Rebecca Feels the Love From Her Clients
CAREGiver Cornerstone Award winner Rebecca Porter became emotional as she poignantly expressed her thoughts about working as a senior-care professional at Home Instead® of Jackson, an award-winning franchise owned by Bryson and Linda McQuiston. Of course, Rebecca is dedicated to helping her clients in every way possible. But, Rebecca said, she reaps the benefits from her servanthood.
“I one-hundred percent love taking care of the older generation. My clients show me an unbelievable love of God day in and day out. I tear up while communicating to others how I feel about them. They are amazing women. I am privileged to help make their lives stress-free by doing chores, accompanying them to medical appointments or driving them to other places they need to go. I just hope when my time comes, someone will be there for me,” Rebecca said.
“Jesus Christ said three times in the Bible, ‘Love each other,’ to paraphrase it succinctly. I love my clients as if they were my family. While recalling Jesus’s words, my mantra is ‘Time is short. No regrets. Love huge!’ ” In addition to her mantra, it isn’t hard to see that Rebecca lives the Home Instead® guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
Rebecca’s clients have “given back” in many different ways. “My current regular client is teaching me more about cooking. I’m 47, ya’ll, and I am enjoying and learning from the experience,” Rebecca said.
She also pointed out: “I loved taking care of my previous client, who is no longer with us. We had the best times. She taught me how to cook an onion in the microwave and eat it whole – well, I cut it up. She was from Louisiana, a true Cajun, and she tried to make me into a Cajun, but it didn’t stick. I don’t like pepper jelly or anything spicy hot to eat.”
Referring to the same client, Rebecca added, “We enjoyed sitting outside at her patio area in front of her house. We would watch the hummingbirds sip the flower nectar, and we’d just enjoy the fresh air and being outside. I took her to hair appointments. I will always enjoy and cherish the sweet memories of taking care of her.
“She was always thoughtful of others. I experienced a bad headache one afternoon, and my client told me to lie down on the couch and went to get the cover off her bed. I said, ‘Thanks for being so sweet and thoughtful, but I still have your laundry to finish.’ I kept going, then before I left, she told me to drive slowly and take a nap when I got home. It’s the little things in life that make a huge difference. What an honor it was to care for her. I found a hummingbird wind chime to give her family to honor her memory. I told her family I will never forget her.”
During her 16 months with Home Instead, Rebecca also has enjoyed good feelings for the Home Instead staff.
“I say a huge ‘thank you’ to Home Instead because they have helped me, cried with me and prayed for me. That was particularly true when my dad’s wife passed away last Oct. 6. They also have helped me with questions about dementia – which affects my father. They have answered any specific, detailed questions I had as my sister and I have had to see to my dad’s needs as family caregivers,” Rebecca said. “Every single staff member has been simply amazing, and I thank God for each one of them. There are fantastic bosses and a team who are there for you at the drop of a hat. We are family. I am so grateful I to come to work every day and be there for my clients, who are special to me.”
Referencing her unpaid, volunteer family caregiving help for her father, it is clear that Rebecca is devoting a lot of time to senior care personally and professionally. “My dad lives in Millington and was recently diagnosed with moderate to severe dementia. So, I have been scheduling my dad’s medical appointments, among other matters. I’ve worked on his veteran’s assistance forms and tried to get him qualified for assisted living. That has been time-consuming, but he is worth it all. I am so thankful my sister has been a hands-on helper who has gotten his medicine and much-needed housecleaning squared away,” Rebecca said.
Rebecca has traveled a winding professional road to Home Instead, and her highly successful experience and personal dedication are top-notch. “I received my CNA license before working for nine years total at two affiliated wound care centers at an Arkansas hospital, where. I was a clinic assistant. I especially loved the elderly patients. I will always cherish my time working with the patients, nurses and the best wound-care doctors in Arkansas,” said Rebecca, who also held two other caregiving-related jobs.
“When I started in-home care with an Arkansas company, two of my clients passed away. Just being in their lives for the end of their journeys was priceless. I thoroughly enjoyed that job. That also was true for my late Home Instead client who loved to watch the hummingbirds. She was a gem. It’s as if I keep finding treasure in these incredible people for whom I get the honor and privilege to help. Now I have awesome clients in Jackson,” she said.
“I had to leave Arkansas in 2020, when COVID-19 hit. My husband lost his job in commercial heating and air conditioning when his company folded. We loved his employer, and it was unfortunate but understandable. My husband Randy started working with his brother in a home restoration business. There were frequent Tennessee-to-Arkansas trips. When my husband finished a work project, he would come home every other week or two weeks, and that got old. Together, we decided I’d leave my in-home senior-care company in Arkansas and work for Home Instead in Jackson,” she said.
Putting in a pitch for Home Instead, Rebecca added: “If you want a place to work where you can love your job and where it doesn’t feel like a job, Home Instead is the employer.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (731) 984-7062 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
