Peggy’s 20-Year Journey of Caring

Peggy has been caregiving with Help at Home for about 20 years. She wouldn’t have imagined that she would still be working at 72 – but she said it’s been a good, part-time job that keeps her active. 

Having been a caregiver so long, she can’t even guess how many clients she has worked for. But she stayed with some clients for 8-10 years. She has former clients who are in nursing homes now, and she enjoys going to visit them and see their face light up when she arrives. Recently, one of them said “Oh, I’m so glad to see you! Can you stay?” Peggy ended up staying two hours.  

Sadly, she also has attended a lot of funerals for clients. She said it’s meaningful for her to be able to share memories about former clients with their families. For example, the granddaughter of one former client works at a grocery store that Peggy uses. When the granddaughter is ringing up Peggy’s groceries, Peggy will sometimes remind her of the phrase her grandmother would use when she had been inside too long. “She would say, ‘I’ve got to go out and blow the stink off,’” Peggy remembered with a laugh. Sharing that funny memory with the granddaughter is a nice point of connection, Peggy said.  

Peggy has always found it pretty easy to get to know new clients and put them at ease.  

“Just ask questions,” she said. If she notices they have some kind of collection, she asks them about that. If they have family photos displayed, she asks them to tell her about the people in the pictures. “Don’t make them feel like you’re a stranger,” she said.  

Sometimes the job does require a lot of patience, she said. Often clients are in pain or confused, so they may not express gratitude. But she picks up on appreciation in other ways. She remembered one client who could be a bit impatient, but when she sometimes was scheduled for one of the longer shifts at his house, he was always pleased she was staying. So she knew he appreciated her even if he didn’t say it.  

Peggy said she sometimes thinks about whether she will someday need care – and she hopes that if she does she will get the same kind of thoughtful care she has tried to provide to others.  She also thinks the work has helped keep her young.  

“I tell all the people, just keep doing as much as you can, as long as you can,” she said. “That’s what I do.”