When it comes to spending time with her client, our March Aide of the Month, Donna Thompson says, “It’s just like being at home with one of your sisters. You’re laughing and joking and talking. It’s like being with a family member.” Every day at work, Donna makes a genuine connection and gets genuine fulfillment in return.
Homecare work wasn’t always Donna’s career. For 25 years, she worked in a factory that made parts for TVs, radios, and telephones. Ever the team player, Donna worked many jobs in the factory, easily filling in where she was needed. When she wasn’t working, however, Donna found herself helping the older adults in her neighborhood. “That’s just pretty much the way things are with me. Wherever I moved, there was somebody elderly. I got close to them, and I started doing different things for them. I’d take them to the grocery store, or I’d take them to do a few errands…whatever they got to do.”
Homecare work, then, was a natural fit for Donna. Not only is she drawn to helping older adults, she has been surrounded by Christian values for her entire life. Donna was raised in a strong, church-going family. Her father was a deacon and her mother, a deaconess. She met her husband at church, and his family was equally as faithful and devoted as her own. Today, Donna serves as a church usher and attends bible study every week. She remains a living example of her values and tries to be a blessing to everyone she meets.
As a homecare aide, Donna works hard, and she works from the heart. She sets the table, helps the client shower and get dressed, cooks a delicious breakfast, and washes the dishes. But when she’s not cleaning or tending to the client’s needs, she enjoys her time connecting with the client. They sometimes watch game shows and try to see to who can get the most correct answers. “I’ve been with [my client] through quite a bit,” says Donna. She’s helped her client attend baby showers, weddings, and even funerals.
Through it all, Donna strives to live the golden rule. “You treat people the way you want to be treated,” she says. This extends to the generous way she works with her fellow aides. “They’re awesome,” she says of her coworkers. “We got a good team. We all do it together. I love my team.”
Donna is a beautiful example of the kind of whole-hearted care CCOR strives to provide. She serves her client with kindness, diligence, and heartfelt friendship--the way anyone would love to be treated. “In the summer, we sit on the porch,” says Donna, with a smile on her face. “We sit out there and soak up some sun and just watch the cars go by and talk.”
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