in a day life of an HHA we get our
schedule like a month in advance but it
does change but you kind of know who
you're going to see day to day so in the
morning I know who I'm going to see so I
get up I'd be at the first client at 8
o'clock then you see the client and then
you go to the next client it might be an
hour might be 2 hours but there's some
four hour shifts so each day is a little
different and a little bit more unique
you walk into a house for the first time
you sit down and you talk to them about
their interest in sports interest in
football fishing whatever it is just to
break the ice with them the different
kind of people we deal with in this
position somebody that maybe was in a
accident
and it just needs help short term for
showers or dishes or even some home care
we have middle aged people that have had
maybe knee replacement hip replacements
or some you have that are in their 90's
some ways we lighten their loads is we
do their cooking we do their cleaning we
do their laundry we change the bed
sheets we dust we vacuum you know you
feed the pets you feed the birds just
that little extra stuff is what needs to
be done I treat clients how I want to be
treated and if you treat them right they
treat you right looking for safety
issues is a constant part of this job
you look around you know for rugs or
anything in the way of them when they're
trying to walk you know like maybe boxes
or mail or canned goods or holding
laying on the floor the part of our job
that is really important that we need to
be there on time I try to be there a
couple minutes early and maybe stay a
minute later the client needs us on they
might be hungry they might not have
eaten
they're waiting for us to feed them
bathe em entertain them some people
don't get to talk to anybody you know
we're the only ones that come and visit
it's just the part of our job that is
really important it's important to be
compassionate with your clients when we
get older sometimes our hygiene isn't
very good and basically that's one of
the reasons that we have hold up aides
and you know cigarette smoke maybe a dog
or a cat it's important to be
non-judgmental in this job just have to
look past whatever is wrong with the
client you know and and try to give them
love and support and make things better
for them whatever problem we have kept
clients on the staffers will find the
solution the branch people are very
helpful they'll call the nurses or
whoever they need to call they make us
feel at home in this job you have to do
a lot of driving and you have to
probably love to drive to be in it
because I do and when you're driving the
time in between you can reflect on
what's happened you can think about the
next client can just listen to the radio
and center yourself and get back to who
you are before the next client I've been
with Prairie River for over 10 years and
I used to be a bartender and a cook and
when I went home I sure didn't feel like
this I do this job because I love people
I love to work and I love the elderly
they teach us a lot the job itself is
rewarding when you go home you know
you've done something to help somebody