Photo: Home Care Aides and twin sisters Dana Beckwith (right) and Danielle Aumoeualogo (left ) work at Full Life Care in Seattle. Photo by Paul Joseph Brown.
When the phone rings at Full Life Care, identical twin sisters Dana Beckwith and Danielle Aumoeualogo have to be ready to answer any number of questions from Home Care Aides in the field.
Beckwith, an HCA and home care administrative assistant, does “telephone triage” and remembers a particularly intense call.
“I had a Home Care Aide call and her client was responsive. But he was in a state where he needed medical attention and she didn’t know whether she should call (911) or not,” Beckwith says.
“I was able to just talk her down, calm the situation, give her some practical advice and we got him to the hospital in time.” Beckwith said if she had not been in the field herself as an HCA, she might not have known how to handle the situation.
Both Beckwith and Aumoeualogo began as Home Care Aides and now draw on that knowledge and expertise to provide administrative support to other HCAs.
Supporting Home Care Aides in the field
Aumoeualogo, a field supervisor, prepares new caregivers for what the job is really going to be like during the interview and orientation. After a new hire was upset about the state of the building her Consumer was living in, she turned to Aumoeualogo for advice.
“I was able to sit down and tell her, ‘OK, you’re in home care. So you got to be on your guard, but you also got to expect the unexpected and be prepared for it,’” Aumoeualogo says. By the time they finished their conversation, she was able to encourage her to give it another shot and return the next day.
“It is kind of scary when you start and you go out there on your own, into the client’s home,” she says. “I know that everything I’ve gone through as a Home Care Aide and the position that I’m in now, I can actually help. And the caregivers that I’m helping and that I’m speaking with, they know, ‘OK, I’m not out here by myself.’”
It took some trial and error for the sisters to find their groove in home care. Coming from a family with multiple nurses, Beckwith and Aumoeualogo initially started down the path of nurse and medical assistant programs and worked at nursing home facilities.
Beckwith says, “You don’t really get to find out about patients’ lives and who they are as people. You’re there for a couple of hours and then you’re gone.” Aumoeualogo added. “It was almost like a factory; people coming in, people coming out. After a year doing that, it just wasn’t satisfying.”
Even when it’s your hardest day, just remember it’s the smallest things that you do.
Connecting with Consumers
Beckwith introduced her sister to Full Life, where working as Home Care Aides provided the connection with Consumers the sisters were looking for. Aumoeualogo still warmly remembers her first Consumer, Eileen.
“I got to really learn about her and her family and her culture and traditions,” she says. “And she taught me how to make homemade tortillas.”
Beckwith continues to work with a Consumer on the weekend on top of being a peer mentor to new HCAs. As for building on her career, she says, “I could see myself moving further in the company. This is home care and every day you learn something new. That’s a plus in my book.”
For Aumoeualogo, the experience of connecting HCAs with resources and helping problem solve has opened up a possible new career pathway. “Since I’ve been here in the office, it’s got me thinking about doing some social work. So I’m thinking about going back to school for social services.”
It was news to Beckwith, who turned with surprise to her sister, “I had no clue! I’m so happy for you!” As the sisters laughed together over the news, Aumoeualogo said, “It’s been something I’ve been thinking about. With this field supervisor position, I get to go out and assess the home and the client. So I’m excited about that experience.”
Tips for new Home Care Aides
For new Home Care Aides, the sisters recommend patience and problem-solving above all.
“You got to be able to do a lot of problem-solving and finding solutions,” Beckwith said. “And to realize that the clients have lives before we got there. And some are flexible and some it just depends on the level of care they need.”
Aumoeualogo advises, “Even when it’s your hardest day, just remember it’s the smallest things that you do. Even just saying hello to your client.” She added that taking time to build a relationship goes a long way in making the work easier. “When you do that, you guys can move together as a unit.”
Danielle Aumoeualogo takes on new responsibilities as a field supervisor, supporting Home Care Aides and Consumers in the field.
