Nursing Profiles

Patricia S.

Lima, OH
Nurse Aide/Home Health Aide

I have worked many different job positions, but find the home health field most rewarding. Perhaps it is because I put myself in that patient's "shoes" and try to imagine in some small way what they are going through. I have worked in several assisted living facilities, also. In one of those facilities, I worked in the dining room, serving the patients their meals. Looking back, I believe I was called to be in the position I now hold, that of Home Health Aide. Having Parkinson’s Disorder, myself, for nearly nine years, I see folks who are in need of tender care, needing someone to talk with and to encourage them. I love to sing and I share this love with my patients. I do always ask them, "Do you mind if I sing while we're helping you with your personal care?” It is as though a light comes on and a smile comes on their face when I share a song with them. Music brings an inner peace and calmness of spirit to a fretful heart, and, I might add, it helps to strengthen my voice which tends to be soft in tone because of the Parkinson’s. Yes, I find as I go from home to home, the "golden years" are not full of golden glints for many of these dear folks. And so, despite my own struggle at times with my health, I feel so very blessed to be able to bring a bit of sunshine into the lives of these, my patients, and, you know, though I am tired at the end of a day's work, it is worth it all.