What has been Caregiver of the Month Bridget Potts’ most memorable moment as an award-winning employee at Home Instead® of Martinsburg?
That’s easy. It was a friendly greeting and a warm client reply.
Bridget walked in the door to start her shift and asked her client how she was doing. “Much better,” the client said, “now that you’re here. I’ve looked forward all day to seeing you.”
Bridget and her client packed in quite a bit of activity that day. “We played cards, made cookies and had a good time during my whole shift. In addition to the companionship, we achieved other things, including having her bathe. When I went to tell her I was leaving, she said she loved me and wanted me to be safe going home,” Bridget recalled.
Bridget is glad she had heard about the Home Instead franchise that serves West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle from a friend a little more than three months ago. Bridget also had seen television commercials for Home Instead.
“I have always been interested in work like this, but I had taken part in mostly warehouse work until I found my position with Home Instead,” said Bridget, who smiled from ear to ear when she heard the unexpectedly surprising news that Home Instead General Manager Allyson Starling had honored her as the franchise’s Caregiver of the Month for December. Focusing on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped Bridget achieve Caregiver of the Month status.
Bridget entered professional senior care with many years of family caregiving.
“I took care of my mother-in-law for five years at home. She was bedbound and had to have 24-hour care. I did her daily care and cooked for her. I provided everything she needed, so I received most of my caregiving experience while helping her. I also took care of my father for many years before he passed away, and now I take care of my mother’s needs when I'm not working,” Bridget said.
Explaining what she likes about working for Home Instead, Bridget said: “I like meeting new people and helping them. If I can be there to help someone during their daily journey, it brings me joy. If I’m the only person they get to see, and they get excited to know I’m there to help, that makes me love what I do that much more.”
Bridget loves being a part of the Caregiver team for the Martinsburg franchise, a member of a network comprised of Home Instead, Inc. and its parent company, Honor. With the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform, Honor and Home Instead are revolutionizing care for older adults, their families and Caregivers. Combined, the network has more than 100,000 Caregivers across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
All Home Instead Caregivers are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (304) 263-4472 or apply online at www.homeinstead.com/location/733/home-care-jobs. For further information about Home Instead services, visit our website at www.homeinstead.com/733. Home Instead of Martinsburg is an award-winning franchise owned by Keith Clay.
