An end-of-life caregiving situation proved to be another measuring stick for twice-honored Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Linda Pido Duenas’s compassionate heart and professional senior-care skills. It was a test that Linda passed with flying colors.
Linda arrived at Ms. B.’s home at 7 p.m. to begin a 12-hour shift. Little did Linda know that the hospice client would pass away before the end of the shift. Minutes after she walked in, Linda assessed the situation and mentally prepared for what would be an emotionally difficult night.
“When I arrived, she was unresponsive,” Linda recalled. “She had a loving daughter and son-in-law, and they told me the situation. I understood their feelings. What has remained in my heart were their words that ‘Heaven is waiting for her.’ I said, ‘Yes,’ and the couple went to bed after her daughter had administered her mother’s comfort meds. I emphasized I would be with the client every minute. I did what I know she needed. I made her comfortable, wiped her lips, swabbed them and applied ChapStick.”
At 3 a.m., Linda knew she had to call the daughter so she could say her final words to her mother. Linda said: “I told her daughter that her mother’s hearing was still good. She had irregular breathing, but I did not reveal that fact as the daughter and son-in-law were holding their senior loved one’s hands when she appeared to pass away.”
Linda added: “It breaks your heart, but I had responsibilities to the client that extended past her death. I did my part as I was trained to do. I had the daughter call the hospice team, and I did not remove the oxygen until she was checked by the hospice nurse. There were other things to take care of, and I did them with the hospice nurse.”
There was solace for the client’s family, who was happy Linda was with them. They vocalized their feelings to Linda and office members at owner Michael Lammers’ award-winning Home Instead franchise of Boulder, Broomfield and northwest Adams in Louisville, Colorado.
Home Instead Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Brenda Munro said: “Linda’s heart is always in the right place. Through the first four months this year, Linda has received compliments from six clients. One client called her ‘an angel from God,’ and several clients said Linda was ‘lovely, delightful and so engaging.’ I believe we’ve matched her with the right clients, and she has done a good job with them and their families.”
Linda’s May Care Pro of the Month award was her second one since she joined Home Instead in Aug. 5, 2015. Her first honor came in November 2016. Remembering that first award, Linda said: “I had sometimes worked 10 to 15 hours a week at that time because I had a full-time job at a memory care facility. After four years of working at two jobs, I decided to work full time for Home Instead.”
Linda gained experience at the memory-care unit. She earned her license as a Qualified Medication Administration Personnel, and she also became a Certified Dementia Practitioner. “But,” Linda explained, “my heart is with people who need care to remain at home. Many clients are longing for love and attention. From sunrise to sunset, many clients are isolated at home, especially those who are living alone, or are residing with a family member who has a job and must be away from home often. I feel these seniors need a person with whom to talk.”
Linda admitted, “This job is not always easy, but my heart is with them. To work in professional senior care, you need a lot of patience, 115 percent total patience if that’s possible. A Care Pro’s commitment to excellence, love and compassion often dovetails exactly with the clients’ needs. I am serving with love and care. I don’t have a favorite client because all of them have the same place in my heart. I give the same love to each one. Some clients return the same feeling, while others don’t, but that doesn’t matter.”
Linda smiled when she was told about the number of clients and their family members who have called the office to praise her. Their affirmation of her quality care helps her make it through the challenging times.
Linda recalled a fill-in shift when she helped a client who had dementia. “I had him for only that day. He had a good sense of humor. But for some reason, he focused on the thought that a window was open. He said, ‘Close the window, please. It is snowing.’ I told him the window was closed and showed him. For 30 minutes, he insisted the window was open, and I always responded when he asked about it before he stopped. There were plenty of bright moments. I had been told that others could not get him to use his walker. He trusted me and did use his walker. I was able to get him to eat a good amount of food, something he previously had refused. He was a private guy, but he trusted me to give him a sponge bath,” Linda said.
Summing up the varying difficulties her clients have faced, Linda said: “We Care Pros can question ourselves about quick judgments, but what I know is that I always have tried to do the right thing. Providing all of these services for so many different challenges is sometimes not easy, but my heart is always with the clients. I will continue doing this job until I am unable.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (720) 890-0184 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
