Nomination Letter

Written by Linda H., daughter of client Bea

Our family would like to nominate Heather Bailey as outstanding caregiver of the year!

It is so hard to leave a mother who is in the later stages of Alzheimer's in the care of a stranger! You never know what to expect – however we did not expect the positive impact that this one person could have on my mother – but also on us, her children.

Heather ensures that all routine duties that we have come to expect from the BrightStar Care of North Hills / Pittsburgh caregivers are completed daily – dressing, feeding, bathing, light house cleaning.

However, Heather goes way beyond those duties!

Heather takes our mom for walks in our neighborhood, shops with her, makes pancakes, and sings songs to her. She does physical therapy games with her and dances with her in her chair. She bought and planted flowers for her and made a garden.

She visited her in the hospital on her own time.

Heather has brought my mom stuffed animals when my mom was lonely for her cat. Heather dreams up projects that my mom can be involved in and helps my mom call her sisters or us when she is able to talk on the phone!

When there is a medical problem, Heather researches it. When there is a new caregiver, she says and shows her the routines and nuances of the things and words my mom is familiar hearing. She often calls the caretaker to check on her and check in on our mom.

And once when my mom was choking, she saved her life!

Heather has gone beyond this to calm my brothers and me when we are afraid or nervous, and Heather has cried with us and hugged us at the hospital on her own time when things didn't look so good for my mom.

You can teach a nurse how to be a caretaker, but you cannot teach them this kind of care! That comes from the heart! Heather's father was right when he told her that she has a heart of gold – she indeed does!

I am sure that someday in the future, Heather will become a great nurse. And I hope she goes on to teach, because our world needs more people like Heather!

Moreover, we hope Heather knows that all the things she does big and small do not go unnoticed! Heather is a blaze of light in dealing with this heartbreaking disease. She makes a difference – and the best pancakes!

To me, her acts of caring are nothing short of heroic. I'm not sure there is a prize big enough to thank her.

For now, I want her to know that not only has she been such a blessing in my mom's life, she has been a blessing to her children. And, if anyone knew my Italian mother, they would know how much that meant to her.

Heather is a true example of an outstanding caregiver!