Kindness can transform someone’s darkness with a blaze of light, Jessie is a light to all of her clients!! – Rachelle C, Jessica’s Manager.
Tell us about you: I’m originally from a small town in South Dakota. There were about 800
people in the town and only twenty-seven in my high school graduation class. After graduation, I
moved to several places, including Laramie, Wyoming, Phoenix, Detroit and South Bend. After
living in South Bend for five years, I moved to Colorado, where I lived for sixteen years. While
living in Colorado, I worked at two assisted living facilities. Toward the end of 2021, I transferred
my job to an assisted living facility in Granger and moved to the Middlebury area. I found that
was too far of a commute and I wasn’t sure how the winters were going to be here or if my
transportation would be reliable enough.
How did you meet your husband? I met my husband Chris online in 2008. He lived in Kokomo,
Indiana and I was still living in Colorado then. We started talking online and met in person
before he was deployed to Iraq. We had a long-distance relationship for fifteen years. In March
will be married for two years.
When did you become a caregiver? I really fell into the job. I knew I was going to get laid off in
my current job and my sister, who was doing caregiving, suggested I apply. I had never been a
caregiver before. I got the job and started my first caregiving job in December 2015.
When did you begin working at Firefly, and what type of shifts do you work? I started working
for Firefly in December 2022. I work full time and have a mix of consistent clients I see and some
clients I go to whenever Firefly needs me to go. I work mostly around the Topeka, Goshen,
Middlebury, Bristol, and Elkhart areas.
What do you do for your clients? Clients have a care plan that I go by. The care plan might
include housekeeping, meal preparation, and helping the client with everyday life activities. It
could also include taking them to appointments if necessary, or getting their groceries.
Sometimes I do exercises with the client.
What do you like most about working with older people? I found I really enjoy listening to their
stories and learning about how their generation differs from my own. I love taking care of them.
You get close to your clients and their families. This is not a job meant for everyone, but I
honestly feel this is my calling.
Can you share a little about one of your consistent clients? Doris is one of my clients. She’s a
quiet, kind, caring, and funny woman. I’ve been with her since January, and we’ve become really
close. I don’t know what I’d do without her! She’s one of my favorites. I planted a garden with
her this summer, which I had never done before. The vegetables actually grew, and I was pretty
proud of myself. Doris and I go for walks, we talk, and I do whatever she needs.
What are three of your favorite things? Spending time with my husband and dog, spending
time with clients, and watching movies.
What genre of movies do you like? I watch a lot of series including Lord of the Rings, Harry
Potter, and The Fast and the Furious. I also enjoy watching animated shows like American Dad,
Brickleberry, and the Simpsons. I have almost 500 DVDs—I’ve been collecting them for many
years.
What is one unique thing about you? People who don’t even know me will open up to
me and tell me their whole life story—even in the grocery line.
We talked with Doris, a client of Jessie’s, to get her thoughts about the care she
provides: She comes to see me four mornings a week for three hours. She will help with
breakfast, wash dishes, and she gives me a shower a couple of mornings each week.
After all of that, then we exercise. Once in a while, we go outdoors and take a walk. This
spring, she helped me put my garden in. She was so excited to do that—she’d never
made a garden before. She’s just nice to have around and we have a good time. I’m
grateful for her.
