Ed Lambert 2008 Southeast Regional CAREGiver of the Year
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"He not only is an excellent CAREGiver, but Ed is an excellent person."
For the clients and their families who have had the pleasure to encounter Ed Lambert in his role at Home Instead Senior Care®, this comment from the former Franchise Owners in his area truly sums up their sentiments.
Lambert began his Home Instead Senior Care career in the Vero Beach franchise office, but then moved to Melbourne. After his relocation, Lambert learned a Melbourne franchise office was opening and rejoined Home Instead Senior Care. Lambert's eight-plus years as a CAREGiverSM, continues with Franchise Owners Marge Thompson and Laura Purcell. Lambert has brought an abundant energy, contagious sense of humor and a love of life to each of the people he serves.
A Boston area native, he spent most of his life in the Northeast. For 10 years, he commuted every weekend from his home in Connecticut to help care for his mother in Massachusetts who had dementia. After she passed away, Lambert moved to Florida.
"My siblings said, 'You must be relieved' to not have the responsibility of caregiving, he says. "But I found there was something missing." Lambert saw an ad in the newspaper for Home Instead Senior Care and talked with the owners of the Melbourne office. He felt an instant connection and felt this would be a good opportunity to share his skills--including his love for cooking.
Some of Lambert's earliest clients included a married couple he remembers well: The husband was 90 and liked to play golf; his wife was 88 and was suffering the effects of Alzheimer's disease. She couldn't remember Lambert's name, so she always referred to him as "Charlie Brown."
Each night, Lambert would prepare their dinner, chat with them during the meal, clean up in the kitchen and spend some more time talking with them. One evening, Lambert went into their music room to play the piano, thinking it would please the woman, who once was a talented pianist.
"Before long, she started to play," Lambert remembers. "I was able to reach her through the music." Her husband, recalling the long-past times when his wife would play so beautifully, was moved to tears.
In 2005, a friend of Lambert's called looking for a recommendation for help for her 90-year-old mother and 86-year-old aunt. He suggested she contact Home Instead Senior Care. When his friend made the call, she asked that Ed be assigned to work with them.
That began a long-term caregiving relationship and friendship with the sisters. Lambert cooked meals for them, took them shopping and to doctors' appointments, on picnics at the park, and generally provided a bright spot in their lives thanks to his patience and upbeat spirit.
"The transformation from two homebound women to two ladies who looked forward to each day and experiencing life again was truly remarkable," says the clients' daughter and niece. "Ed has an uncanny ability to turn the simplest outings into wondrous adventures."
His friend's mother passed away about a year later, but Lambert continues to care for her aunt. Together, they go to the health food store--where all the employees know their names--and continue their outings to the park for picnics.
At one point, Lambert thought his client may be taking too much medication and that it was clouding her thinking and affecting her personality. He broached the subject with her doctor at one of her appointments, who subsequently adjusted her dosage.
Today, Lambert says, "She's like a new person. She looks forward to every day and says, "What are we going to do today?"
Lambert's talent for cooking is evident in the meals he prepares for his client. He's always thoughtful about what he prepares and carefully considers the dietary restrictions this woman faces. Not only does he make a meal that's nutritious, he makes sure it's appealing, down to the way he artfully arranges the fruit on a plate.
Those small details are just one way Lambert tries to bring a special lift or nicety to his clients. "I don't dwell on their illnesses or aches," he says. "I try to get them to talk about something else to forget their pain or their discomfort. For me, the cup is always half full. I usually have an ability to at least get them to smile, if not laugh. Most days I feel elated that I could bring some joy."
Lambert's philosophy about how to be a good CAREGiver is succinct: "I don't treat my clients as old people. I want to listen to them and show interest, even in the littlest things." He advises families to maintain patience and a sense of humor as they help aging parents. And he encourages family members to ask questions and be questioning when it comes to diagnoses and decisions.
Named the 2008 Southeast Regional CAREGiver of the Year, Ed Lambert believes that the support a CAREGiver can bring is invaluable to a family. "It not only improves the client's quality of life, but also makes a positive impact the family member's."
Asked about what he enjoys most about his current client, he says, "She has such an active interest in things. We have a great rapport. I don't think of this as a job. I can't imagine my life without it. I hope to be able to do this for many years."