Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Deneise Germany has been helping people since she was 12 years old. Any time a family member or friend was sick, hospitalized or underwent surgery, Deneise tried to be present to provide help and comfort. “I grew up taking care of people. The Good Lord God blessed me with a gift of serving others. That’s why God put me on Earth,” Deneise said.
Deneise was the primary caregiver when her mother was ill in her early 40s, during a crucial time when Deneise’s father was working. Deneise also took care of an aunt, a grandmother and a grandfather who went into hospice when Deneise was 15 or 16. “My aunt used to tell anyone who was sick or laid up to contact me. She underwent 18 back surgeries. My aunt would say, ‘Missy, come take care of me,’ and she didn’t want anyone else around her but me.”
As her parents began to need help, Deneise stepped forward. “I was their hospice family caregiver. Dad had a stroke and was bedbound for six years. I was with him when he died. I also was with my mother, who had suffered a heart attack. I took care of my mother-in-law until she needed more care,” Deneise explained. “It takes a special heart to hold someone’s hand for the last time. Many family members can’t do it. Caring for those on hospice is hard if you feel as if it is an obligation. You need to want to be there.”
Deneise’s big heart has been matched by her husband’s, and seniors were not the only object of their compassion and empathy. “My husband and I were heavily involved in foster care for 8½ years and took care of 87 children. We also ran a group home for 18 foster children. We adopted two of our foster children, both girls. We felt God told us what to do. I took time off from work to take care of them. Our daughters are 36 and 35 now,” Deneise said.
Deneise’s work career has included a long tenure with a national grocery chain, including her rise to a manager’s role. She also had stints as a branch manager and assistant vice president at a bank in Kansas City, Missouri, and as a former branch manager at a Dallas bank. “I had worked for the grocery chain from age 16 to 32. I went to work at a bank at age 32,” Deneise said.
She tried to retire twice before joining Home Instead® of Collin County in Plano in December 2021. Explaining her decision to return to the workforce, Deneise said: “I had been on the career ladder, chasing the almighty buck for a long while, and I retired from those situations twice.
After I retired for the second time, I said I’d go back to work only to do what I like to do, not what I felt compelled to do. Working for Home Instead is something I want to do.”
As a Home Instead Care Pro, Deneise started in a part-time role, working 20 hours a week and then went full time with an 89-year-old husband and his 82-year-old wife. “I began helping them six months after I started. I watched the husband’s condition progressively get worse, and then he died. There is a place in my heart for them. They’ve really touched me. I have remained with the widow. I am with her Monday through Friday, 40 hours a week,” Deneise said.
Referring to her client, Deneise said: “I am the one steady element in her life. My client doesn’t have to worry about anything. I told our Home Instead owner, Todd Felker, that being with her and her late husband has been an honor. I am not leaving my client until she dies or I am unable to take care of her.” When Deneise’s client went on hospice, Deneise began to plan for extra training that involves hospice care. “At my age, I don’t want to return to college. But there’s a place to learn about hospice care. The client’s family needs a hospice caregiver. The hospice nurse is there, but not nearly as much as I am.”
The client’s plight symbolizes the challenges that most seniors face sooner or later. Deneise’s compassionate and empathetic ways are a key to helping her client live day by day. “My favorite thing to say about caregiving is that something different happens every day. So, you have to be flexible. Sometimes you just find a way to do new things to accomplish what needs to be done,” Deneise explained.
“Emotionally, just living life can be hard on the clients. I tell her, ‘Let’s work through the challenges and cherish or celebrate the good days. You just push through the bad days. One day, my current client moved a part of her body that she hadn’t moved for a while, so we celebrated it as a small victory. Sometimes I have to look hard for blessings. Some days there aren’t any blessings. That’s when we say, ‘Tomorrow will be better.’ ”
When the end of life comes, Deneise has her special way of handling the sensitive situation. She said: “Each case is different. I told a client I wanted to thank him for the honor and privilege to be with him on his final day. He had been in the military, so he had made sacrifices for all of us.
It’s an honor to be a part of the dying process. I don’t take it lightly. When a family allows you to join them during a senior loved one’s final days, it is a tender time.”
Home Instead Care Pro Advocate Amanda Ross said the franchise’s staff, Deneise’s client and their family members have come to appreciate Deneise’s wisdom, skill, empathy and compassion. “Deneise has been with her current client for most of the time Deneise’s been with us. She has been a constant and loyal companion for her client, including through the passing of her husband. Deneise always has a smile on her face and something sweet to say. We just love her and the dedication she has to her job.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (469) 916-9202 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
