Caregiver redirects efforts to help elderly

“I got my CNA [certified nursing assistant] license and started working at an all-boys CPS [Child Protective Services] facility. I went in there with a good mental state a year ago. I thought I could handle it and make a difference. But it didn’t work out.

“These kids who had been abused began abusing me. They would hit on us, punch us, bite us, spit on us. I kind of just dealt with it for a while. When our facility was hit with COVID, I had to stay there with everyone. That was a lot to handle. The kids didn’t understand why we weren’t moving anywhere, like not going to school. So they did everything possible to abuse us as caretakers.

“After a 14-year-old hit me, I called the cops. But they didn’t do anything. There was no parenting and no consequences for these kids. That’s when I was like, I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.

“Now I work for a health care provider, taking care of the elderly who can’t do things on their own. I go to their houses and help with things like baths, preparing food, and making sure they take their medicine.

“It can be challenging in some cases. I took care of a lady in hospice who just passed the other day. She was 91. She told me that her life fulfillment was complete. She had no regrets. She was ready for God to take her. Being that a lot of people are afraid of death, I thought that was so interesting. Because I was her care provider, I’m going to her funeral.

“I also work with military veterans and others who have seen a lot and experienced so much in life. I think I can learn some life lessons from them that will help me as an adult. Plus, it just feels nice to help them. When I enter my car after being at someone’s home, it feels like I really accomplished something important.”

— James Rodgers