For 9 years caregiver Michael Hagos looked for the right place to fully unpack his suitcase and settle down. Leaving his country of birth, Eritrea, in 2006, he spent time in Brazil, Colombia, Washington, D.C. and other spots until 2015, when a friend invited him to visit Seattle. “When I arrived in Seattle,” said Michael, “I knew I had found the right place.”
Michael’s long-term goal is to go to nursing school. “When I first arrived in Seattle I worked in a nursing home and an assisted living facility. Last year I heard about Family Resource Home Care from a friend and when I was hired I knew I had found not just the right city to live in, but also the right place to work. Family Resource takes good care of its clients and also its caregivers. The supervisors listen and are always helpful. We work as a family. They want us to be happy in our jobs.”
Currently, Michael has two clients and does fill-in shifts when he can. One client lives with his wife in assisted living and Michael has been with him for 6 months. “He is a very nice man and I like helping him,” says Michael. “When I arrive I help him with his exercises. He is old and has dementia but he tries to help me. We work together like a family. When I am with him and his wife we always talk about different things. Sometimes we talk about basketball or soccer or a movie that we saw.”
Both of Michael’s clients are men and each wanted to have a male caregiver. Michael’s second client is unable to walk or talk. He lives at home, has cancer and is in hospice care. “He needs a lot of care,” said Michael. “I do everything for him and I am happy to do it. One time Family Resource had a client who did not want to take a shower,” remembered Michael. “So they asked me to go and help him. I went to him and he said, ‘you are a man so it is alright for you to help me take a shower.'”
In addition to his full-time work with Family Resource, Michael is studying for his CNA license. “Helping people is what I like to do. It is what I want to do,” he says. “I like working with older people because they need the help and I can tell they appreciate it. When I arrive for my shift I always smile and ask how they are feeling. Then, when I leave my shift and they say ‘thank-you’ I know that I am appreciated.”
