Caregiver: Christel K.
Employer: ComForcare Home Care
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Inspiration for this Nomination:
As a newer caregiver, Christel, was placed on a tough case as soon as we hired her. She must have called the agency a dozen times during her first 8 hours with this client. It was quite aparent that she was very nervous but also very detail oriented. Although she expressed being nervous, she ended up being a great fit for this client and worked there for several months. The client's family trusted Christel explicitly and always requested Christel for transports, etc. when the client had doctor appts. or shopping trips. They were very confident in the care Christel provided and knew that Christel would ensure the safety and well being of their Aunt.
Caregiver's Best Skills and Attributes:
Christel is always upbeat, attentive and smiling. She knows how to redirect a client that is giving her a tough time without losing her composure. She is very detail oriented, interacts with the client and always looks professional when on a case. She ALWAYS puts the clients needs first even when it means missing her daughter's last violin recital of the year when her client was hospitalized.
Feedback About This Caregiver:
When Christel is on a new case and we are sending a few different caregivers in to see who would be a good fit, Christel always seems to be on the top of the client's list for requested caregivers.
Even when we have closed a case, we always hear from family members about how great she was with their loved one.
More About This Caregiver:
What others have learned from this caregiver: I have learned patience. I know that sounds weird but because Christel is so detail oriented there are times when staffing her on a new case that we have to go over the care plan several times. I have come to realized that by being patient with her questions and answering them to the best of my ability that when Christel goes into a case she is fully prepared to meet the clients needs.
Christel was recently on a case involving a MS client. She was scheduled to work in the afternoon and be off in plenty of time to attend her daughter's last violin recital of the year.
Christel's client had a developing pressure sore on her heel that had turned pretty ugly. Despite everyone's encouragement to this client to make sure that this pressure sore was treated properly, the client continued to refuse advice. The client, who is a retired Army RN, kept telling everyone that there was nothing to worry about including the Home Health nurses that were coming to visit.
On the last day of Christel's daughter's recital, the client decided that she indeed needed to go to ER and have her heel tended to. They left at the start of Christel's shift at 2 pm. Christel felt that they had plenty of time and that she would still be able to attend the recital.
Christel transported the client to the VA hospital ER. Of course, the ER was extremely busy. When they were finally seen, a barage of tests were done and by about 5:30 pm it was decided that the client would be admitted. Now under the circumstances, most caregivers would have left the client thinking that they were in good hands with the ER department. Not Christel, she stayed with her client until she was placed in a room. She then asked the client if it was okay to drive the client's wheelchair accessible Van home so that she could get to her own car which was about 40 miles from the hospital. Christel also asked the client if there were any items that the client needed from the client's home that the agency could arrange to bring her. Christel also made sure that she knew where the client wanted her to leave the keys to her Van.
Once Christel had her instructions from the client, she began her drive home in heavy rush hour traffic. She made it to the client's home finally, followed the instructions the client had given her, reported to the office and rushed to her daughter's recital.
Christel made the recital only to see her daughter play the last few notes of her song. I know that it meant a lot for Christel to be there for this performance but she put it aside to make sure that her client was well taken care of.
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