Nancy Allen knows exactly how it feels when an aging parent requires additional care.
She supported her own father through his final years, helping him cope with deepening dementia. When Nancy’s dad passed in 2021, she decided to channel that same love and care into a role at TheKey Winnipeg.
“I have always loved being a caregiver and helping people,” Nancy says. “I’ve worked in home health care since 2008 and after my I lost my dad, I wanted to find the right place to work. I liked the sound of TheKey and saw this neat position as a way to bring joy and happiness into the lives of others.”
In the years since Nancy joined the team, she’s worn a number of different hats. From certified caregiver to employee care manager (including scheduling and training), Nancy shapes at-home care for seniors in many different ways.
“What matters most in caregiving is a positive attitude,” she says. “Many seniors don’t have a lot of visitors. We try to stimulate them mentally as well as physically. I think the biggest thing we can do is keep that positive attitude throughout and be a good companion and friend to our clients.”
The ways Nancy and the team deliver on that promise looks different from one client to the next. At TheKey Winnipeg, a caregiver might find themselves leading a game of catch using a balloon, to help someone in the later stages of dementia feel engaged, move their body and have a little fun. In another scenario, she says caregivers might stimulate seniors by sitting down and having a meaningful conversation. For example, asking questions about someone’s past as a means of building relationships.
“I always say that you can train somebody to be a caregiver, but you can’t teach personality. If someone has a friendly, outgoing, caring personality, we can train them on the specific caregiving skills. Generally, we look for people with caregiving experience plus the personality to really connect with clients,” Nancy says.
That connection point plays a big part in overall caregiving success. Nancy works hard to match caregivers and clients based on what an individual senior needs to live well at home, in addition to their personality, interests and unique characteristics.
“Finding that good fit is pivotal to providing good care,” says Nancy. “My dad had homecare for awhile before he passed, and it just wasn’t good. They didn’t really get to know him or recognize what was going on with him. Here at TheKey, I get to know the clients and caregivers and find what is the best possible fit for that client. That’s a huge difference and I think it sets us apart in Winnipeg overall.”