Health & Wellness Magazine Community Of Caring - Summer 2019 | Page 26

MOMENTS
OF JOY
MOM ENTS OF
JOY
BY: CHERYL LAHAM,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF CAREGIVERS
ONE OF the best parts about my job
is getting to connect directly with the
people who provide care for our most
vulnerable populations. They have so
much pride in the work that they do and
a passion for caring for others. A recent
conversation with Maxine Park, a caregiver
in Mount Moriah, NL, was no exception.
“It’s the best decision I’ve made,” says
Maxine, as she reflects on why she
chose to start providing home support.
“It’s one-to-one and you get to know
the client so well. They open up and
trust you with so much of their life.”
Maxine has been with the CareGivers team
for four years. Prior to joining the team, she
worked with a personal care home where
she fell in love with working with seniors.
A friend of hers who had been working
with us at the time referred her to us.
“The client I have right now is 93,
and she needs a lot of assistance,”
says Maxine. “But I can see the
appreciation. She never complains.”
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“I’m not a morning person,” she adds with
a little laugh, “but I get out of bed and
pack my little lunch and have my morning
coffee. When I get to my client’s house
and go in to get her out of bed—that
look on her face when I walk in—I’m so
glad I went to work. She wakes up and
has a big smile and sticks her tongue
out at me and we both have a laugh.” compassion and caring—is the most
important thing. To me, as long as you
care, all the rest will fall into place. When
I come in through the door, it doesn’t
matter what’s around, she comes first. I
do her personal care and get her out of
bed and situated for the day, and then
I’ll tackle the cleaning and the cooking
and whatever else needs to be done.”
When asked about her favourite
memories with her client, Maxine recalls
introducing her to FaceTime. Her client’s
daughter, granddaughter, and two great-
granddaughters—who are now four and
seven—live in Western Canada, and this
technology enables her to connect with
them and see their faces even though
they’re thousands of kilometres away. At home, Maxine is very close with
her family—parents, children, and
grandchildren—some of whom are
dealing with serious illnesses.
“She almost cried with
happiness,” says Maxine.
“This woman never cries,
but that day you could
see the tears welling up
in her eyes and hear the
excitement in her voice.”
To be a good caregiver, Maxine notes you
need to possess two important qualities:
“a caring heart and a still tongue."
“Put your client first,” says Maxine. “Of
course, you need to know how to cook
and clean and bake, but compassion—
“CareGivers puts family first,” says
Maxine. “I know that if anything happens
at home and I need to go to be with my
family, Alona and the team at the office
will support that while also making
sure my client is well looked after.”
“I have the day off today, and my
granddaughter is here right now,” she
notes. “When we’re finished with this
conversation, we’ll start baking cookies—
raisin bran and oatmeal raisin.”
With that, I thanked her for her time
and we ended the conversation.
Family comes first, after all.