A while back we, at the office, received an inquiry regarding “Cool Jobs” for a “Page Three” Washington Post submission. It got me to thinking about my job here at Buckley’s as the office manager. I often say I have the best of both worlds when I talk about my work -doing what I like to do to make things happen behind the scene here at Buckley’s via phone calls, emails and whatever else it takes to support Buckley in this unique and much needed service. And, when we are short-staffed, I have the pleasure of meeting and greeting many of the wonderful people we serve by running out to be a “sub”. It truly is a delight – some might even call it “cool”.
So what’s so “cool” about this job of mine? Well, how about hearing from a family member telling us how excited she is after a staffer visits Dad at the V.A. Hospital. “My father loves when your staffer comes and REALLY looks forward to her visits every week. Did you know she sings to him at bedside? And he is talking again! She put him on the phone and we talked for the first time in a long time.” … Another family member is amazed at the change in her mother since our staffer began her twice weekly visits. “A totally different person” is how she describes her… Then there’s the email from the daughter in Richmond who tells us we are “so worth it” every time we arrange to get her mom to and from the hair salon or ….My personal favorite of late is learning of the devotion of a 90 year young gentleman who travels 40 miles every day to visit his son in a rehabilitation center. This dedicated Dad recently asked us to play poker and chess with his son twice a week, providing him some much needed relief and delighting his son with some competitive “fun and games”. His appreciation is expressed in his phone calls, even from the hospital, to make sure we know how much he and his son appreciate our intelligent staffers who are great conversationalists!
From the clients themselves, I am privileged to hear how the thoughtfulness of a staffer in remembering her birthday touched her, or how she took special care on holidays to bring along “goodies” like coffee and cookies when she visited. Or the plain and simple declaration from another that “I don’t know how I ever survived without you!” Then there’s the gentleman who chooses us over other agencies because our staff “provide such good conversation” on the trips to and from the doctor. Even in those instances when clients cannot themselves tell us how much they appreciate our help, we know for a fact how we affect change in the households we serve by the very meaningful relationships that develop between our staff members and the live-in caregivers. When they’re happy, everyone’s happy!
It’s especially heartwarming to hear how perfectly the client/staffer matching often works out. One client who was in desperate need of some new clothes was accompanied by a staffer with an eye for color and fashion, a love of shopping and an uncanny ability to find the best sales! Or the local author who enjoyed the company of her “regular” staffer so much that she invited her out to lunch with her and her best friend from high school and then gifted her later with a signed copy of her book. We even found we could match a staffer fluent in French with a client who wanted to converse in her native tongue.
Of course, it’s always good to hear from other professionals who appreciate our staff, having worked with them on shared clientele. I get to receive calls and emails from care managers who tell us how competent, creative and dedicated our staffers are and how grateful they are for the ways we make their jobs so much easier. We know for a fact that the staff at a certain nursing facility looks forward to the visit of one particular staffer almost as much as the client she is visiting looks forward to her coming.
What’s not to love about seeing unfold everyday the dedication, caring, compassion and professionalism of our wonderful service. It’s inspiring and calls me on to more generosity. I appreciate hearing the stories behind all the hard work we do and take great comfort in knowing that the clients we serve are especially blessed by our efforts. Next time, I’d love to share a bit about my experiences “out on the road” seeing clients, the other side of my “cool” job. (Oh, and did I mention that I get to stagger my hours to avoid morning and evening rush hours arriving at ten and going home at 3:30 just when school gets out for my youngest AND I get to work from home on Friday. Now that’s WAY COOL!)
-Deb Merriner
Office Manager
