| |
|
Deborah Fearon
 The following comments are excerpted from HouseWorks’ letter nominating Deb as the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center’s Compassionate Caregiver of the Year. After a lengthy selection process, the Schwartz Center chose Deb as one of five finalists for the 2007 award.
"Deborah Fearon is one of HouseWorks most conscientious home care associates, and that is quite a distinction considering the exceptional quality of our workforce. So many things make her remarkable including her rapport with families, her thoughtfulness, her energy and effort, and her impeccable documentation.
These qualities are unparalleled among the hundreds of home heath aides I have supervised over the past several years. Deb has been a Certified Home Health Aide for over fifteen years and has been with HouseWorks since 2001. During her time with us, she has worked short and long shifts, days, nights, and weekends – always willing to travel wherever a client needs her. Since she relies on public transportation, she often must walk long distances to reach her clients, and she has done so many times in rain, sleet, and snow. Deb works well with clients of every age, functional ability and background, and she always adapts beautifully to each new situation. Her attendance has been flawless, and she has earned the complete trust of our case managers. When we send Deb out to care for a client, we have no doubt that the client is in the best of hands and will be totally satisfied. Extraordinary people like Deborah help seniors and families through some of the most challenging transitions of their lives. Deb always meets the challenge with grace and compassion. Her sensitivity and maturity are appreciated by everyone who works with her and she is a beacon of excellence for us all.”
- Anne Marie Brightman, Executive Director of Home Care
Narcy Kwagala
The following profile is excerpted from an essay written by high-school student Rachel Bronstein to commemorate Martin Luther King Day, 2007. Rachel is the granddaughter of a HouseWorks client.
"Narcy Kwagala is not just the woman who takes care of my grandfather, she is a hero and a beacon of hope for many who have lost hope.
"Narcy is a Ugandan. She speaks of Uganda fondly, a place with good weather and no winter. Yet as a little child, Narcy lived amidst a war. Her family had to run from village to village to stay safe. There was never enough money and food to support her family. Things changed from bad to worse when Narcy became a teenager. The AIDS epidemic broke out in Uganda, and there was no medicine to treat it. There was nothing except the good will of the healthy to help these people. So Narcy assumed the role of caregiver, a role she has played her whole life.
"Fortunately, Narcy was able to move to the United States. Narcy, like many immigrants, is here on a mission. Every two weeks, she sends her paycheck home to Uganda. On her salary, she supports 25 of her relatives and orphaned children of people who have worked for her relatives. Most of them have lost their immediate families. She built a house for these survivors to live together to keep each other company and so that food and money can all be sent to one place. Healthy and successful people like Narcy are the only ones who can take care of these people: there are very few organizations to help victims of AIDS in Uganda. Narcy has provided more than just a place for the people who count on her to live. She is almost finished funding a gas station to give jobs to her extended “family”.
"Narcy tries her hardest to make sure my grandfather has a comfortable day, and she is a good friend to him. He is 91 years old and was so fiercely independent that until he started falling six months ago, he refused help from anybody. Yet despite his stubbornness and peculiarities, Narcy treats him as a father (calling him “Dad”) and treats me and my family as old friends.
"Like Martin Luther King, Narcy has been patient and reached her goal: to overcome. She has been determined to survive through all of life’s trials, as Martin Luther King was determined to desegregate the South. Although Narcy is working to help a group on a small scale and King worked to help the huge population of blacks in America, Narcy embodies King’s heroism nonetheless. She has patiently worked for years – “five years and seven months,” she states proudly – to build her dreams and to build a foundation of hope and love to help others."
- Rachel Bronstein
Debbie Murray
Six years ago, Debbie Murray's family was struggling to take care of her grandmother as Alzheimer's disease took its devastating toll. "Not one of us knew what to do," she said. "So I took it upon myself to find out." Debbie decided to enroll in the Geriatric Nursing Program at Trinidad's Institution of Health and Fitness where she gained the knowledge and skill to take care of her grandmother, help her family through a difficult time, and embark upon a new career as a personal care attendant.
In the six years since her graduation, Debbie has enjoyed meeting new clients and learning about their different personalities, values, medical conditions, and responses to the care she provided. "Everyone is different," Debbie says, "and you really need to remember that. Some will accept your help immediately, but with others, you will need you to try several techniques. They are so used to doing things one way, even if their way is not the best thing for them."
Debbie responds with limitless patience and never takes a client's behavior personally. "It's often hard for them to accept you because of their illness or because they aren't used to you - or because they've never gotten help with personal things like bathing and dressing."
For Debbie, patience and creativity always pay off. She recalls working with a woman in a Newton assisted living facility who for years had refused to sleep anywhere other than in her armchair. Recognizing that her client would feel better if she slept lying down, Debbie was determined to get her onto the bed.
"When I first moved her from her chair to the bed, I told her it was just to change into her nightgown," Debbie recalls. "I brought her pillows and blankets from the chair, chatted with her for a while, and massaged her shoulders and feet to make her as comfortable as possible. After a while, she was so relaxed she fell right to sleep! Her son called the next day, and he was both shocked and grateful. Making those kinds of differences is what I like most about my work."
Debbie now brings her experience and insight to a new management role at HouseWorks: screening, interviewing and orienting new home care associates. To meet Debbie's standards, sound technical skills aren't enough. A successful candidate must also communicate well and be passionate about what they do. Most of all, she looks for signs of patience. "You have to have patience," Debbie explains. "If you don't have patience, you need to find another field."
|
