Michele M.

When I was a little girl, in kindergarten, we were asked to write down what we wanted to be when we grew up, my mother just gave me all of those old keepsakes. My little piece of paper said " when I grow up I want to be a social worker, a nurse, or a missionary. I have had the passion for caring for people since I was a little girl. I have spent my adult life doing this. I enjoy being a caregiver because I have been on the other end, the majority of my childhood. I was in the hospital a lot as a child with bad asthma, and my caregivers, always comforted me when my mother was unable to stay the night. I always said that I would pay back all of those caregivers who made me feel special by becoming one of them, and being there for someone who was alone or frightened. My greatest satisfaction is to make someone smile, it fills my heart with joy. My greatest achievement was being a part of the lives of so many different beautiful people, and hearing all of their stories. I was the granddaughter of an elderly man with dementia, I was the sister of a woman with Alzheimer's, I was the girlfriend of a boy who was struck by lightening, and I enjoyed every moment I shared in their moments.

I have experience of working in a nursing home environment and in the community. While nursing homes provide great comfort for family members in knowing their older loved one is safe, I think most people want to be cared for at home. While it may appear that a person in a nursing home is receiving around-the clock care, in reality this only works out to three hours of one-on-one care a day. With home care, the individual receives constant attention. At the end of the day, home is where we want to be. It's where our memories are and every room in our homes has special significance and every piece of furniture tells a story. Even the photos of our loved ones around us remind us that we are loved. There really is no place like home.