After seven years of providing care, Lagrimas or “Babes” knows that being a good caregiver calls for taking good care of herself. This is perhaps one of the easiest things to say, but often one of the most difficult things to do. Fortunately, Babes has long adopted and maintained healthy lifestyle habits. She’s always been an advocate of healthy eating, exercise, stress management and tobacco abstinence.
Babes has been providing live-in care five days a week to her 96-year old patient who is still mentally alert and healthy. During her free time, Babes does yoga, rumba, and ballroom dancing. She also plays golf, a sport that she learned from a former client. According to her, staying active helps prevent caregiver burnout and promotes good blood circulation. At 60, she is healthy and is not taking maintenance drugs. Playing bingo on weekends is a good source of entertainment that keeps her in touch with her friends.
A Certified Nursing Assistant, Babes is confident and professional when talking to her client’s health care providers. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the Philippines; she also has a certificate in Customer Service from New Haven Adult School. When she felt that her client was being given antibiotics for a minor infection, she requested for an appointment with a specialist; a topical medication was prescribed which made her client immediately feel better. Babes knows that being a caregiver goes beyond providing assistance with bathing, preparing meals, and housekeeping; it means being on the lookout for her client’s overall well-being at all times.
Babes earned her client’s trust by finding out her likes and dislikes, and establishing a routine that keeps her comfortable. Experienced in providing rehabilitation, Babes encourages her client to gently perform range of motion exercises to help strengthen her muscles and make her as mobile as possible. She invites her client to walk with her to the grocery store; she prepares meals using freshly picked vegetables from her client’s garden. Like Babes, her client does not take maintenance drugs; she only takes Vitamin D, calcium supplements, and a pill that keeps her calm during the night.
When asked what makes her an effective caregiver, Babes replied that she approaches her job with childlike enthusiasm. Laughter can and does erase the occasional boredom that arises from round-the-clock caregiving. And her sense of humor has played a big role in uplifting her patient’s spirit. According to Babes, when she and her client are happy, caregiving translates to spending time with a friend that she really likes, and time flies by. In Babes’s eyes, work can be play. And there’s no doubt that she’s where she’d rather be!
