Meet Tina, one of our in-home caregivers. She was born, raised  and still lives in Appleton. Tina and her husband have been together for 25 years! They have two grown children in college. The oldest is a senior at University of Wisconsin-Superior and the youngest is a sophomore at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Tina has been a part of our in-home care program for seven years. Before that, she worked as a caregiver in our Adult Day Care program.

Tina worked at nursing homes in the past, but finds value in Valley VNA’s community living.

“I enjoy the one-on-one time I have with my clients in their homes,” she said. “There is more time to get to know them as a person and build trust with them.”

Tina loves being around seniors and has always gotten along well with seniors. Her grandmother helped raise her, and they were very close.

“When I got older, I became a caregiver for my grandma and, for a while, both of my parents,” she said. “That’s what I do, I take care of people.”

Each week Tina sees about 10 clients. She meets with clients throughout the day from assisting them in the morning with bathing to helping feed residents during lunch and dinner.

One of Tina’s favorite work activities is listening to music with her residents. Her family loved music growing up, so she often sings to her residents.

“Residents with dementia really love listening to music, and I love seeing the joy on their face with music,” Tina said. She and her residents also enjoy playing card games together, such as Kings’ Corners and Crazy Eights.

Tina has grown close with many residents, and she even brings them cards and balloons on their birthdays to celebrate with them. She still tries to keep in touch with residents if they move to an assisted living community or nursing home.

“I love working at Valley VNA! My supervisors and boss are great, and it’s a great place to work!”