By Jon Izzo PT, Owner of Care Choice Home Care

Ahhh, November. You’ve finally arrived! The air is crisp, trees are changing, friends and families gather to celebrate. Perhaps more than ever, this year has given us a bounty of things to be thankful for. With the trials and tribulations of the past two years, it’s important to take time to focus on an often-under-recognized group of individuals who have been an integral part of our climb back to wellness and “normalcy.” Caregivers . Without them, an unimaginable number of people would be left without the ability to receive even the most basic care needs and comfort. Without them, Care Choice Home Care , and agencies like ours could not exist. During the pandemic, we have all experienced or have heard the stories of individuals suffering insurmountable loneliness caused by isolation and illness, especially among the elderly. What most people have not heard are the very real stories of the caregivers who have given their all in the name of compassion. Here are a just a few “shares” that will give you a glimpse of some of the incredible people we call “family” at Care Choice. · Imagine being a young mother of 4 and a fulltime, experienced caregiver during the time when COVID strikes with a vengeance. Work loads become heavier for front line health care providers…. everything is uncharted water….families are forced to isolate from their aging parents and loved ones. More often than not, you are the only connection between the people you serve and the world outside of their home. Now imagine (if you can) that your own child has been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease: facing treatments, hospitalizations and an unknown future. Somehow you find a way to sleep in the hospital, get home to shower, go to work every day because you know how crucial it is to be with Clients relying on you, only to return to the hospital each night to be with your child. You wake up and do it again…and again. You keep this from the families that you work with so as not to impose your personal pain on those who are already struggling. You discover a strength inside yourself that you never knew existed. You are a hero to everyone who knows your personal battles…you are a caregiver! · As owners of Care Choice, my partners and I have the benefit of bringing our dogs to work with us every day. They are our world. We recently learned of an incredible situation one of our care team members experienced. Knowing she needed someone to watch over her beloved 13-year-old dog during a 12 hour shift she was working, she paid to board her dog for the day at a local veterinarian office. Halfway through her shift, she received a call that her dog had gone missing from the vet’s office and that they couldn’t find her. Her furry little friend, blind in one eye and very tiny, was lost. With permission from both our Agency and her Client’s family, she drove to the vet’s office along with her client and joined the unsuccessful search. She returned to her client’s home to prepare dinner and ensure she was tucked in until the relief caregiver came for the next shift. She went back to the location of the vet’s office at 10pm to search the area…again unsuccessfully. Yet the following morning she showed up to her shift and completed it. Animal lovers have no fear…this sad story does have a happy ending! After two days a good Samaritan found the dog and returned her to the vet. You can probably imagine the relief our caregiver felt! The work ethic she exhibited makes us proud to have her on our care team! · Last but not least, is a story that will stay with us forever. A 91-year-old woman was hospitalized after suffering a massive stroke; one she would not recover from. She was unable to return to her home due to illnesses her son and daughter-in-law were coping with. The decision was made to place her in a board and care for the final week of her life. Care Choice caregivers were there to provide 1:1 assistance, becoming her temporary “family.” They nurtured her as if she were their own family member, working hand and hand with the hospice team for her. Two days before she passed, she began to transition, and the family was notified. They asked to do a Zoom meeting to say goodbye, since nobody was able to travel to her due to pandemic restrictions. The day of the meeting, the care team set up personal family pictures on her bedside table, bathed her and dressed her beautifully. At the scheduled time, 27 family members joined the meeting for 45 minutes of prayer, song, laughter, and tears. They bid adieu to the matriarch of their family in the most dignified way possible at that time. We were so very proud of what how our team handled such a delicate situation. There are hundreds of similar stories that we’ve collected throughout the years that melt are hearts and change our lives and we wish we could share them all. The important “take” on this article is that we all find time to recognize those “angels” among us. They may be a paid professional, a spouse, a son or daughter or even a great friend. When you have the opportunity, take a moment to think about all that they do, remembering that they have their own ups and downs in life, yet they choose to be there for others. If you yourself are a caregiver reading this, know that you’re making a difference in this world. For all that you do for all of us, THANK YOU! And if you are looking for the best caregiver agency to work with…give us a call. Care Choice Home Care www.carechoicehomecare.com 844-239-1299