“I always have looked out for elderly people,” says our November Aide of the Month, Velma Robinson. “I took care of this one lady for ten years, and she was so nice. I used to call her ‘Mother.’”
“Mother” was one of Velma’s first home care clients. When Velma began taking care of her 13 years ago, Mother could still walk. As the years went on, however, her beloved client became bed ridden. Despite the challenges, Velma remained Mother’s faithful, hard-working caregiver, taking care of her when her son was unable to. “The family used to treat me nice. And so, you know, I just returned the favor and took care of their mother. The son used to say, ‘You’re never leaving my mother.’” And Velma never did. She took care of Mother until her passing.
Taking care of Mother inspired Velma to continue in the home care industry. In October 2018, she applied to CCOR on the recommendation of a neighbor. Though the training was a challenge, Velma received motivation to keep going from a special CCOR staff member. “You know who’s my girl? The one that gives the classes. Wanda! That’s my girl right there! Let me tell this little story. When I first came and I went to class, I said, ‘Oh no. I been out of school so long, I’m not doing this. It’s too many tests. I ain’t gonna pass anyway.’ But Wanda said, ‘Yes, you are! You’re staying right here, and you better come tomorrow.’ And you know what? I stuck in there, and look where I’m at today. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be with CCOR, and that’s the God’s honest truth.”
Thanks to Wanda’s encouragement, Velma has become an important part of our CCOR family and a joy to her clients. “If I can help somebody,” Velma says, “I’m gonna help ‘em. It inspires me to see the smile on their face. Like me and my client that I work with now. We have our little conversations. I fix her food. We eat together. She be so happy! So that inspires me a lot.”
Velma takes care of clients the same way she would’ve taken care of her own mother, had she been given the chance. “My mother was 85 when she passed,” Velma explains. “She had got cancer, and she was getting bad off. So I told her, ‘Mom, I’m going to quit my job and take care of you.’ I went to see my mother Sunday night, and Monday morning, my nephew took her to the doctor. She had massive heart attack, and it just took her out.” Today, Velma takes care of other people’s mothers as if they were her own. She truly embodies our CCOR value of “Extending the Family.”
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