Sandra Brushes Off Retirement Suggestions
Eight years after Sandra Mcleish had retired for the first time in 2009, she joined Home Instead® on Jan. 15, 2017. When Sandra received her first CAREGiver of the Month honor in July 2018, her children thought it would be a good time for Sandra to walk away from her professional senior-care job with the award-winning franchise that was based in Birmingham, Michigan. “You know,” they said, “it might be a good time to retire for good, Mom.”
In September 2022, a little more than four years after being honored as CAREGiver of the Month, Sandra was selected for the award again. For Sandra, there are still no thoughts of retiring as she continues to work for the franchise whose office moved to Clawson.
“I plan to keep working. I already had retired once, and I didn’t find any fulfillment in that. I am not going to do it again. I am not a quitter. I want to continue for as long as God allows it and I am physically able to continue to do the job. When I didn’t retire in 2018, my kids actually wanted me to retire two years later. I still want to bring joy for my clients. I love my job. It’s all about helping people,” Sandra said.
Sandra has quite a connection with seniors. Most first-time clients want Sandra to come back for another shift. The bottom line, one observer said, is that many clients prefer older CAREGivers. “There was no doubt in my mind I could find my niche after retirement, and senior care was it,” Sandra said.
Sandra’s assistance – whether professionally, as a family caregiver or on a volunteer basis – has been a shining example of compassion to others.
As an only child, Sandra helped her mother assist her father for years before he died on Valentine’s Day in 1993 at age 76 following a decades-long struggle with multiple sclerosis. Sixteen years later, Sandra traveled to Florida for two months to take care of her 86-year-old mother, whose parking-lot tumble resulted in several fractures and a downward spiral that included a second elbow surgery and sepsis. Sandra’s mother passed away in 2009 after a battle with pneumonia.
“Jumping in and assisting Mom with Dad’s health problems influenced my two daughters to go into the medical field. My daughters were a big help with family caregiving, too. As for me, who knew experiences with my parents would be a big help when I became a CAREGiver?” Sandra said. “And who knew being a CAREGiver is what I’d do after I’d been retired for eight years? When I saw a Home Instead newspaper advertisement, I pondered over it. I knew I could do it. Back in 2017, I had worried about my age and having been retired for so long. Anne Monaghan, our general manager, and the Home Instead staff said age didn’t matter. They were looking for compassionate, experienced workers. My sister-in-law in Arizona also worked for Home Instead and loved it. I found my calling.”
To many observers, Sandra’s calling was evident. For more than 15 years, she helped lead a church’s nursing-home ministry on Sunday afternoons. Although that long stint of consistent volunteerism ran its course and ended about four years ago, Sandra said: “It was no sacrifice. It was the only church service for residents at that care community. We had a piano and sang songs, and sometimes I stepped in and gave the message. When we started, 15 people came. The services eventually filled the room. At the start, people asked about the theology. My answer is, ‘We came to bring Jesus.’ ”
Sandra added: “Nursing home ministry is a forgotten ministry. I enjoyed visiting and being a companion for residents. The loneliness is heartbreaking. Some residents never see family again after they are dropped off at nursing homes. Some residents became sick and were a bother to their families. Or their dementia kept them from recognizing their relatives and friends. In addition to the Michigan facility, I also had a nursing-home ministry in Florida while caregiving for family there.”
Two of Sandra’s clients have dementia. Confusion, mood swings, memory loss, lack of appetite and Sundowner’s Syndrome are among the challenges that can spring from dementia, a medical term for at least 50 neurological disorders that are persistent or chronic. Sundowner’s is believed by some Alzheimer’s experts to cause irritability, agitation, restlessness, disorientation, demanding behavior and suspiciousness as the day progresses and sunlight wanes. Those with Sundowner’s may yell, pace and hear or see things that do not exist. Some experts say 1 of 5 people with Alzheimer’s have those symptoms.
Sandra currently has four regular clients, helping them at different times during weekdays. One of her clients turned 98 on a day when Sandra was not scheduled to assist the widower. “I looked forward to wishing him a happy birthday on our next shift. He’s a 24/7 client whose 64-year-old son had just visited him but needed to return to his home a distance away,” Sandra said.
Sandra loves being a part of the CAREGiver team for the Michigan franchise, a member of a network comprised of Home Instead, Inc. and its parent company, Honor. With the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform, Honor and Home Instead are revolutionizing care for older adults, their families and CAREGivers. Combined, the network has more than 100,000 CAREGivers across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
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.
