Client Tells His Doctor: ‘Deffeline Saved My Life’
As the Home Instead® client began speaking with his doctor during an appointment five years ago, he pointed to CAREGiver of the Month Deffeline Augustin and said, “This lady saved my life. She is a miracle worker, and my wife thinks she is great, too.”
When Deffeline first began assisting the client, she never thought she would hear those words. In fact, Deffeline didn’t think her assignment would last long. The client was a heavy smoker, and Deffeline doesn’t tolerate smoking because of its documented dangers and her family experiences. When Deffeline first saw the client, she thought of her late father. The client was weak and fragile, and he did not eat much because the smoking blunted his appetite.
“Because I was being exposed to secondhand smoke, I told him I could not continue to return to assist him. The office knew how I felt, and they supported me. His wife had tried to get him to quit smoking, too, but could not get through to him. When his wife saw him listening to me and responding, she told me, ‘Keep doing this.’ I told him about my dad. The client and I talked about it for three days, and then he quit smoking with the help of Nicorette. As a result, he started to gain weight. He was pleased, saying, ‘Oh my gosh. You were right,’ ” Deffeline said.
Deffeline emphasized she was not dealing with a challenging client. She was deftly and lovingly handling the situation as she always has done during her 24 years in professional caregiving. “I’ve been with some difficult clients, but I don’t see them as everyone else sees them. I see them as family. It’s like daughter and father or granddaughter and grandfather,” Deffeline said. “When you have a good heart, you can do this kind of work. I feel for the elderly and try to help them wherever or whenever I encounter them. Senior care is in me. It is instinct.”
When asked about her past six years with the award-winning Philadelphia Home Instead franchise owned by Steve Levin, Deffeline said, “I feel the same way about Home Instead as I did when I started. I will stay with Home Instead. I know what I have with Home Instead is very stable. You never know about the future. I think this will be my last stop before I retire. I don’t want to start over with another agency.”
Deffeline moved from New York City to Philadelphia shortly before joining Home Instead. In New York, Deffeline had earned a Home Health Aide (HHA) certificate with an agency. But, Deffeline said, the cost of living in New York City is expensive. “Philadelphia is more affordable. I came here and filled out an application with Home Instead,” Deffeline said. “I love this job. It is my passion. There is a paycheck, but I do this work for more than a paycheck. I’ve worked all these years, and I love it. I put TLC into my job, 100 percent.”
Deffeline does her job so well that she has received good marks from every client and seldom has discussions with the Home Instead staff that are not positive. “It would take about five days to say all of the nice things about Home Instead that I could think of. You can comfortably talk to anyone in the office. They all checked on me in the hospital when I had to go there. They are a very professional team that is so nice. They respect you and treat you like family,” she said.
Documentation of Deffeline’s client experiences could fill a book. Among those stories is one where Deffeline triumphed with her winsome ways. “I’ve helped him for two years. He is so difficult, but yet he is precious. I treat him with respect. I don’t take things personally. He is stubborn. When he says no, I don’t try to force him to do anything. I give him choices. You just can’t come in and take control. I respect the client and his home. There are a million good reasons not to argue. Do they have high blood pressure? Will they get angry? Deffeline said.
On one eventful Friday morning, Deffeline was a lifesaver for an 80-year-old client who fell the night before and could not get up. “He usually comes to the door when I arrive. His apartment door was locked, so I was worried and called his phone, then the Home Instead office. Through the ringing sound, he found his cellphone on the floor and called Home Instead. I called the fire department. The floor in the room where he fell was quite a mess, but overall he was OK. Later, the building superintendent gave me a key to his door. It never felt better to get through a client’s door and end up with a good outcome. It’s another reason to be in caregiving,” she said.
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.
