Becky Ciampi, Moretown, has two windows into how Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice works with families in Central Vermont.
Her first exposure was personal and was in 2010 when CVHHH staff members helped her family care for her dad, Ozzie Goss, and later her mother, Evelyn Goss. At the time she and her siblings were helping care for her parents and the help from CVHHH was welcome.
“I was impressed then working with them. They had a way of coming into the home to help and it wasn’t just for the patient. You don’t realize how much support you’ll need when caring for a family member at home,” she said.
Fast forward to January 2020, pre-pandemic when Ciampi ended a longtime job in the Harwood Unified Union School District and saw an ad for a personal care attendant at CVHHH.
According to CVHHH spokesperson Emily McKenna, PCAs at CVHHH are matched with clients who need support with what the organization calls activities of daily living. These are things like light house cleaning and meal preparation, getting out of bed and dressing, and companionship.
“PCAs play an essential role for Central Vermonters who need regular assistance and support at home in order to be able to stay in their own homes,” McKenna said.
It’s pretty intense sometimes. It can be. It can be and with someone who had to deal with that you appreciate being there a lot more, from my perspective.
Ciampi said, what happens on any given day with any given client depends on what is needed. There is cleaning, there might be taking someone shopping, reading to a client, taking someone for a ride.
“I read into the day and let them give me an idea of how they want their day to go,” she said.
“Our visits can be calm, happy, teary or sometimes all of those things in one day,” she added.
Ciampi takes her cues from the patients and their families, letting them share what they need each day and responds accordingly.
She sees two to three clients a day, spending two to four hours with them. Most of her work is within 30 miles of Moretown which she appreciates. In addition to enjoying helping her clients, she particularly enjoys her co-workers.
“I am so fortunate to work with really great people. Clients can have more than one PCA and we are able to stay in communication with each other and the other providers so that we’re up to date on what is happening with the clients and their families. That’s helpful for us and benefits the families,” she said.
An important part of the job is a desire to help and a willingness to understand that everything that impacts clients/patients and their families will impact the PCAs, she said.
“There’s a very human connection that is happening when you’re in someone’s home during a vulnerable period in their life. You might be there when they get news that shatters their world, and you might be a sounding board for them if their family isn’t there at that moment,” Ciampi explained.
The best part of the job is knowing she is helping someone stay in their home and knowing she’s doing her best to help the family in one of the hardest situations, trying to keep a loved one safe at home as long as possible.
The hardest part is when people are nearing end of life or need to move to a long-term care facility.
“It’s hard, but it is also an honor to be there. It’s a privilege to help, to sit with patients so their families can take a break, listening for the cues in what they are telling you. It’s one of the most rewarding parts,” she added.
Ciampi is a graduate of Harwood Union and is married to Craig Ciampi. They have three children and eight grandchildren.
