Family Caregiving Prepared Delion for Home Instead Success
Long before CAREGiver of the Month Delion Wilson took her job with Home Instead® of Philadelphia in July 2020, she already had accumulated years of senior-care experience as a family caregiver. Delion “learned the ropes,” to say the least, when she lovingly and loyally stepped up to deliver a long run of detailed care for a grandmother.
“I spent more than 10 years providing day-to-day care for her. My grandmother had a number of health issues. I supported her during all of her specialists’ appointments and followed doctors’ instructions with regard to her care. I was right by her bedside as she took her last breath,” Delion recalled.
In addition to providing care for her aged family members for a number of years, Delion also spent more than 20 years working in her employers’ homes in various capacities, including babysitting, home care and senior care.
Then owner Steve Levin’s award-winning Home Instead franchise entered the picture.
“A church sister of mine recommended Home Instead to me, gave it high praises and told me I would not regret working with Home Instead because the company is a good one. I took her recommendation and applied. To date, I am extremely pleased with how things are going and the support with which I have been provided by administration. I can say I have no regrets,” said Delion, who was honored as the franchise’s CAREGiver of the Month for December in an announcement by General Manager Charlea Lyn Grieco.
“As a Home Instead CAREGiver, one of things I enjoy most is sitting and interacting with my clients. The conversations are oftentimes very informative. As a CAREGiver, I am someone who genuinely enjoys listening and communicating with my clients. It is very heartwarming to hear my clients laugh, and it provides me a sense of fulfillment because I know I have helped make someone’s day brighter,” Delion said.
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Delion provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Of course, those were all things she had done for her late grandmother. Delion and other Philadelphia CAREGivers offer personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, dementia support, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility assistance. By expertly doing so, CAREGivers not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
Delion could be considered the “Swiss Army Knife” of senior care, and the U.S. Marines would be proud of her uncanny ability to find solutions. She is quick on her feet as she improvises and adapts to be successful. “One client who I sometimes support is not fluent in English. Whenever I support her, she always has a huge smile while stating she is going to teach me Spanish and I should teach her English. This is often followed by bursts of laughter from both of us,” Delion said.
Despite her knowledge and breadth of experience, Delion never stops learning. “Another client was a teacher of more than 24 years,” she said, “and it is always great having conversations with her because she is so knowledgeable and enjoys imparting her wisdom to others. I almost always leave her home having learned something new.
Delion added: “Another regular client of mine enjoys teaching me how she likes her meals prepared and enjoys eating meals that she requests. We often spend time afterward discussing the meals as they would do on the TV cooking shows. This practice is something we both enjoy.”
Delion is among more than 100,000 CAREGivers worldwide, and she has helped add to those numbers because of her strong belief in Home Instead’s purpose. It isn’t hard to see Delion lives the Home Instead principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (215) 925-4610 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
