Home Instead® CAREGiver of the Month Rebecca Rakes, who has worked in nearly every medical and care-community setting, makes no apology for being an advocate for the rights of a client or patient. “I truly believe in the Bible verses that say, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ I believe in treating my clients or patients as if they were a family member. I treat them the way I would want to be treated if I were in their position,” Rebecca said.
Rebecca also loves the one-on-one care that Home Instead provides. “I’ve worked in assisted living, hospital settings that include intensive care and intermediate care units, a skilled nursing home and in a group home for the intellectually disabled. In all care situations in which I have worked, most seniors wanted to stay in their homes. I wanted to work for Home Instead because I would mostly be working in the seniors’ homes in an effort to keep them in their homes as long as possible,” Rebecca pointed out.
“Since 1998, I have worked in a health-care setting for more than 20 of those 23 years. I found if I was working in a different setting than in health care, I was unhappy. My heart is in health care. It is where I am helping people. I have always had a heart to be kind to people, and to assist when I could help anyone who needed assistance wherever the opportunity arose. I feel that way even more so in today’s culture.”
Rebecca was not pressed into family-caregiving duty when she was young because her grandparents already had passed away. She said, “I didn’t have the opportunity to help them. My mother was the family caregiver for my dad before he passed away. My first job in the health-care field was in my hometown hospital.”
Rebecca has worked for Home Instead of Winchester, an award-winning franchise that serves the Northern Shenandoah Valley, “for three years off and on.” She explained: “I had left to work at other opportunities, but found I preferred Home Instead.”
Rebecca added: “I appreciate the fact CAREGivers can choose their hours and clients. This is important, especially when it comes to attending church services and taking care of other obligations. As far as client matches go, there are times when you have a client with whom you don’t automatically click, but that is why there are other CAREGivers who can establish a good rapport with that individual. There also are situations in which it just takes time to get to know the person. There are many clients with whom I have thoroughly enjoyed working.”
Rebecca has assisted several hospice clients, and she said one of the recent ones “really touched” her heart. From the start, Rebecca said, they quickly established a strong client-CAREGiver relationship. “Considering the client’s diagnosis,” Rebecca said, “she had a very good sense of humor. She opened up and talked about everything in her life. We enjoyed watching her favorite game shows, and we would guess the answers. Even though she wasn’t going to be with us for very long, she would watch as I ate healthy meals, and she would try to follow suit. It was totally her decision. Unfortunately, she passed away quicker than expected.”
Rebecca emphasized: “The main point is that we CAREGivers don’t go into these homes for the focus to be on us. We do what we can to make their lives as happy as possible. No one would disagree with the statement that each CAREGiver who is working with the same client must be on the same page with every aspect of that client’s care. The main priority is the client.”
Allyson Starling and Kristi Piotter, who are both managers for the Winchester and Martinsburg Home Instead franchises, announced Rebecca had been honored as CAREGiver of the Month.
Nate King, who works in Home Instead’s office administration and finance department, compiles the CAREGiver of the Month superlatives for the office’s monthly newsletter.
In part, Nate said, “Rebecca is a wonderful CAREGiver, the person who immediately comes to mind when you think about the best of the best. She is always willing to help, whether that means working normal long hours or taking additional shifts. We know that we can depend on her. And it’s this sense of dedication – dedication to the job, to her clients, to heartfelt service – that makes her a favorite of all of her clients. They absolutely love her, and we do too!”
Rebecca said: “Working as a CAREGiver is more than a job for a paycheck. I do this to uplift people when I can and encourage when I can.”
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.
