Jessica Worley chosen as the Missouri Alliance for Home Care’s Paraprofessional Caregiver of the year for Missouri

The nominees for this award included homemaker/companions, personal care attendants, home medical equipment and IV technicians, home health aides and nurse aides who have exemplified a dedication to the provision of quality care through longevity, dependability, commitment, strong “team spirit,” sensitivity to the needs of a client, professionalism in dealing with difficult clients or other high performance standards.

Jessica Worley is truly an exceptional aide and On My Own, Inc. is honored and blessed to have her on our In-Home team.

Jessica has been through a lot on a personal level this last year. She had a COVID-19 scare in her own family – her father tested positive for the virus and was hospitalized. He had underlying conditions so it was a very scary time and he has thankfully recovered. Jessica has also had her own health challenges and as a mother, trying times with health concerns with her children. In spite of these personal challenges, Jessica has continued not only to show up to work with almost perfect attendance (making up time on evenings and weekends) but she does it with a positive attitude and a smile on her face.

Jessica is committed to the agency and to her clients, having worked for On My Own, Inc. for almost five years. She is a role model CNA and trainer for new aides. She is an excellent communicator, so I never have to wonder what is happening with her or her clients. She is a self-starter, seeing what needs to be done and just doing it. These two traits are so valuable, since our aides are out in the field working mostly unsupervised.

With the ever-changing environment in our industry, Jessica doesn’t complain. For example, when told about our new web clock system that would replace our old telephony system, Jessica was one of the first to volunteer while other aides complained about having to learn something different.

On top of all Jessica has faced this last year with personal stressors, a pandemic environment, and changes within the industry, she experienced an extremely challenging client case this past year. One morning when she arrived at her client’s home, Jessica found her client on the floor, conscious, but unable to speak. She jumped into action, contacting emergency services and providing comfort to the client until EMS arrived. She was able to assist emergency services with the information they needed prior to transporting her, as well as reaching the client’s emergency contacts. The client had endured a massive stroke and is recovering in a rehabilitation facility. Jessica’s quick response and attention to detail likely saved the client’s life.

The beautiful part of caregiving is the pride and joy that comes with doing a good job and helping a person stay independent in their home. In this industry, our staff become part of a person’s world, part of their daily or weekly routine. Our aides get to know their clients’ families, pets, likes/dislikes and often become “like family” to the clients they serve. The unfortunate part of caregiving is the inevitable loss and grief when a client declines in health and passes. Jessica has had two long-time clients pass away in the past year, one male, one female; and she served both of them for several years.

Although events like these shake a person to their core, Jessica has remained poised and strong for her other clients. These experiences have given her a better understanding that life is fragile and can be cut short at any time, and she has been in her words “hugging gamily much tighter, as we never know when it is our time to go,” adding regarding her client, “I hope this isn’t her time.”

Jessica’s clients all love her. Every year, we send a survey to our clients to help us evaluate how we are doing. I want to share with you a few of the comments written on annual surveys of Jessica’s clients:

*I have deep respect for my aides and their devotion to her work and clients. Jessica is totally efficient in monitoring my feelings on a daily basis. I have been very depressed and enjoy her company. Thank you all.

*I hit the jackpot when I got my aides, Jessica. Everything I say about her is glowing words. I appreciate her so much.

*Jessica is the best aide I’ve had in several years.

*Jessica is a very good worker. And she is very nice and good to me. She gets the jobs and chores done very efficiently.

She is truly deserving to be recognized for her on-going stellar job performance.