Family Caregiving Prepared Dee for Home Instead Job
If doctoral degrees were awarded for diverse and challenging family caregiving experiences, Dee Harless surely would have earned one long before she joined Home Instead® of Winchester in October 2020. Dee also could have earned a degree in multi-tasking.
- In 1990, a lifelong friend’s grandmother needed help during the week, so she came to live with Dee’s family from Monday through Friday. The grandmother represented Dee’s first dementia caregiving experience.
- In 2006, Dee’s dad was diagnosed with cancer, so she quit her job in 2007 and moved in with her parents and took care of him from the time he entered hospice until he passed.
- Later, Dee’s mother-in-law had a stroke, and Dee and her family moved to Florida to take care of her mother-in-law until she passed.
- In 2014, Dee’s sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Dee moved to Maryland to take care of her until she passed in 2015.
- Dee also cared for her mother as she aged and eventually passed in 2017.
- When Dee’s great-granddaughter was born in 2015, Dee took care of her for four years until she entered preschool.
Dee said: “I had no previous professional caregiver training before joining Home Instead, only my life experiences. I had worked in retail management as a store and district manager for many years. After an accident, I went through a series of surgeries and a long recovery period. When I was able, I took care of my great-granddaughter before I started a home business.”
Dee learned about the award-winning Home Instead franchise that serves Northern Shenandoah Valley in a round-about way. “I had a previous employee who was applying for a job, and Home Instead called me for a reference. When the COVID-19 pandemic took over our lives, I lost my home business. I just wanted to do something to give back to society, so I decided to apply at Home Instead,” said Dee, referring to the franchise owned by Keith Clay.
Dee has experienced an awesome start at Home Instead and was honored for her efforts. Allyson Starling, who works in the human relations department and in recruitment and retention at both the Winchester and Martinsburg offices, said: “Our Winchester franchise is happy to announce Dee as our CAREGiver of the Month for February.”
Allyson added: “Dee is an amazingly hard worker, and she’s dedicated to her clients. If she’s needed, she’s there. If we ask, she answers. If snow comes, she’ll dig out paths around her car and make sure she gets to her clients. She is everything that makes a great CAREGiver, and we’re so very happy to have her here at Home Instead. Dee, thank you for being so wonderful. You are an exemplary member of our team, and you live out our Home Instead motto: ‘To Us, It’s Personal.’ You deserve this award. Congratulations!”
When thinking about special Home Instead client memories that she has made, Dee said: “There’s just so many folks I have met, and I could go on and on. Their three caregiving situations just really enriched my life.”
Her first client was an 81-year-old woman who had mild dementia and a vibrant personality. Dee said: “The client and I became close. She loved going to flea markets and consignment shops, and getting her hair and nails done. We had so much fun together. Her dementia began to increase and she was moved to a facility. I miss her.”
Dee assisted a 95-year-old former pastor and his wife, and Dee found them to be delightful. “Both were very religious and spent a life in the service of others. Their life stories were just wonderful. As a preacher, he moved around a lot and lived in different places. Occasionally I still take shifts at their home,” Dee said.
One 82-year-old client and her husband were both education professionals. “She had moderate dementia, and her husband loved to share their many life experiences. The wife loved watching sports and TV game shows. She had a ‘serious’ sweet tooth, and she enjoyed my cake and candy when I brought it. Sadly, she passed away last February,” Dee said.
For Dee, the favorite part of her job is simply giving back to help vulnerable adults. “I love helping the elderly and ill folks, meeting a variety of people and sharing time with them while listening to their life stories. I love enriching the clients’ and their families’ lives with kindness, caring and respect,” she said.
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (540) 722-8750 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
