December 20, 2019 · 0 Comments
By Brian Lockhart
Just as the name implies, Comfort Keepers helps support seniors and others with disabilities or a temporary injury recover comfortably in their own homes.
Whether someone requires just an hour of help in the morning or for several hours each day, Comfort Keepers provides personal support workers who assist those who need some help.
Ellen Bulten, a personal service worker with Comfort Keepers of Orangeville, was recognized for her compassionate work in helping her clients with their day-to-day needs by being honoured as Comfort Keeper of the Year by the national organization.
Ms. Bulten has been with Comfort Keepers for two years.
“Initially I did child care at home which was licensed through the Ministry,” Ms. Bulten said of her career helping others. “I worked eight years with Community Living. I heard about Comfort Keepers and it sounded like something I wanted to do. I like caring for people. It’s been great ever since.”
Describing a typical day in her position, she said, “On a typical day I would go to people’s homes and help them get ready for the day, help them get dressed and make their breakfast. I make sure they take their required medication. I don’t give it to them, I just make sure they take it. There’s companion care and conversation. Sometimes I take them shopping or to appointments. I pick people up from the hospital and take them home.”
Many of her clients get to know Ms. Bulten quite well as she sees them on a regular basis.
She was nominated for Comfort Keepers of the Year by her fellow associates at Comfort Keepers of Orangeville.
The other offices of Comfort Keepers across Canada voted on who they thought deserved the honour. Ms. Bulten was chosen as the award-winner from all the submissions from all over the country.
“There are around 30 offices of Comfort Keepers across Canada,” explained Comfort Keepers of Canada owner, Lori Ciappara. “We all are allowed to nominate one caregiver. We do a written nomination and that goes into head office and they pick the top three. Then all the offices vote on the top three.”
The submission also included a video which had a testimonial from a man in Ireland who gave a touching tribute after Ms. Bulten cared for his mother when she was ill.
“I was very appreciative of being nominated,” Ms. Bulten said. “To actually win, it took a while for it to really sink in.”
At the same time as Ms. Bulten’s award, Ms. Ciappara and her 63-member team received an award for top sales. This is quite impressive as the Orangeville office is quite small compared to Comfort Keepers in large cities.
Comfort Keepers of Orangeville continues to help those in need while making sure they can stay in the comfort of their own homes.