Paulette Wilson

paulette

Meet Paulette Wilson, the August 2021 WFC Caregiver of the Month. We are so pleased to honor Paulette with this recognition of her special contribution to WFC caregiving. Paulette credits her grandmother with giving her a foundation at an early age of caring for others. She was taught to recognize what happens when you get old and to respect the aging process. She also remembers being recognized for her fearlessness about carrying out whatever needed to be done for the elderly.

When she was seven years old, Paulette began her caregiving duties in her native Jamaica by bringing water to her grandmother, the local midwife, and assisting her in birth deliveries. She was instructed to take satisfaction from the enjoyment of giving to others. She recalls always helping people and animals as well as assisting with births and funerals.

“My grandmother was a midwife and had a big influence in guiding me through different ways to care for people. From birth through their days’ end, I was responsible for the water Grandmother needed to deliver babies and for packing the bodies of deceased people with ice for the required three days, as was the custom in my country. I believe I helped deliver more than 25 babies.”
– Caregiver Paulette Wilson

At that time, Paulette wanted to be a nurse when she grew up. It follows logically that her first job was as an Aide in a hospital in Jamaica. She continued in this role at hospitals in Canada and the U.S.

Paulette obtained her license as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA) and began her home care career at a skilled nursing facility in Ossining, NY. Paulette then made geographic moves to stay near her oldest daughter which first took her to Atlanta where she worked as a CNA at a large medical home health center. There she obtained experience in clinical residential care by working with clients needing ventilators and tube feedings. Subsequently, her daughter spent time as a missionary in China, and Paulette followed her to care for her newborn grandson.

Upon her return to New York, Paulette further rounded out her diversified background by spending three years as a private caregiver for a prominent Scarsdale client. This was followed by ten years of working as a CNA with the local Virginia office of a national home care provider.

By 2019, Paulette was back in Westchester County and looking to connect with a home care agency. By that time, she had seen profound changes in the way nursing homes are run. She observes that a single Aide can be responsible for up to 11 patients which doesn’t fit Paulette’s brand of caregiving. Paulette believes in total care for the whole person which is impossible to deliver with a 11:1 care ratio.

Gyro,Scooter,Watercolor,Illustration
Port set
Meet Our Team

She found WFC and liked it immediately. She likes the “homey” feeling of working with a small group of professionals, and the agency’s “very keen interest in working conditions and caring for clients” as well as “one of the best pay’s” in the area. She transferred her CNA license to New York and enrolled in WFC’s free transition course to become HHA-certified.

Paulette likes the flexibility of being able to work with several clients at a time and the ability to be a live-in caregiver which she did for a full year with a WFC client.

“I love my job. The people are straightforward and honest. Plus, working in the home is less stressful than hospitals or nursing homes. I think the clients feel more secure getting home care right there where they live. And I can get close to that one client, become familiar to them and have a nice relationship.”

She is grateful to her grandmother and the influence she had on Paulette’s career choice. In turn, she believes it’s important to set the example for who is to follow in her footsteps.

“Whatever I learned at seven years old is the way I take care of my clients today. The life I’m living today is from Grandmother’s foundation. These are the blessings the Lord gave me, and I give to my kids and grandchildren. I want to be remembered by my deeds and that my life is worth it. That way, when I pass on, there’ll be someone there to talk about me.”

Congratulations, Paulette, on becoming WFC’s August 2021 Caregiver of the Month!