VIDEO “The Caregiver who never stops Caring.”
That was the first thing that stood out to me as I read the many glowing nominations for Lyndsay Renn , our Exceptional Caregiver Award Regional Winner from the Western Region. Not many Caregivers have their own personal tagline, but after seeing that quote, I know that Lyndsay now has her own brand.
A Caregiver for just more than two years, Lyndsay has made a great impact already at Home Helpers ® Home Care of Nampa. Her first client, Virginia, needed about 30 hours of care a week, including three trips a week to get dialysis. Virginia’s husband, Jim, is a veteran dealing with diabetes. When Lyndsay first started caring for Virginia, Jim was still pretty independent.
After making some marketing calls, our local office owner, Jeff Stoker , stopped by the dialysis center one day to see how Virginia and Lyndsay were doing. As he chatted with some of the professionals providing treatment to Virginia, they expressed surprise that Lyndsay was a professional Caregiver. Instead, they thought she was Virginia’s daughter because of the way Lyndsay cared for and treated her.
Within the first six months of Lindsay working with Virginia, Jim’s diabetes had worsened to the point where he had to have a leg amputated. Now caring for both Virginia and Jim, some of Lindsay’s duties included Virginia’s dialysis appointments and taking her to visit Jim at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center as he recuperated. Shortly after that, Jim had to have his other leg amputated. Lindsay continued to support both of them, never missing a shift and even checking on them when she wasn’t actively caring for the couple.
With limited family in the area, Lindsay became an unofficial family member due to her dedication to Virginia and Jim. After taking Virginia to a doctor’s appointment last April, they found out that Virginia had an aggressive form of leukemia with just weeks to live. At the couple’s request, it was Lindsay who contacted their children to let them know the devastating news.
Even through all of this, Lindsay’s dedication to Virginia and Jim was steadfast. She coordinated hospice care and even took them to the funeral home to make arrangements. A difficult task, but Lindsay handled it all with grace and compassion.
After Virginia passed, Jim’s motivation declined and he spent a lot of time in the VA. The family came to a decision to relocate Jim to California where he now lives with his daughter. Recently Jim returned to Idaho and asked Lindsay to care for him that week of his visit. After finishing a shift Lindsay was getting ready to leave for the day when Jim asked her to stay a little longer. Lindsay reassured him that she would be back in the morning, to which Jim replied, “I just want you around since I lost two people this year.” Lindsay was only aware of the loss of Virginia, and so she asked him who the second person was. Jim sadly replied, “I lost you, too.”
Lindsay will always remember her time with Virginia and Jim fondly, with gratitude for the continued friendship she has with Jim despite his relocation. Lindsay continues to provide quality, compassionate care to those she works with and is excited for a new position she is working toward with Home Helpers of Nampa as their Client Care Administrator.
Upon completion of classes paid for by Home Helpers of Nampa, Lindsay will be receiving a promotion in which she will have the opportunity to interact with more clients as well as caregivers. While furthering her skills and understanding of the industry, Lindsay clearly already knows what it takes to be an Exceptional Caregiver.
Thank you for your service, Lindsay, and I know you’ll do a wonderful job of teaching others how to provide Exceptional Care, too!
