Judy L. a PCA from the Lewistown office. She has been working for a few months with CRI and loves her job and consumers. She wants the best for her consumers and she helps them to live a more independent life. Thank you Judy L.
Q: Thank you for joining me, Judy. Can you tell me what office you’re from and what work you do?
“I’m from Lewistown CRI, and I’m a caregiver and attendant for ID patients and people who need assistance, elderly and anybody who needs assistance.”
Q: And how long have you been working for CRI?
“I’ve only been there since November 1st, so three months.”
Q: Nice, nice. Now, can you walk me through a day in a life of you and your consumer? What is a daily routine for you guys, just a little of it?
“It depends on who you have. Our ID patients need a little help in the community, so we’re helping them out in the community, taking them shopping, going to do laundry, helping with household chores, helping with ADLs, getting ready, how to work through the community and the community services. Yeah.”
Q: And why did you choose to become a PCA, and was there a reason or calling?
“I used to work in a rehab hospital in California. So me and my husband moved here three years ago to take care of his folks, because my folks in California, about 10 years ago they had a stroke and some stuff. So we took care of them, moved down here because they started having problems. They’re about 88. So it’s been a calling, because I knew how to handle stroke patients and do transfers and things like that. And it was always so rewarding to help people. It’s the greatest thing.”
Q: When you first met your consumer, how did you get them to open up to you or trust you on a personal level?
“At first you have to feel them out, and that’s the biggest thing. Because there’s good days, there’s bad days. So them getting to know you, you getting to know them, and finding out all the things that make them tick. So you have to be really in tune with how they’re feeling and be very patient and kind and patient. Patience is the big key.”
Q: Would you recommend this job to somebody?
“Oh, yes.”
Q: And why is that?
“It’s wonderful. I think when you’re a caregiver and you care for somebody, I think you always are. It comes along really easily, a really great job. Lewistown office is super awesome. All of our staff, they work really well together.”
Q: Can you give me an example of how you help your consumer keep their independency or be more independent?
“Teaching them how to do transfers, teaching them how to do something in a new way because they’re losing sense of their touch or their feeling or their walking or anything like that. So just getting them to feel like they are worthwhile and that they they’re great, that they can do great. And when you’re doing that, they get really excited and you get really excited. So the next time when you go there, a lot of times you see the advances that they’re making. So it’s neat.”
Q: Do you have any hopes for your consumers, and what would they be?
“I want them to be comfortable with whatever they are doing at that moment in their life. And like I said, seeing change and seeing, because I learn as much from them as they learn from me. I learn something new every single day when I’m with them. As long as they are happy and content, that’s the key right there.”
Q: What would your consumers say about you? What do they like the most about you? Very kind, I think they would say that, yes.
“And I used to be a massage therapist, so they really like that.”
“They really like the massages. Yeah, I’m very attentive to my clients and I’m patient, very patient. And learning from them, which is very interesting. With some of our people that we’ve work with, sometimes they can’t answer back really fast because it takes a while for things to go into the brain. So sometimes it takes 18 seconds for it to register, and that’s something a lot of people don’t understand. And so being patient and being slow, it’s really important.”
Q: My last question for you would be, can you describe CRI in a couple of words? Or is there anything else you would like to say about CRI?
“When we go to somebody’s house and we help them out and then when we leave, when we go to their house, help them out, that they look forward to it so much. They really do. They’re excited. They get help and anything that they need, and CRI is wonderful, I really enjoy working for CRI, and I enjoy the staff, like I said before. They’re very attentive also to our needs, and it’s a very good company.”