Our Personal Care Specialists Love Their Careers
We’re grateful to our personal care specialists for all they do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to provide superior care and superior services to the patients and families we are honored and privileged to serve.
At Ohio’s Hospice, our mission is to celebrate the lives of those we have the privilege of serving by providing superior care and superior services to each patient and family.
Our personal care specialists are state-tested nursing assistants (STNAs) who provide the essential daily, hands-on care in homes, assisted living facilities, extended care facilities, and inpatient settings.
We appreciate them each and every day as they go above and beyond to provide superior care and superior services. Reflecting our values of servant leadership, kindness, honesty, and compassion, our personal care specialists make a difference in the lives of the patients and families we are honored and privileged to serve.
We invite you to get to know some of our personal care specialists. Here are a few of their stories.
Nicole thought she would follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and become a nurse. After working as an aide for a few years, she went to nursing school. She did not like it at all. She was where she wanted to be. One of her favorite memories as a personal care specialist is reading out of the book of Psalms to a patient who had been unresponsive for a couple of days. “She squeezed my hand and smiled,” Nicole says. “Her husband was so happy. He knew she could hear us.”
Marisol became a personal care specialist because she loves helping others. She enjoys her job because it allows her to interact and build good interpersonal relationships with patients, while providing the best quality of care. She reflects our value of kindness in the care she provides our patients and families. “Kindness is the sincerest expression of love,” she says. “Kindness is being able to help and provide support and care with compassion, respect and selflessness.”
Patty became a personal care specialist to help people. She has found her role to be rewarding, as she exemplifies kindness by showing her patients that she cares and is willing to help.
Barbara loves her role as a personal care specialist because it allows her to spend more time with patients. She provides quality one-on-one care to her patients with a smile, a hug or holding a patient’s hand. “When you walk into a room and see your patient grin from ear to ear and then you receive a big hug, you cannot ask for anything more.”
Ashley is honored and privileged to help patients at a time in their lives when they need help most, just like someone did for her father before he passed. One of her favorite memories as a personal care specialist is when she visited a patient, her husband would tell her the expert is here. “It would make me smile,” she says. “He always said I did a wonderful job, and he didn’t know how I did it.”
Caitlin is grateful for the opportunity to help bless people at such a hard time in their lives. One of her favorite memories as a personal care specialist is a patient whom she cared for toward the end of her pregnancy. She and the patient had built a relationship. The patient would rub her belly and talk to her baby. The patient asked her to bring the baby to see her and she did. “I will never forget her name and the love she provided to myself and my unborn son at the time,” she says. “She was a great comfort in the depth of COVID. She would help me think positively about having a baby in a scary world. Sometimes our patients and families are more of a blessing to us than we are to them.”
Angel had two very special friends who died at home with cancer. Each of them received hospice care. That was her first experience with hospice. After that, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in hospice. Today, she serves with a hospice heart, reflecting our value of kindness. “To me, kindness means being respectful of others’ feelings and needs, giving without any expectations in return, never judging, and showing compassion and general goodwill towards others,” she says. “I love my job and sometimes think I can’t believe that I get paid to work in this field with such a great team of people.”
Tricia became a personal care specialist because she felt that it is her mission to help others. She has special memories of the patients and families she has cared for. She has witnessed the love that people have for each other and their families. “Kindness means everything,” she says.
Devin loves caring for people. She says there is no better feeling. One of her favorite memories as a personal care specialist is when she brought joy to a patient who had long hair. She washed it and tried to make the visit feel more like a spa experience. “Kindness means being thoughtful of individuals’ different needs,” she says. “Always keep in mind what makes the patients happy.”
Sandra was a home health care aide when a patient she was taking care of had hospice in their home. She saw firsthand the care that we provide. Moved by the care she witnessed; she joined our organization as a personal care specialist. One of her favorite memories was being kind and compassionate to a patient. “I loved the challenge of getting her to smile or appreciate what I was helping her with,” she says.
Emily always has had a special place in her heart for hospice. Knowing that providing comfort to patients during their last days is rewarding to her. One of her favorite memories as a personal care specialist is helping a patient celebrate their birthday. “I did their makeup and hair. I dressed them in their nicest outfit,” she says. “The amount of joy and happiness on their face made me really happy to be a part of their special day.”
Carrie enjoys taking care of her patients. One of her favorite memories as a personal care specialist is caring for a patient who doesn’t speak much. On a recent visit, the patient was tearful. The patient hugged her and told her that she appreciated all that she does for her. “Kindness is being genuine to the people you interact with,” she says. “I listen to them and help when needed. I smile at them and acknowledge them.”
Tracy puts others first before herself. She believes kindness is doing for others. She listens to her patients, providing comfort and care. “I truly don’t have a favorite memory,” she says. “Just knowing I make a difference in someone’s life.”
Linda feels that she is blessed to be a blessing to her patients. She loves being able to care for the whole person. When she first started as a personal care specialist, she had a patient tell her that they could not remember her name, but they knew her by her heart. That’s when she knew she had found where she wanted to be.
Afia is committed to providing excellent care in the last days and months of a patient’s life. She listens closely to each patient, providing superior care and superior services to each patient and family with kindness. One of her favorite memories is caring for a patient at a nursing home who refused to be cared for by the staff. But over time, the patient allowed her to visit with her and care for her.
Charlene enjoys providing superior care and superior services to each patient and family she serves. She is considerate and enjoys helping her patients. “I love being an STNA,” she says. “But I feel being a personal care specialist is something special.”
Monika serves her patients and families with a smile. She embodies the spirit of kindness, helping others without expecting anything in return. She is always moved by married couples who go the extra mile to give their loved one happiness and support.
Kelli loves taking care of people and listening to them tell stories about their lives and families. She is friendly, generous and considerate. Her favorite memories of her career as a personal care specialist are of when she enters the home of a patient, and their loved ones are excited and thankful for her being there.
Judy became a personal care specialist after she experienced a significant loss in her life. She wants to help others at one of the most difficult times in their lives. She is friendly and cares about others. Her favorite memory of being a personal care specialist is when a patient said to her, “I always know that I will have a good day when Judy lovingly cares for me.” She appreciated the recognition and will never forget that patient’s kind words.
Andrea was a child when she decided to become a personal care specialist after her grandmother had a stroke and needed a lot of help. When she cares for our patients, she treats others how she would want to be treated or want her loved ones treated. “If a patient of family has a special request, I follow through to see that we can make that happen,” she says. “Sometimes, it’s the little things that mean the most to people.”
Lily has been a personal care specialist for 19 years. As a former nurse, she became a personal care specialist because she felt she could do more for patients working in home care. She says that kindness is the first thing you need to show patients during the first visit. “You gain their trust and respect,” she says. “You build a strong bond of understanding and appreciation from the patient.” One of her favorite memories as a personal care specialist is when she was invited to a patient’s grandson’s wedding.
Anita became a personal care specialist after her mother had a stroke and was not getting proper care for rehab in a nursing home. A home health aide suggested she take the training to care for her mother. She quit her job and cared for her mother for several years. After this experience, she felt called to continue providing care to others as a personal care specialist. Her favorite memories are bonding with her patients and their families. “They let you know that you make a difference in their lives,” she says. “That gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.”
We’re grateful to all of our personal care specialists for their support of our mission!
