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Laura
By juliezavala in My Turn
April 20, 2011

'Hopefully they'll have a good sitter for him that will appreciate his great sense of humor.'

I wrote those words when I first decided to call Senior Helpers for a sitter. The woman they eventually produced was way better than I ever could have dreamed she would be. Her name was Laura. She was the answer to my prayers and she lit up the house like a firecracker with her red hair and easy smile. Laura made my Dad laugh and feel better.

Laura would take Dad on adventures to get hamburgers or sometimes just coffee. She even introduced him to her dogs at her house. Once, when she took him with her to her bank, he introduced her as "my daughter, Julie."
I went to work each day knowing that Dad was in good hands. He was with his buddy.

All good things must come to an end and Laura's time with us ended last week when she got another job working for a Dialysis company. I was so sad; I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under us and I didn't know what to do.

Laura, being the good friend she is, made sure that her replacement was the most experienced and sweetest person she could find. And Senior Helpers was very concerned that the new companion was a good match for Dad.

Enter Lillian Garner. She's a little bundle of energy who comes in and cleans the house and takes good care of Dad. She calls me if there's a problem and she keeps me updated on how he's feeling. She comes with high recommendations from other families who hired her to care for their loved ones.

Today, when I got home from work I saw that the clothes had been washed folded, the house was clean and Lillian was getting Dad freshened up.

I still miss Laura and I hope we will always be friends. She and her husband are coming over this weekend for dinner and a movie and we're looking forward to seeing them. I'm thankful for all the time we had with Laura and I wish her the best of luck in her new job.