Home Helpers of Southern New Jersey Honors Caregiver of the Quarter
Kalmia Briggs Honored as Caregiver of the 2nd Quarter 2011
Congratulations to Kalmia Briggs, a caregiver with Marcy Schachinger and Nancy Hogan’s Home Helpers of South Jersey office, for being honored as the Caregiver of the 2nd Quarter 2011!
Home Helpers of South Jersey distinguishes itself in the community by recruiting and retaining top-notch, highly trained and experienced individuals, and even so, Kalmia, a certified home health aide, stands out as exemplary.
One example is the outstanding care she provided to a client who suffers from an aggressive degenerative muscular disease rendering him completely bedbound. In two years, he had used three other agencies before hiring Home Helpers. Upon initially meeting him, it was determined his case would be particularly challenging as his needs were very specific and extremely demanding.
After six months of caring for the client with respect and dignity, Kalmia became “like a sister” to the client. Unfortunately, the client was generally angry and depressed about his situation and began to verbally abuse Kalmia shortly thereafter. Despite this, she persisted to care for him. During one particularly difficult episode, the emergency contact was called and Kalmia was instructed to leave; however, she stayed with the client, saying she “would never abandon a person in need.” This level of compassion and patience is extremely admirable. While Home Helpers did not continue working with this client, Kalmia has continued to provide exceptional care to other clients.
Kalmia aspires to become a nurse or perhaps a physician, and Marcy and Nancy have no doubt her determination will get her there. In addition to working for Home Helpers, Kalmia works 40 hours a week overnight at a nursing home. Her work ethic is unsurpassed, and she is certainly well-deserving of this honor.
We thank her for all her contributions to Home Helpers. Her compassion and dedication are truly inspiring to the entire Home Helpers family.