Sarah Follows Her Mom’s Example of Helping Others
So, who is Sarah Mulhall, and what is she like? If you ask anyone who knows Sarah, the response would be overwhelmingly the same: “Sarah always has had a caring spirit.” The fact is, she comes by her compassionate disposition naturally. Pointing to her mother, Sarah said: “I get my caregiving nature from her. She’s a registered nurse who worked for a Cleveland hospital for more than 30 years in the labor and delivery department. We are cut out of the same cloth.”
Sarah’s personality also was shaped in part by her grandmother’s example. “My family caregiving experience came from helping my grandmother take care of my late grandfather. I watched her closely and assisted with anything I could, whether it was personal care such as bathing, or driving to appointments. My grandmother had to learn very quickly how to handle everything. Observing her and helping firsthand gave me patience and understanding for the Home Instead® CAREGiver job I have today,” Sarah explained.
Referring to Home Instead of Lorain County, Ohio, in North Ridgeville, Sarah said: “I celebrated my third year anniversary with the company in July. My time with this wonderful organization has been nothing short of a blessing. I was stuck in a dead-end job and had been going nowhere for 10 years. I needed something more. I was browsing Facebook and found Home Instead. I knew this Home Instead job was the perfect match for me.”
Before Sarah joined the award-winning Home Instead franchise, she had worked in a daycare at a gym. Prior to that, Sarah was a nanny and went overseas to be an au pair. I firmly believe helping people is my calling. I have always gone above and beyond for everyone for whom I cared,” said Sarah, who was honored as Home Instead’s August CAREGiver of the Month.
“Not only do I like everything about my job, but I truly love it. I get to work with the most amazing clients as well as the Home Instead office staff. I swear the office staff goes above and beyond to help every single CAREGiver,” Sarah said. “When I felt the world coming down hard last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone in the Home Instead office stood up and kept us all whole. Just being able to call and discuss how we’re feeling was the greatest, knowing we weren’t alone. I adore every single Home Instead office member.”
Praising Home Instead for helping her to develop as a person, Sarah said: “Most of all, what I love is that this job taught me to grow up and be more responsible. It just wasn’t about me anymore. It’s about me caring for a stranger who doesn’t know me and developing a level of trust with him or her. There’s no greater feeling. I also have learned self-confidence. To be an adult nowadays, you have to have those traits: self-confidence, self-sacrifice and responsibility. My family couldn’t be more proud of me.”
Sarah said all of her clients leave her laughing when she clocks out after a shift, but her favorite stories center on a client who formerly was a recreational pilot and is “an all-around interesting man.” She said, “We got along very quickly, and he and I have developed a wonderful friendship. We go on trips, whether it’s to the grocery store or to an appointment. He is full of so much knowledge, and he makes me laugh. He is well into his 90s, so his stories about the past always have me in awe.”
Sarah added: “He is a wonderful man who mostly reminds me of my late grandfather. I call him a breath of fresh air, because he’s witty and has jokes like my grandfather did. I used to tear up when I was leaving his house because I already was missing him when I went out the door. Now I just smile because it’s like he hasn’t left because of the memories he leaves me. Such a great man he is.”
Sarah loves being a part of the CAREGiver team for owner Karin Kollar’s franchise, a member of a highly successful network founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Paul and Lori Hogan. The Home Instead network 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 12 other countries.
“I would like to sincerely thank the entire staff at Home Instead in Lorain County. You all have taught me to be the better person I am today. You’ve all been a blessing to me. I love this company so much! I seriously do. My heart is so full,” Sarah said.
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (440) 353-3080 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.