Crystal Bennett has only been with Family Resource for one year but has proven to be an exemplary caregiver and a real professional. Our Cascade branch manager Alysha says, “Crystal is up for the challenge of the most complicated cases. Her clients are always pleased with her care.” With a kind heart, caring personality, exactly the right temperament, and 20 years of CNA experience, it’s no wonder she’s such a natural at caregiving.

As life tends to be, Crystal’s journey to caregiving was meandering, yet purposeful. Most of her working life has landed her in spaces directly helping people in need. Her career first took root in the hospitals near her home in Mesa, Arizona where she cleaned surgical rooms and medical departments. The manager of the x-ray department, who appreciated her work ethic, offered her a position assisting doctors and technicians. This same manager later supported Crystal through her schooling to become a CNA, once she had a clearer vision for her future. Adventurous at heart, Crystal bounced around to various departments, like telemetry and rehabilitation, and lived in a few different states. She was even a massage therapist for a chiropractic practice until her body could no longer support the strenuous nature of that role.

Back in Arizona, she found her way to ResCare, a home health care, and rehabilitation agency, which she loved, and which really advanced her career. Her comfort and happiness there was due in large part to their effort into making good caregiver/client matches. Crystal felt cared for and at ease communicating when she felt there wasn’t a good fit. She was saddened to leave ResCare when she and her husband moved from Arizona to Bothell to be closer to his parents and was out of work for some time before speaking with a friend who recommended Family Resource Home Care. She eventually applied to Family Resource and has “been really impressed”. She feels a similar comfort in the way she was treated at ResCare. “All of a sudden, I felt encouraged to apply to FRHC. And, wow, the Lord led me to the right place!”

Wherever she works, Crystal’s caring spirit and knack for caregiving follows. She knows with certainty that caregiving is her calling, and always has been. She approaches her clients and their families as if they were her own, with kindness, patience, and joy. She appreciates being able to be there for her clients and their families in their time of need. “It’s fun!” she says, “It’s like you’re all family.” The wife of her current client says that Crystal is very thorough and caring, adding “She just knows what to do.”

Among her favorite clients at Family Resource was one with whom she’d had a genuine connection. Even though this client had severe dementia, her personality and radiance still shone through. She was difficult to understand, but somehow Crystal was still able to communicate with her. “I was there to comfort her through that. It was clear that she loved me,” Crystal remarked. At home, Crystal is also a caregiver to her husband, who became disabled after suffering a brain injury from a car accident decades ago. It’s difficult, she says, to be a caregiver at home and at work. “But it’s rewarding.”

Crystal was a military kid growing up, which, in addition to teaching her how to respect and treat a variety of different people, also instilled in her a love for exploring in nature and experiencing new places. When she’s not caregiving, Crystal loves being outdoors and staying in her small getaway up north. She especially loves camping, fishing, and enjoying the natural beauty around her. She firmly believes that you should “know what you’re doing in life and follow through,” for life is precious, and “anything is possible”.