National Caregivers Day

February 18th is National Caregiver Day and we sat down on this special day to interview Charronne Jones of Aamira Home Care based in Annapolis, MD.

Charronne Jones founded Aamira Homecare (AHC) over ten years ago to fulfill her dream of helping seniors and others needing assistance with activities of daily living without leaving the comfort of their home. Ms. Jones is a registered nurse with over thirty years of experience in the healthcare field working in various roles. As a registered nurse, she saw firsthand the powerful impact one person could have on the life of an individual living at home with day to day needs that they are no longer able to perform without assistance.

On National Caregivers Day we honor those who give endlessly of their own time and energy to help others live better lives. It especially applies to caregivers who help our elderly friends, family, and neighbors who require long-term care in home care or hospice. We asked questions to get insight from the perspective of a caregiver who also is responsible for dozens of other caregivers.

•What kind of person is a good candidate to provide in-home care to an elderly individual and why? What kinds of traits/qualities are required? 

Charronne:  That question is a little hard to answer due to the fact that clients are so diverse in age, culture, and personalities. If I had to narrow it down to specific traits I would say someone who is compassionate, has the desire to learn, patient, and more importantly flexible. I would say compassionate because it encompasses caring, empathy and kindness all in one word, that is what we all need. It is especially important when we are vulnerable and have special needs. The desire to learn is necessary, because providing home care is very different from providing care in a facility. Patience is just a virtue necessary for everything . Lastly flexibility, as you know we work with people, and in doing that, their needs, desires and situations, change so we need individuals who would not mind adapting to those changes. 

•Who are good elderly candidates for receiving in-home care? Who may not be?

Charronne: All of our client’s aren’t elderly, surprisingly only about 70% of them are. The client that would benefit most from our services are individuals that have the desire to remain at home. The individuals that would not be good candidates are those that may be abusive to our staff or others in the household.

 •When is it evident that an individual requires in-home care?

Charronne: Usually an individual  that needs assistance with two or more ADL’s ( Activities of Daily Living) or IADL’s ( Instrumental Activities of Living). ADL’s are feeding one’s self, bathing, personal hygiene, grooming, toileting, and mobility. IADL’S are, homemaking, shopping, managing money, moving within the community, meal preparation, taking medications, and using the telephone or other communication device.

 •What are some challenges that in-homecaregivers should expect to face in their duties?

 Charronne: The biggest challenge may be the home itself, it most likely was not constructed for wheelchairs and large equipment necessary to manage clients in the home. That is why Aamira Home Care encourages continued learning as well. We provide our staff with the availability of our nursing and mentor staff to consult with them when they run into challenges providing care within our client’s homes.

• Any other thoughts on the topic?

Charronne:  A lot of my staff come from facilities, however when they transition to home care they find it enjoying providing one on one care to individuals within their homes. They find it to be more comprehensive and rewarding.