November 2021 - Ngozi
Ngozi Fills a Void in Her Life by Helping Others
CAREGiver of the Month Ngozi poignantly thinks of her late parents when she’s helping Home Instead® clients on behalf of her award-winning Richmond Hill-Vaughan franchise. “Having lost both of my parents, it gives me great satisfaction to do things to assist seniors, things that I would have done for my parents if they were alive,” Ngozi said.
“I chose to work for Home Instead because doing good for others is always my primary goal. I like to think of myself as a compassionate person,” said Ngozi, who has been a Home Instead CAREGiver since February 2020 while working for a franchise co-owned by Brenda Enright and Greg Bechard.
While Ngozi was training as a Personal Support Worker (PSW) at a city adult learning center in 2019, a classmate, Bibi, told her about Home Instead. After class that day, Ngozi went online to the Home Instead website to learn more about the world’s leading provider of in-home care services for older adults.
“I was impressed with the information they put online. Then I really resonated with the answers I got when I asked Bibi further about Home Instead,” said Ngozi, who had previous practical senior-care experience as a family caregiver and is now training to be a nurse. “I cared for my grandmother, who had dementia for a little more than five years before she passed on.”
Just as her friend was, Ngozi is eager to tell others about Home Instead and its devoted service to seniors and their families. “What I love most about my job as a Home Instead CAREGiver is the opportunity to do what I love. It’s like a natural habitat for me, knowing there is something professionally I can do to be of help to someone who really needs it.”
Thinking of how she fits into the lives of her clients, Ngozi explained: “Going through the natural circle of life is inevitable. There is the time when you are young, able to do all you need to do or desire to do. Years down the line, you might need someone to assist you to do those things you are not able to do but still need to do. Life happens, and so does its challenges and stresses. Becoming afflicted with a disability can be so random and heartbreaking. I know I can help someone who is dealing with any disabling condition. He or she can still have the opportunity to live life to the fullest with my assistance. For me, that is extremely satisfying.”
Perhaps nothing is better, Ngozi said, than winning over a reluctant client who is resistant to help. “My Home Instead favourite story is about a standoffish client for whom I cared for nine months. For more than six of those nine months, I assisted the client for 12 hours every day, including holidays. As I progressed with the client’s daily care, our communication improved. He was quite witty,” Ngozi recalled.
“Even now, I giggle when I remember some of the funny stories he shared. I will never forget his reaction when I surprised him on his birthday with a card and a little gift. He was so appreciative of the gesture. Starting with him was tough, but I have missed him since the contract ended.”
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Ngozi provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Ngozi and other Richmond Hill-Vaughan CAREGivers offer personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, dementia support, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. By expertly doing so, the Ontario CAREGivers not only assist their clients, but help their clients’ families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
Ngozi loves being a valuable asset to her franchise, a member of a network founded in 1994 in the United States. The Home Instead network consists of more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises that provide more than 90 million hours of care annually throughout Canada and 13 other countries. Ngozi is among more than 100,000 CAREGivers, and she’s helped add to those numbers because of her belief in Home Instead’s purpose.