Caregiver Spotlight

We proudly announce Kristen Knight as the 2020 Caregiver of the Year! Kristen is a gift to the families she caregivers for and us as well. This past year she has stood by the side of her clients as they went through some difficult times and never waived in her commitment. Kristen is a wonderful conversationalist and spends quality time engaging with her clients and relating to their life experiences. Natalie Thomas, Staffing Coordinator, says that Kristen “Always goes above and beyond to give her 100%. And that includes not only working 5-6 days a week but also finding extra little things to help her clients with like organizing their homes.” We are very lucky to have her on our team and enjoy this time to honor her.

Brittani is always very up beat and positive. She is always willing to do above and beyond what is asked of her. Her clients always have wonderful things to say about her; they love her. If I need something from her, she is quick to respond, even though she is incredibly busy.

She always puts her clients needs and well being ahead of whatever she has going on. She is always willing to help and cover a shift when she can. She pays great attention to her clients and their needs.

One client of hers that passed away had a dog. She knew the client and dog so well that she actually typed up info on the dog's likes/dislikes, food and eating habits for the new owner.

I remember meeting Brittani at the Meridian at Lake San Marcos. Britanni assisted me with a client who was on Hospice. Britanni waited in the underground parking lot with me patiently for the son to arrive with his mom from the hospital. The client was very weak and not coherent but Brittani handled it very well and professionally. She did a full transfer from the car to the wheelchair and from the wheelchair to the bed. Brittani made the family feel at ease. Unfortunately, the client did pass away a week later. I always see her with a smile when she comes in the office and she engages with the office Team.

Pauline has been with Right at Home for 2.5 years. She had previously worked at VNA in the office where she helped Right at Home set up for inservices every quarter. When the local office closed and the company moved its focus to Riverside, she looked for other work. Pauline's mom had always been a helper and had "adopted" neighbors who needed someone. Pauline would be included at times and it definitely rubbed off. Because of that experience with her mom she decided to try caregiving. She took to it and enjoyed it right away. The extras make her job more personal. When she started with Lillian she made a wind chime out of sea shells for her and that started the relationship in its current direction. They get together to celebrate occasions large and small. Recently they had a celebration of their 2nd anniversary together. Having celebrated their first anniversary, Lillian remembered and mentioned that the 2nd was coming up! So a tea was put together and guess who was included? Mom, Christina, joined the two - for inspiration.

Carmen has been with Right at Home since 2011. Carmen is detail oriented, multi task driven and takes her job seriously. Any client that has had the opportunity to have Carmen as their caregiver always wants her back! Carmen is continually looking for ways to help her clients and improve their quality of life. She is good about updating staff with client changes in condition as well as passing on changes in condition to oncoming caregivers with her clients. Carmen always has a positive attitude and is grateful for the opportunity to care for others. There aren’t enough words to describe the beautiful person that Carmen is…we are just so thankful to have her as part of our team!

Carmen does an amazing job when providing care to clients on hospice. She keeps families well informed and makes sure they’re involved in everything and up to date with care. The clients are at peace during this difficult stage of care when Carmen is on the case. It takes a special person to work into a place of closeness with the client, and with the family as well. Carmen exhibits the skills during these times to encourage family members that things are well taken care of. When we had fires in the area Carmen was with her client 9 hours that day. After her shift, she was asked if she would mind doing a welfare check on another client on her way home because we couldn’t reach him. She agreed without hesitation. Carmen got there and discovered the power was out. She reported that the house was dark and Alec, our client, was sitting in the house with a flashlight and two candles. Carmen moved the candles to a safer place, offered to take him to a hotel or to family and also offered if he wanted something to eat. Although he declined, she stayed with him and chatted and once again showed her compassion and loving heart.

Carmen has worked for us for 6 years and is so proud of the company she works for. She has participated in the Alzheimer's walk here in Temecula and represented Right at Home by walking with us.

She shows love not only to her clients and their families but to the office staff as well. She makes tamales every year during the Holidays and gives them to each member of the office team as well as making custom jewelry for each of us using our favorite colors. She works well with her peers on assignments where multiple caregivers are working. She is careful to leave good notes for the next caregiver coming on and ensure that they are comfortable with what they need to do.

Carmen had her MA certification when she started with us and had experience working in a doctor’s office. She also had experience taking care of her son who is a paraplegic. Her son was in a car accident as a teenager and through that experience, Carmen developed a passion for taking care of people. Carmen has a thirst for knowledge and has now earned her CNA certification. She has been known to read medical books on her down time with clients and looks for ways to continue to educate herself.

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We promise to coach you to success. We’re always available to support you and offer you tips to be the best at delivering care to clients.