Aaliyah’s Mantra: Keep Clients Comfortable in Home Setting
It isn’t hard to see CAREGiver of the Month Aaliyah Gailliard lives by the Home Instead® principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
Aaliyah also has a strong belief in Home Instead’s purpose and core values. Those core values are: “Honor God in all we do; Treat each other with dignity and respect; Encourage growth in ourselves and others; Build value in our service to others.”
Aaliyah has her own mantra. “Every day, I work by the same slogan, which is ‘Making sure the client is always comfortable within his or her own home,’ ” she said. Aaliyah’s slogan mirrors what nearly every study shows: Most seniors prefer to age in place—that is, remain in their home of choice as long as possible. In fact, 90 percent of adults older than 65 report they’d prefer to remain in their residence as they age.
One year and eight months after Aaliyah joined the award-winning Home Instead franchise owned by Steve Levin, General Manager Charlea Lyn Grieco announced that the Philadelphia office staff had honored Aaliyah as its July CAREGiver of the Month.
Retracing her steps to Home Instead, Aaliyah recalled: “I came across Home Instead on a Google search. I have always loved helping others, so I decided to work in the health-care field.” By doing so, Aaliyah became a part of the Home Instead network. Home Instead is the world’s leading provider of in-home care services for seniors, with more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises that provide more than 80 million hours of care annually throughout the U.S. and 13 other countries.
In addition to working as a senior-care professional, Aaliyah has served selflessly as a family caregiver. “I have taken care of my grandfather before when he was sick. It was a great experience getting to know his routine and the way he does things on a daily basis. It was also good for him because I am a familiar face,” said Aaliyah, whose name is of Arabic origin and means “heavens, highborn or exalted.”
While working as a Home Instead CAREGiver, Aaliyah lifts up others. “What I like most about my job is interacting with others and keeping my clients happy and positive. I love hearing the stories of how my clients grew up and the way they lived their lives. Most of the stories are very motivational,” Aaliyah said.
For Aaliyah and her fellow CAREGivers, touching lives impacts their souls, whether they are providing physical help such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication reminders or personal care or if they are offering emotional support in a companionship role. Focusing on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped Aaliyah achieve CAREGiver of the Month status.
Home Instead has helped Aaliyah prepare for the many challenges she faces. To build on their knowledge and experience, Aaliyah and other CAREGivers are offered the opportunity to increase their dementia-care skills by taking part in the Home Instead network’s one-of-a-kind training protocol.
Home Instead’s Person-Centered Care Training for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias is recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association® for incorporating the evidence-based dementia-care practice recommendations in these topic areas: Alzheimer’s and dementia, person-centered care, assessment and care planning, activities of daily living, and behaviors and communication.
No matter the challenge, Aaliyah always turns to her slogan: “Making sure the client is always comfortable within his or her own home.”
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.
