Home Instead Senior Care is honored to be apart of this month’s blog discussion. As providers of one-on-one home care services to seniors, we provide a very personal service to both our client’s and their families. Many times, our staff and CAREGivers build a relationship with our clients that allows them to become their trusted friends, advocates, and like family.
Through the process of relationship building, we see the importance of a legacy for our senior clients. Over 80% of our client base has some form of dementia, including the most prevalent–Alzheimer’s Disease. As a result, we observe changes in our clients as they fade from the person they were. The aging process is difficult for our client’s loved ones to see our clients evolve from the person they once were. As result, in September 2011 Home Instead Senior Care of New Hampshire started giving out the gift of The Voice Library. This allows our clients’ the ability to audio record their stories, experiences and memories to be shared for generations to come. At times, this becomes a great caregiver and client activity. The power of voice is an important tool we do not take for granted. I am a firm believer in Tom Brokaw’s coined term: The Greatest Generation. After spending the last 3 1/2 years working for Home Instead Senior, I have add the privilege of meeting over hundreds of seniors living locally in New Hampshire. As I continually listen to their stories and tales, only reaffirms to me that seniors today truly come from The Greatest Generation.
For example, this afternoon I had a conversation with a 92-year old woman who found us online. In our chat, I told her how rare it was that, as she said, “You can say it…someone like my age…” found us online. We ended up chatting for about 45-minutes on the phone about many different things–her time in Florida, raising children, and most recently teaching herself how to use a computer. At age 85, she went out and purchased a manual after her son bought her a basic computer. And how in the last 7 years she has made 3 computer upgrades and very much loves her mac. What a true testament to the fact that one can learn at any age!
