Caregivers are the heart and soul of TheKey. Our caregivers are diverse, compassionate, and committed to providing the best care possible to our clients. By highlighting our wonderful caregivers, you can gain a glimpse into what draws them to this work, their approach to caregiving, and what qualities they consider most essential as a caregiver.
Meet Florina Ionovici
Florina is recognized as a caregiver who consistently receives great client satisfaction reviews and is known for being reliable, responsible, and kind. She works in Southern California and has over ten years of experience in home care. Florina started her caregiving career in St. Louis, MO, where she worked with clients who mainly needed companion care. In the following years, she began working with clients who had more intense care needs, such as overnight support or end-of-life care. Through this experience, Florina came to realize that she had the strength and desire to help clients who need hands-on support. She says that caregiving is her calling, and that she was put on this earth to care for those who feel vulnerable and alone. Today, she primarily works night shifts with terminally ill and hospice clients.
How Florina Approaches Caregiving
Florina is organized, committed, empathetic, and responsible. She always prepares ahead for her daily work with clients, knowing that some days will be more challenging than others. Her approach to caregiving demonstrates a high level of competence and empathy. Here is Florina’s approach to caregiving:
Have a Positive Attitude
Florina describes how she “chooses a movie in [her] mind” before every shift, putting her in a positive frame of mind before working with her client. Regardless of how each day turns out, Florina starts with an optimistic attitude.
Communicate and Share
Florina gets to know her clients by asking questions about their lives, including their interests, families, and milestones. Many of her clients have short-term memory limitations but can access long-term memory to share meaningful stories. To build trust and confidence, Florina also shares her own experiences and memories.
Show a Sense of Humor
Florina uses humor to help calm clients and provide relief from discomfort or fear. Laughing can redirect an agitated client, or cheer up a sad one, diffusing a challenging situation.
Be Creative
Florina approaches caregiving as an opportunity to find creative ways to engage clients. She learns their favorite movies and songs and plays them for her clients to improve their mood and keep them calm.
Show Compassion
Clients can be fearful, anxious, or agitated when they feel vulnerable and alone. Florina provides comfort and compassion to both the client and family during these times. When families lose a loved one, Florina stays in touch to offer emotional support, along with hospice staff, during grieving.
Care
Florina says, “Caregiving is food for my soul when I can help someone who doesn’t have anyone else.” Caring is the necessary ingredient of empathetic and effective caregiving. Florina says, “You have to care, and then everything comes from your heart and comes naturally.”
The Best Part About Being a Caregiver
Florina is honest about the challenges of caregiving but copes with these moments by having the confidence to deal with them. She says, “God won’t put more on my shoulders than I can handle.” She focuses on the positive aspects of each client by learning from them as people with full and rich lives. Clients enrich her worldview, and she learns important lessons about life from each person.
Florina’s Advice for New Caregivers
Florina has some excellent advice for new caregivers. Her experience, attitude, and approach allow new caregivers to improve their caregiving journey. Here is Florina’s advice:
● Decide to put yourself in a good mood before meeting each client. Some ways to do this that work for Florina are listening to podcasts, sermons, or music. That way, you aren’t worrying about what may or may not happen.
● Find support systems at home such as family, friends, or a pet.
● Don’t sweat the small things—put everything in perspective. If something isn’t significantly affecting your life, let it go.
● Separate your own life from your client’s issues, and don’t take things personally.
● When you’re with your client, your only focus should be on their needs. Don’t bring your personal issues to their home since they have their own worries and needs.
● Take care of your clients as you would care for your loved one or how you would like someone else to care for them.
● Don’t assume that the next caregiver knows what you know. Communication is critical to ensure that everyone meets the client’s needs.
● What you bring to the caregiving experience is what is most important. Anyone can be trained, and although training is essential, a caring attitude starts first.
Final Thoughts on Caregiving
Florina says that caregiving is not just a job; it is a calling and a gift for people in need. Caregiving doesn’t end when you go home—it involves constantly thinking about ways to improve clients’ lives, reduce suffering, and bring enjoyment. It gives you a better appreciation for your own life and insight into how to live it. Caregiving is food for the soul.
Caregivers Enrich Client’s Lives
It can be hard for families to turn over the care of a loved one to someone else. However, sometimes, the underappreciated value of professional caregivers in clients’ lives is the unique qualities they bring to their care for each client. The benefits of caregiving can extend to enriching lives, providing a different perspective and the opportunity for clients to interact with others outside of the family. Florina embodies excellence in caregiving, and we are grateful to have her as part of our caregiving family at TheKey.