Our June Aide of the Month, Hope Anderson, has a big heart, a big family, and a big passion for helping others. As a native of Rochester, Hope is grateful that her family all lives locally. She has four sons and a daughter, 10 grandkids, and a 2-year-old puppy, Bryce. Outside of work, Hope is a self-proclaimed “shopaholic” and enjoys spending time by herself. Working in this field means lots of time spent with others, so after her shifts, Hope likes to take her dog on a walk and then have some alone time to unplug and regroup.
Hope joined the Blossom family about a year and a half ago and has been her same client for the majority of her time with us. “He's a very good client and I like him, and he likes me. I know he likes me because when I get to his house in the morning, he's at the door waiting. He doesn’t talk very much to anybody so he must really like me.” Hope’s client is very independent, but they enjoy going out to the store together, and watching TV. Her client loves watching “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, and while this is not a favorite of Hope’s, she says they agree to disagree.
Hope learned about caring for others at a young age. Her grandmother ran a daycare from the time Hope was little, so she has always been around people who were caring for others. Before coming to work at Blossom, Hope had a career in retail, working at places such as JC Penney’s and Ames. While she enjoyed what she did at these jobs, after her youngest child (a daughter) was born, she was looking for a way that she could provide for her family, while also being able to be home with her kids. Hope’s cousin introduced her to the home care field. Her cousin explained a little bit about what the job would entail and emphasized that it would allow Hope to make her own schedule and most importantly, allow time for her to take care of her own kids. Hope says, “I signed up and I got the job and I love it. It's so rewarding.”
When asked what inspires her to do her best, without hesitation, Hope exclaims, “People. The people I have come in contact with over the years.” Hope described stories of two previous clients she worked with before coming to Blossom, and the impact these two had on her life. From one client who was battling stage four colon cancer and never once complained about the cards she had been dealt, to a young client who lost her ability to walk but would continue to go to the gym and move her body which inspired Hope to do the same. “This field…it's a wonderful field. It really is if you really care about people.”
At Blossom, one of our Core Values is Lead with Heart; Before we do anything, we think of the other person and act in a way that show them understanding, respect, and inclusion. Hope aligns with this value not only in her work life, but personal life as well. “That's just natural to treat anybody with heart. I think anybody that I come in contact with, I treat with heart because I want to be treated in that same respect.” Hope shared some advice about leading with heart that her mom taught her, “You got to be gentle with people because you don't know what they're going through, and a lot of times when people are angry it’s a cry out for help. You're not supposed to get angry with them. With some people, that's the natural reaction. But that's your time to figure out what's going on with this person. Sometimes you can't help everybody, but at least you can try.”
For anyone pursuing a career in home care, Hope lovingly warns, “be sure that’s what you want to do because their life almost becomes your life, and if you can’t handle that, you shouldn’t do this job…” Hope has learned over her years of working in this field that it is all about perspective. She has learned the importance of separating her life from her clients’ lives, explaining that in order to take the best care of your client, you need to take care of yourself, first.
“I really enjoy taking care of people and helping them out and making sure their day is better. Just to help them have a better day helps me to have a better day.” Here at Blossom, we are grateful to have Hope on our team knowing she is making her client’s day better just by being around.
Thank you for all you do!