Family caregiving was the first step in Kiarra Carr’s journey to Home Instead® of Martinsburg, the award-winning Home Instead franchise that serves West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
“Growing up,” Kiarra said, “I enjoyed taking care of my elder family members such as my great-grandmother, and I knew I would like to help others in that way. I love spending my time with older adults and feel as though I get along with them well.”
A little more than a year after Kiarra joined Home Instead, General Manager Allyson Starling announced that Kiarra had been honored as the franchise’s Caregiver of the Month. Among the considerations for achieving Caregiver of the Month status, an employee has shown he or she has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Kiarra embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart” as someone who is exceptional at her work with any client.
Focusing on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped Kiarra achieve the Caregiver of the Month award at owner Keith Clay’s franchise.
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Kiarra provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. She offers personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. By expertly doing so, Kiarra and her fellow Caregivers not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
To build on their knowledge and experience, Kiarra and other Martinsburg 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.
“What I like most about my job is seeing my clients happy, and I take care of them in the best ways possible,” Kiarra said.
Kiarra loves being a part of the Caregiver team for the West Virginia 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 apply online at www.homeinstead.com/location/733/home-care-jobs. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website at www.homeinstead.com/location/733.
