Two-Time Honoree Marsha Is Going Strong at 72
Seventy-two.
It’s just a number, Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Marsha Kemp-Crews said. It’s a number on which Marsha refuses to dwell because she rejects the idea of finding a permanent place on her couch at home in front of the television.
“I don’t feel as though I am 72,” said Marsha, who chuckled when she added: “Well, I was going to quit at 70. Then 71 came and went. Then 72 came Nov. 7 and went.” Nov. 7 is significant to Marsha, because that’s when she joined Home Instead of Clawson, Michigan, 12 years ago. One year later, in 2012, Marsha was honored for the first time as Care Pro of the Month for the award-winning franchise.
“I have always respected seniors. While riding the bus, I get up and let seniors sit. I have offered to carry their bags. I look for opportunities to help them even if I don’t know them,” Marsha explained. “I take my job seriously. I love my clients and worry about them when I am off work and at my own home. I am never late to a shift. On a snowy day when no one was on the freeway, I was driving slowly on my way to a client. The car spun, but I safely stopped for a moment. God was with me that day. I had a guardian angel.”
Before joining Home Instead, Marsha worked at a shelter for HIV positive women and children. She also had served as a private-duty caregiver for a woman with dementia. “I cared for her until the very end. It was a pleasure to make her happy,” said Marsha, who saw a newspaper advertisement for Home Instead before applying for the job.
With Home Instead, Marsha assisted her first client for nine years, an astounding amount of time for a senior-care situation. The client was in her 90s when she passed away March 5, 2020, two days short of her birthday. Marsha said she’ll never forget her client because she quickly grafted Marsha into her family and always made her comfortable.
“I think about her all the time. I still have pictures of my first client on my phone. I have a picture of her at a Home Instead Christmas party. Keeping memories of her alive is just something I’ve got to do. She treated me like family,” said Marsha, who recalled her caregiving travails with the client: “When I first met her, she had a little memory loss. I spent four days a week with her in her home. Later, when the dementia advanced, she still knew my voice, and her face would light up when I greeted her. A smile would spread across her face.”
When the client could no longer reside in her home safely, she was moved to an assisted living community with her husband. Marsha followed them. Then the client was moved to another facility and passed away about the same time as the rise of COVID-19.
Recalling precious moments with her client, Marsha said: “I took her to the Cider Mill, a museum and the zoo. After she passed away, I had a Christmas lunch with her daughter, who treats me like family and was a good daughter. If I wasn’t taking care of her mother, her daughter was there. My client’s husband died unexpectedly. I had taken care of the husband, too. He loved the Michigan State Spartans and would wear MSU attire. They were a sweet couple.”
Marsha also has had memorable moments with other clients. One day when she went to assist a regular client in October, the 90-year-old man did not answer the doorbell. “I messaged his daughter and asked if I could use the house key. After I entered, I found him unresponsive. It turns out that he had gotten dehydrated. He remained in the hospital for a couple of days. His daughter has reminded me that if I had not gone to work that day, he would have died. She thanks me every day. He is a sweet man who is easy to assist.”
Marsha’s other regular client is a 94-year-old woman who strives to remain independent. “Sometimes when I try to help her, she declines. I assist her with her showering and meals. I take her to the bank, pharmacy and do anything for her. I’ve been with her for nearly two years. No one else helps her but me. She is attached to me,” Marsha said.
“I like helping people. This is more than a job to me. I don’t do it for the money. Not everyone is cut out for professional senior care, but it is my niche.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (248) 203-2273 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
