aide training to better understand how to provide proper care for him. Then, I worked with my church and developed a program in which volunteers would do home visits with church members who could no longer attend church services. I would go into many individual's homes and sing and pray with them and provide companionship. I then decided to get into private home care. It's a privilege to work with elders who are looking for companionship. Today we give the care but tomorrow we might be in that situation ourselves and need care, so I give the best that I can each and everyday. There is a lot of trust and responsibility that a family puts on you to take care of their loved one. I am able to apply the skills that I have learned as a home aide and the skills that life has taught me, and combine that with the personal responsibility that I put on myself to take care of someone's loved one the proper way. I go into every situation with understanding and compassion. When you meet me, you'll see that I am a very patient person, very cheerful, and that I value respect above all things. I give respect and expect it back. I make it a point to engage my clients, regardless of where people are in life, I know they have a past and I know it's meaningful to them and to others. I love to see the spark in people's eyes, the laughter when we engage in music, go for walks, or even discuss things that are of importance. I try to find out about their backgrounds so we can talk about things that interest them. In my free time, I love to knit and I also love singing and listening to music.