Cheyenne ‘Is an Inspiration to Clients, Office Staff’
At age 18, Care Professional of the Month Cheyenne Pack already is rising toward star status with the award-winning Home Instead® franchise in Mount Airy. Staff Coordinator Sharon Bledsoe said: “Cheyenne is an absolute inspiration to this company and her clients. She is so mature in her actions with the clients. We love it when she comes in. She is a happy young lady.”
Cheyenne has a leg up on most people her age when it comes to caregiving. She has been involved as a family caregiver for several elderly family members, she has carefully helped manage a menagerie of exotic animals on her family’s nine-acre property and she is an extremely quick study in anything she undertakes. Some shifts during Cheyenne’s first 5½ months with Home Instead have left her with a sweet taste.
“When I was filling in with one client, she taught me how to make coconut cream pie and pound cake. I had never made either one. She did it from scratch. She was so positive: ‘You can do it with me.’ She stood right beside me. She showed me how she measured the ingredients and when to add them into the mix. She was patient with me and was very happy we did it together,” Cheyenne said. “I took home some slices of each. They were delicious.”
Cheyenne also has managed to handle situations that have not been so sweet. Sharon explained, “I admire Cheyenne because her first client was a challenge, and she loved the breakthroughs she was making.” Cheyenne’s first “client” was actually two: A husband, who is in his 90s and is thriving, and his wife, who has dementia.
“The husband was extremely protective of his wife, and that limited the amount of direct care his wife received from us Care Pros. He tried to handle so much and was doing fine. I did light housekeeping, sometimes prepared meals and tried to fill in the care gaps wherever I could. As far as companionship, he never talked when I started,” Cheyenne said. Asked when she won him over, Cheyenne said: “Maybe after a week or so. I kept trying to chat with him a little more each time and tried to put him at ease. His wife didn’t understand because her dementia was at a difficult stage. I maneuvered to a point where I thought I was helping in the best way I could.”
The situation was not unlike what Cheyenne had faced as a young family caregiver when her great-grandmother battled dementia. “I helped with my great-grandparents. I was so young that I didn’t do a lot of significant caregiving – my grandmother did that. I kept my great-grandmother company and painted her fingernails and toenails. Every once in a while, I’d hear, ‘You don’t do it right.’ But you can’t take it to heart,” Cheyenne said. “Last year, my grandmother’s sister was diagnosed with a fast-moving Stage 4 cancer, and I spent time with her. It was a horrible disease, and she became delusional before she died. A hospice nurse came once a week to monitor her, but it was up to us as a family to take care of her, including personal care and meals.”
Cheyenne joined Home Instead in January as a result of a job search initiated by a friend who was looking on Indeed.com, found the franchise and told Cheyenne. “I thought I might like to do this kind of work. I applied and got the job,” said Cheyenne, who several years earlier had started CNA coursework at the Patrick County Public Schools in Virginia. “Then COVID-19 came and disrupted it. I think you could say I had been on a trajectory to consider a CNA curriculum. I am planning to attend college next August with the goal of becoming a physical therapy assistant.”
Cheyenne’s work with Home Instead has been a good experience. “I like the flexible scheduling and the flexibility with client matches. Communication with the staff is good. When I take fill-in shifts or get new clients, our staff coordinator, Sharon, reaches out to me afterward to ask how things went. I appreciate that,” she said.
Cheyenne’s current client faces an ongoing medical challenge but accepts her situation with optimism. “I started with her a little over a month ago. She is lovely and is always positive, even if she is taking medical treatments. I bonded with her, and closely synch up her care with her daughter,” Cheyenne said.
At her Virginia home about 15 miles north of Mount Airy, Cheyenne also synchs up an animal-care schedule with her grandparents and an uncle. “I raise goats, and we have 20 of them. We also have a miniature bull, some domesticated red bourbon turkeys, 50 or more rabbits, along with 29 Polish chickens and some leghorn chickens,” Cheyenne said. “I have a few other ventures going, too. I guess you could say I’m busy, but Home Instead is flexible and everything seems to fit together.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (336) 223-3059 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
