When Norma Whiskey was a little girl growing up in Trinidad, she dreamed of becoming a doctor.
“I was a good student, very bright, and I always loved taking care of people,” Norma recalls. “When I was just 8 years-old, the neighbor would ask me to help her and I would go. My mother did not always like it, but I would go. It was something I was called to do.”
Norma, like many from her island nation, was forced to leave school at an early age and abandon her dream of becoming a doctor. But Norma’s desire to care for others never faded.
Today, Norma is a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) for Family & Children’s Service (FCS) Home Care Services, a program that currently assists 166 seniors and disabled clients, a majority of whom qualify for home care grant assistance from the Monmouth County Division on Aging, Disabilities and Veteran’s Affairs. Norma came to FCS in 1999 shortly after emigrating to the US and completing her CHHA training. She has remained with the agency ever since.
“I just like to make people feel well and make them happy,” Norma says of her career choice. “Even though I work with a lot of difficult patients who are suffering, I still try to make them happy. When they are happy, I feel happy.”
CHHAs work under the supervision of a Registered Nurse who develops a written care plan for the client that the aide must follow. Some of Norma’s clients, like Zenobia T., need assistance with daily living tasks, such as bathing, cooking and shopping. Norma helps Zenobia with these tasks, enabling Zenobia to maintain her independence with dignity and respect.
“I probably wouldn’t be as happy if I was doing the work that I can no longer do myself,” Zenobia says. “Thank God for Norma. She’s a sweetheart. You can’t find them better than her.”
Many of Norma’s clients present larger challenges. “I have a lot of clients that are bedridden and I am the only person that they may see all day until a friend or family member drops in later,” Norma says. “I have to clean them, change them, and change their bed clothes. I try to do my best to comfort them. I will hold them by the hand and, if they want, I will pray with them and sing to them.”
(It’s no surprise that Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson’s “If I Can Help Somebody” is one of Norma’s favorites.)
Norma’s cheerful spirit and can-do attitude have also helped her meet personal challenges head-on. When she was diagnosed with cancer a number of years ago, Norma was determined to keep working because, “there are always others worse off.” Her treatments required her to handle fewer cases mostly in a supportive care role, but she was grateful for the work, and today she is cancer free.
FCS Director of Nursing Kathleen Vourlos says Norma’s unparalleled humanity, coupled with her knowledge, are why she has been selected as February’s “Aide of the Month.”
“FCS is very fortunate to have such a compassionate and professional group of Certified Home Health Aides (CCHA) and supportive care aides caring for our clients,” Kathleen says. “Norma’s ability to offer companionship as well as care is something that sets her apart. This comes from experience.”
Norma’s patients have a nickname for her. They call her “Angel.”
“They say to me, I don’t know what part of heaven you came from Norma, but you sure have a lot of patience,” she laughs.
“You have to love what you are doing to be an aide, or to be a nurse, because it is a tough job,” Norma adds. “Not everyone is called to do it.”