OHCA The Oregon Caregiver Fall/Winter 2019

www.ohca.com FALL/WINTER 2019 The Oregon Caregiver 7 FEATURE Worker shortages in all industries have hit Oregon hard, and this is especially true with caregivers. They are simply getting harder and harder to find in both work hubs like Portland and Eugene and, especially, in more rural parts of the state. When there is a small workforce pool to meet the growing need, it’s not unheard of for long term care adminis- trative staff and even owners to step away from their mountains of paperwork to give time to a resident or a client. For some, that’s both the most rewarding and challenging part of job. This has been the case for Jonathan Mack. Last year a caregiver for Home Instead Senior Care of Central Oregon, an OHCA in-home care agency operating in Bend and Central Oregon, called off her shift with a hospice client. There was no one else available who could take the shift. That’s when Mack, the organization’s owner and operator, received the request to visit the client himself. “As soon as I got there, I realized that our client wasn’t going to last long and might not make it through the shift,” Mack said. Mack suggested the client’s wife call any family that was nearby. In the client’s final hours, Mack took memorable actions. He was ready to do whatever he could to help the client and his family. “They had this huge yard, and I decided that I was going to take it upon myself to mow their lawn,” he said. Mack didn’t stop with the yard. “I went about cleaning the house, so that they could spend the last few hours being with the client and talking to him, even though he couldn’t communicate. He never opened his eyes the whole time I was there.” After finishing garden and housework, Mack cleaned up and went back to the family room to be close to the family. “I got “I think we have an opportunity as caregivers, in any situation, to be there for families that aren’t necessarily able, or ready, to cope with what it means to have a loved one leave them. You’re never really prepared.” – Jonathan Mack, Home Instead Senior Care of Central Oregon to be there for his last breath, to be with them and pray with them,” Mack said. Mack then added an additional service of compassion. “After he died, I gave him a shave, so that he’d look peaceful, so he didn’t look haggard. I didn’t know when the mortuary was going to come and pick up his body. I didn’t know how long he was going to be in the living room,” he said. “I got him cleaned up, looking good, like their dad, like their husband. It was really touching for me that I got to do that for them. I got a really nice letter from the client’s wife a couple of weeks later,” said Mack. “I think we have an opportunity as caregivers, in any situation, to be there for families that aren’t necessarily able, or ready, to cope with what it means to have a loved one leave them. You’re never really prepared.” Veteran caregivers of the long term care sector share many stories of compassion and a special commitment to their clients and residents. However, finding the right caregivers can be hard for care communities, especially those in rural parts of Oregon where older residents in need of care may outnumber younger, employable residents. CONTINUES » A caregiver for Home Instead Senior Care of Central Oregon poses with a client. Jonathan Mack poses with one of his caregivers.