Caregiver of the Year 2018

Our Right at Home Upstate team are proud to honor Shari Jeanes with our 2018 Caregiver of the Year award. Shari has always demonstrated the highest quality of team spirit, and gone the extra mile for her client and our agency team. Not only is she always at her shift on time, she is also ready to provide the highest quality of care.

"Shari Jeanes is inspirational and impactful to so many people without ever realizing how truly caring and mindful she is when caring for someone. I have worked with Shari over the years in many capacities of care. She will adapt and accommodate with such an open heart and mind no matter what the “client’s” circumstances may be. Shari is great in the role of “dementia care,” “end of life care,” or someone just needing a little help throughout the day."- Michael Mahon, Assistant Executive Director, Brookdale Greenville

I first met Shari in 2013. She had been caring for a family member with dementia for years. She hired Right at Home for respite. When her family member transitioned to Assisted Living, Shari called me and said “Renee, I do not want to go back to my job, I want to continue to take care of people. I want to work for Right at Home.” Shari began working for Right at Home in June of 2014.

"Shari is a dedicated caregiver that works for love." - Renee Pfister, owner, Right at Home Upstate

Shari started with her client, Betty in June of 2014 and stayed by her side until her death in October of 2018. Betty had dementia and lived in skilled nursing in a CCRC. Each shift, Shari would facetime with Betty’s daughter so that she could see and talk with her several times a week.

Shari would keep a list of all of the activities that she did with Betty including painting her nails, taking her outside, playing her favorite music, integrating her into the community’s activities and would mail the list to Betty’s daughter. Betty’s daughter said that Shari was a wonderful support for not only her mother, but for her as well. She said that Shari had a special bond with her mother. She acted more as a friend. Shari knew Betty so well that she could anticipate her needs. She would even go get her milkshakes when Betty was having a bad day. Shari would go the extra mile for Betty and her family. I have heard Shari say on many occasions “I love my Betty.”

When our office was short staffed, Shari stepped outside of her comfort zone and came into the office to assist. She called applicants, conducted phone screenings and interviews, held job fairs and assisted with other administrative tasks. She has checked on clients and caregivers. Shari even hosted a trunk-or-treat at a local assisted living community when we had no one else that could accommodate.

"Shari is just amazing! She is very engaged, compassionate, professional, caring, and skilled. She is also a great mentor to our other caregivers. She stays in constant contact with office staff, which is much appreciated especially when it comes to the clients that are in challenging situations." - Tiffaney Perry, Right at Home Scheduling Cooridnator

Shari has taken advantage of many continuing education opportunities while working with Right at Home. She has completed required and elected Right at Home University modules including dementia care, end of life care and providing personal care. When she started with Right at Home, she provided only companion level care. She has taken the opportunity to learn how to provide personal care so that she can better serve her clients. Being that her main client suffered from dementia, Shari took advantage of our Dementia Live training to help her better understand the needs of those with dementia. She was so impressed with what she experienced, Shari later learned how to help facilitate Dementia Live trainings. Shari helps our office to bring Dementia Live to the community.