Our April Caregiver of The Month: Sharon Morton

Congratulations to Sharon Morton of Preferred Care at Home for being nominated as our April Caregiver of the Month! She has been an outstanding caregiver for Preferred Care at Home since she began working for the company. Her clients love her compassion and understanding. They are proud to call her one of their shining caregivers. The following is an interview Lisa Barry did with Sharon for an article in the Hendersonville Standard Newspaper: Meet Sharon Morton, CNA (certified nurse assistant), who got her start in healthcare back in 2000 in a mental health hospital in Butner, North Carolina. "Working in a mental health hospital taught me a lot about working with people," says Sharon. "I saw just about everything under the sun. It prepared me to deal with all kinds of situations in my future jobs." Sharon decided after her time spent working in the mental health hospital, that she would obtain a cosmetology license since she had cosmetology experience from her high school days. She claims that working as a CNA (certified nursing assistant) helped her with important skills that are a plus for a cosmetologist - an ability to listen to clients and to make them happy and comfortable. Seeing how Sharon's two professions share similar qualities makes it easy to see what led her into the field of caregiving. When Sharon moved to Tennessee, she decided to become a caregiver, even though she kept a few of her cosmetology clients in North Carolina. When she occasionally visits home, her clients are waiting for her and a hair appointment. When asked about being a caregiver, Sharon says, "Caregiving is such a rewarding job. You cannot help getting attached to clients. I have a client who I am so grateful to be caring for now. Being her caregiver makes me feel like I am protecting her and not risking her health and safety (during the coronavirus pandemic)." Sharon explains her biggest lesson during the Covid-19 pandemic, "People should realize that cleanliness and hygiene are an important part of our lives now. The current situation has made me want to be a caregiver for my clients even more. I want them to be safe, so I feel that being with 1 client is the smartest way - not exposing them to others like if they were in a facility. I wear masks, gloves, wash my hands constantly, keep hand sanitizer with me and keep my client clean. I also spray my clothes with Lysol before my shift. The family knows I am taking care of their mom, and that makes them feel comfortable." Sharon's words of comfort and positivity are echoed throughout the care giving profession. Her story is an awesome story of compassion and service, but the touching part is that there are more stories in our community that have the same heartwarming spin. Submitted by Lisa Barry Community Liaison, Preferred Care at Home