Lisa Bullis has a goal as an award-winning Home Instead® Care Professional: “I don’t want my clients to go to the nursing home, not if I can help them. That was my intention for my late daddy, who passed away eight years ago at age 63. My sister Tracey and I did not leave his side. My clients feel like family members. I get attached to my clients. In our family, we inherited big hearts.”
When Lisa thinks back to her teenage years, she remembers her role as a family caregiver. “When I was about 17 or 18, I began helping take care of my grandparents. Later, Tracey and I took care of our daddy, who had had a quadruple bypass. He was stubborn, but he listened to the two of us. I remember him saying, ‘Lisa, take me to the house” when he wanted to leave rehab. Unfortunately, he did not live much longer, but we made sure his final days were at home and not at a facility,” Lisa said.
Lisa and Tracey became CNAs who remained in the same general field over the years. Lisa worked for three or four years in a nursing home, just as Tracey did. Tracey, who later was a rehabilitation specialist for seven years, is now a private-duty caregiver. “We live in the same county and are joined at the hip,” Lisa joked. “I am the oldest of seven sisters, and Tracey is the third-oldest.”
In May 2019, Lisa joined Home Instead of Winchester after a friend told her about the franchise that serves the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Keith Clay owns the Virginia franchise, as well as the one in Martinsburg, West Virginia. In April 2022, Allyson Starling, a manager in the franchise’s human resources and while handling recruitment and retention, announced Lisa had been honored as Care Pro of the Month for May. Lisa listed some reasons for being a Care Pro:
- “I love my clients dearly and love my job. I work every day of the week, with maybe one Sunday off during the month. My clients are nice people.”
- “I do for seniors what they did for us when we were very young. Now it’s time to take care of them.”
- “I’d rather see a client laugh than anything else. I could get my dad to laugh.”
- “Some of my clients are confused. I try to give them some clarity and joy.”
- “With seniors, life can be so fragile. I cry when anything happens to one of them.”
While Lisa loves her clients, she admits some can be challenging. No matter what, she wants the best for them, even if it means motivating them to do things to help themselves while remaining safe.
Referring to a client who she has assisted for about a year, Lisa said: “He has challenges. I want him to live as long as possible while keeping him out of a facility. The truth be told, he sits too much. Early on, I had him walking to the kitchen. He was out of breath the first time, but it was good for him, doing just a little bit at a time. I joked with him, ‘You get new air in your lungs when you walk. That’s a benefit.’ I also worked on getting him to safely shower as I stand by for assistance. No one else has done that.”
Lisa also tries to influence the client’s visitors in order to improve her client’s health. “People bring him junk food like fast-food hamburgers when I’m not around. When I see them, I tell them, ‘No, don’t do that! Bring him salads.’ My client tells people, ‘Lisa is a good cook.’ He wouldn’t eat unless I eat with him. So, I bring my own meals and prepare his.”
Lisa added: “From the first time we met, he made me feel as if I was talking to my father. There is trust and bonding. There is tough love sometimes, and he knows I won’t lie to him. When I am around him, I make him happy. He sometimes gets depressed, and I talk to him about hanging in there. I’d love to keep him going. He wants to remain at home and wants me to help 24/7, but I can’t do it because of my commitments to other clients.”
One of Lisa’s other clients does receive 24/7 care, and Lisa helps her on weeknight from 5 to 9 as part of her client’s Care Pro team. “I’ve helped for six months. When she sees me, she claps her hands and gives me a big hug. She is in good shape. She is so flexible that she can still do the splits. I told her I wish I could. She knits and tried to teach me. I like to keep her active, whether it is using stretch bands, or walking. We just have fun. I love her dearly. I love every client,” Lisa said
