2015 Caregiver of the Quarter - First Quarter

Like so many other women her age, Teresa’s 92-year-old client often becomes depressed. Teresa, Home Helpers of Hinsdale’s Caregiver of the Quarter, makes it her full-time job to keep her client happy.

Teresa spends her days not only caring for her client’s home and personal needs but for her psychological and social needs, as well.

“We go everywhere,” said Teresa, who joined Home Helpers in March 2011.

She said the two go shopping together and enjoy going out to lunch. Teresa also helps to arrange outings with her client’s friends and family, and every Sunday, she drives her client to church. Together the two women try out new restaurants, new foods, and new experiences. Recently, Teresa assisted her client in getting a library card, allowing her to rediscover her love of reading.

“It’s important just to be social,” Teresa said. “Anything that will make her happy, I don’t have a problem doing.”

Mandy Greco, Home Helpers Care Manager, said Teresa is an outstanding example of what it is to go beyond the role of caregiver to the role of companion and friend.

“It’s more than a job,” Teresa agreed. “They become like family.”

Teresa was a private caregiver and worked as a social worker in a nursing home prior to coming to Home Helpers.

“I wanted to care for people outside of the setting of a nursing home. I wanted the time to give my attention to someone who needs it,” she said.

Tina Figueroa, Director of Medical Services at Home Helpers, said Teresa takes care of her client’s every need.

On a recent visit, Figueroa watched as Teresa took her client’s hand and began massaging her fingers. Asked what she was doing, Teresa explained that her client’s hands cramp up while holding a book, so she gently rubs the cramps away.

“She knows her every move and her every need,” Figueroa said.

Learn how you, like Teresa, can make a difference in someone’s life by joining the Home Helpers team of caregivers.