Caregiver of the Month: Marina O.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Marina has a calling for taking care of people in her life. She first came to the United States in the early 60’s, met and married there, and later moved back to the Philippines. While there, she became a full time housewife, raising five kids though she was already a licensed dietitian.

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Marina went back to the United States in the early 90’s with her eldest daughter. She took and passed the dietitian’s licensure exams and worked as a dietitian in different capacities for over 25 years.

Caregiving was a natural calling. Many of Marina’s friends worked in the caregiving field, and after listening to how much they enjoyed being caregivers, she decided to join them. Caregiving was a way for Marina to continue on her path of helping others. She values the kindness, empathy, and compassion that are vital to her role.

Marina has been a caregiver with Alegre Home Care for over four years now and she says that she never stops learning. The experience of caring for people teaches you things. Despite being into her retirement years, Marina says she enjoys learning new things and that it’s one of her favorite parts of the job.

Marina is also happy to be working with Alegre Home Care agency and staff. “Alegre is a good company,” she explains. “The agency takes care of its staff and clients. I have no complaints. Lots of my Filipino friends who were caregivers recommended Alegre and that’s why I joined the agency. Alegre sounded the best of all the agencies my friends recommended.”

Alegre Home Care is happy to have Marina, too. Caregivers like Marina offer high quality in-home care services, so that people can remain independent within their homes. Marina always tries to put herself in their shoes. “I enjoy helping my clients but I know that I can only do so much in my own capacity ”

This is where empathy is important. Oftentimes, her clients just want someone who will listen. Marina bonds with her clients by anticipating and asking their needs, offering suggestions, and helping them try new things. She cooks them meals and helps them to feel safe in their homes. She tries to go the extra mile for the people in her care, because she believes they deserve her best.

Marina shares that it is nice feeling appreciated by her clients, too, and that caregiving can be very rewarding that way. “You see how you are helping. You know you have done a good deed.”

Marina says she will work as long as she can. She walks a mile a day for exercise and eats healthy. She also spends quality time with her family and friends. Caregiving nurtures her. She wants to be active and contributing to her community.

When not caregiving she spends her time reading, taking care of her plants, shopping, making quality time zooming with her family and friends, and traveling. She travels to the Philippines and in Europe from time to time. The flexibility of her schedule and working for a reputable in-home care agency allow her to live life to the fullest.