Ciara Was a Natural Caregiver at an Early Age
At age 11, Ciara Matthews became a family caregiver. She helped care for her paternal great-grandmother, who had dementia. “My father and I assisted with her care. She would shower only for me,” Ciara recalled. By the time Ciara was 16, she had learned how to use a gastric tube to feed her great-grandmother. Ciara first saw the gastric tube being used while staying with her great-grandmother during a hospitalization.
Later, a visiting nurse who worked with the great-grandmother once asked 16-year-old Ciara how old she was and said she was quite impressed with Ciara. The visiting nurse, who marveled at Ciara’s skills and compassion, told Ciara that she ought to pursue a medical career.
“In high school,” Ciara said, “I took health-related technology courses, covering such subjects as blood pressure monitoring and phlebotomy. Those were things that a CNA would do. I am glad my great-grandmother’s visiting nurse encouraged me with career choices. I’ve been doing this kind of work for 13-plus years. At one time, I was a CNA.”
Caregiving is in the family blood. For the past 20 years, Ciara’s mother has worked as an in-home caregiver. Ciara’s grandmother was a CNA, and some of Ciara’s cousins also pursued medical careers. “My sister, four or five cousins and I made commitments to be family caregivers when needed. My family looked to me to help my great-grandmother. My maternal grandmother is blind, and I have been having a hand in taking care of her,” Ciara said.
Enter Home Instead® of Philadelphia, an award-winning franchise co-owned by Steve Levin (company CEO) and Charlea Lyn Greco (COO). Ciara had worked for a different in-home care agency before finding Home Instead on Indeed.com. The Ciara-Home Instead connection was a match made in heaven when Ciara joined the franchise in late January.
“I love working for Home Instead. I have not experienced working for a company like this one. From the start, I have felt warm and welcome at Home Instead, as if I were a family member. There is no disorganization or anything like that. Home Instead tries to match us Care Pros with clients who have similar interests. I’ve had amazing clients,” Ciara said.
Six months after Ciara started with Home Instead, Service Manager Janelle Muhlanga announced she had been honored as the franchise’s Care Professional of the Month. Janelle and other Home Instead staff members knew immediately last winter that Ciara displayed Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
“I like to learn every client’s personality. I have had clients sharing their crocheting and knitting skills with me. I always can work with men. I get them out of their shells and have them do activities. Sometimes I have been the only Care Pro who could get most of them to do things. I always think to myself, ‘What if the client was my senior loved one?’ I’d want someone like me to take care of them, grow the relationships and love them.”
Ciara has two regular clients and takes fill-in shifts. One client, in her late 70s, has a husband. Ciara bonded with her client quickly while working afternoon shifts. “The wife’s mobility isn’t bad, and she has normal memory loss for someone her age. The only time we use a wheelchair is when we go outside. We do lunch a lot, and I take her to medical appointments. My other client is a widow who is about 90. She has more mobility challenges than my other client, but she does use a walker around the house. I work weekends with both clients,” Ciara said.
Ciara has had memorable moments with Home Instead. “My very first client just warmed my heart. She was so lovely. She told me she held me close to her heart. She always was so glad to see me. When I saw her at a later time helping another client at the same care community, she remembered me even though she had dealt with memory problems,” Ciara said.
“One client loved the TV shows ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Family Feud.’ She was a big sports fan who loved all of Philadelphia’s professional sports teams. She had blankets and jackets with each of the team’s insignias. Her family loved me, and she responded to me well. Sadly, she passed away,” Ciara explained. “Another of my clients who passed away was 100 years old. She remembered my name even though she had other Care Pros. At the end of my shifts, she would say, ‘Are you leaving me?’ I would respond with, ‘I’ll return.’ ”
“Relationships are a big reason why I am with Home Instead. I can see myself working for Home Instead for a few years or more,” Ciara said.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (215) 925-4610 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
