Bianca C.

Making a difference in people's lives has been a passion of mine. My family owned a Nursing Home/Home for the Aged for 36 years. This is were my passion for taken care of people was instilled in me. I worked as a caregiver, cook and handled recreation programs for our residents. Throughout the years I worked for Connecticut Hospice, The Alzheimer's Resource Center, and as a Private Caregiver for children and adults. I had the honor of caring for my Dad and both my Grandmother who all had Alzheimer's. There are many types of Dementia. Training and knowledge is important to understanding the needs of your love ones and clients you care for. This past December I completed training courses for The National Caregiver Certification Program, Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia and 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's. These certification courses provided me with new ways to communicate with Dementia clients. I make sure the things that are most important to my client are done every shift. This is achieved by asking your priorities, then once they're completed if time allows I do my best to tackle the non-priorities. Compassionate, reliable, punctual, treating everyone with dignity and respect are values I live by.

I am patient but also firm. My personality has been described as warm, kind, as well as hardworking. I pay close attention to people and am very aware of their needs. Ever since I was assigned to caring for the elderly in the convent, I realized that caring for others really resonated with me. There's an immense joy that comes when caring for the elderly. I believe it's a very rewarding experience to care for those who are unable to care for themselves. It's a meritorious and difficult work, you learn so much about life and what really matters when you care for those who have already seen their portion of life. I wouldn't really call this a personal achievement, but it was probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Last year in October, I had the honor to be at a Sister's bedside as she passed away. I was her main caretaker and have cared for her for almost three years. There were so many difficulties, but also so many joys in my experience with her-probably one of the most treasured experiences of me life.