Mother’s Situation Spurred Joann to Action
Joann Quinn solemnly vowed to help seniors after encountering a stunning personal situation she has never forgotten. “I’d gone home to Oklahoma and found my elderly mother being neglected. She was on her death bed. She was totally blind from diabetes, and she’d not been provided with adequate care. My sister and I could not believe what we saw when we walked in the door. Others had neglected her,” Joann recalled.
It was easy to detect the tone of heartbreak, sadness and anger in her voice while Joann put the apathy and mistreatment in perspective by saying, “There were eight of us kids. Mom did without a lot of things to give us everything.”
Joann added: “At that point, I promised myself I’d do everything humanly possible to help other seniors live out their lives in a much better way than my mother’s final days. It was a 100 percent commitment – I came back to Michigan committed to be part of the solution.”
Joann joined Home Instead® of Clawson on Sept. 1, 2011. In less than a year – May 2012 – she was honored as the award-winning Home Instead franchise’s CAREGiver of the Month. Ten years and one month later, Home Instead General Manager Anne Monaghan announced Joann’s second CAREGiver of the Month award at the franchise. Joann’s commitment has never waned. When Joann was asked about an image that has never faded, she nodded and said, “Yes, it’s fair to say I do my job with my mother in mind.”
Joann always has had a huge heart for helping people, young or old. “I went to nursing school in 1982 to become an LPN. I have worked in a hospital setting, nursing homes, one-on-one private duty and with Home Instead. I always have wanted the one-on-one contact. If you have a hospital patient, you likely won’t see them anymore when they are dismissed,” Joann explained.
“Every manager in every care situation instructs us not to get close to patients, residents and clients, whatever applies to your professional situation. I have to admit I get close to the clients. I want them to enjoy what time they have left. Seniors should have no worries, including if they are going to be fed and taken care of.”
Pointing out that companionship is so important, Joann said: “The clients are the queen bees in my eyes. What makes a client happy is the thing for which I am aiming. A lot of families are not able to be there for them. Just giving them one-on-one attention is important. The clients know I love them dearly. I think the clients appreciate everything I do. I am not in a rush to get things done. I have no clock. When I go home, I go home. The experience of helping someone is a good one. There are times when the emotions of the situation overwhelm you. I’ve had to sit in the car and cry. I get so attached. I would not change anything I’ve done for the world.”
One of Joann’s clients was in the last stages of cancer, and the client mentioned she’d love to have a chocolate chip cookie sometime. Upon hearing the client’s wish, Joann pulled together the baking ingredients and baked a batch of cookies at the client’s home. “When I took them out of the oven, the client stood there watching and was eager to try them after they had cooled off. The cookies made for a wonderful memory,” she said.
When she references client memories, Joann loves to recall her clients’ stories and histories. “I have traveled all over the world and never left Michigan as a result of the colorful stories I’ve heard from clients over the years. I have had clients who were engineers. I could be an engineer with all the knowledge they’ve given me,” she said.
Joann has assisted one client since her first day with Home Instead. “He’s like my father. He’s a widower who lives alone. I want the best for him. He and I are very close. He knows I am honest with him. He’s no bully, but he’s strong minded. He’s a former businessman-contractor who can still fix things by telling me what to do. He’s a sharp guy who can pop numbers off the top of his head for construction projects. He handed his business off to his son, but he’s on the phone a lot with his son. He still acts like the boss,” Joann said.
Joann’s client just had his 90th birthday, and his family threw the birthday party. “He loves Heath candy bars. A lady at the Kroger store made a fantastic arrangement that I gave him, and it was made of Heath bars,” Joann said. “I’ve told him he’ll live to 100. I’ve already promised myself I’d see it to the end with him. He’s really a great friend. When I leave a shift with him I feel fulfilled. I know he’s been taken care of. I know I had made his day a good one.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (248) 203-2273 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
