Heather H.

I completed my bachelor's degree in psychology from Webster University in 2001. Upon graduation I have worked with adults suffering from both mental/physical disabilities for 20 years. I was a case manager for a social work agency for most of those years. I have received extensive training in CPR, First Aid, Medication tech., as well as specialized training in mental health and neurological disorders such as Depression, Schizophrenia, and Dementia/ Alzheimer's disease. In addition, I completed a caregiving training course which provided further education and instruction in caregiving activities including assistance with grooming/hygiene care, transferring/mobility challenges, and toileting., and companionship. I did receive my caregiver certification upon my completion of this training course. I have worked in private home health care for approximately 4 years now, and am able to provide references upon request. I am passionate about my work, and often develop very positive snd strong relationships with both my clients and their families. I feel that I was born with natural caregiving ability, and have always felt very drawn to, and personally fulfilled by, this type of work.

Started my career in the home-health care field in August of 2018, I learned to listen to my clients with not only my ears, but my heart, and soul. Always asking myself how I would like to be treated if I were in their shoes. The last three years, I have assisted clients in getting well and have also worked with hospice, and local hospital personnel, managing comfort at the end of life. I understand truly what it means to keep a love one as comfortable as possible and With dignity. Whether it be companionship, accompanying to a Dr.'s appt's, preparing meals, housekeeping, medication reminders, assisting with bathing, ect., My goal is to put a smile on the face of others. I will close with "The Starfish" by Loren Eisely. Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching. As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea. The boy came closer still and the man called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?" The young boy paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can't return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water."The old man replied, "But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I'm afraid you won't really be able to make much of a difference."The young man listened politely, then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea. "It made a difference for that one."