Elaine on Caregiving: “It’s Truly About Both Caring and Giving”
Meet Elaine, our Sunny Days In Home Care North West Featured Caregiver for the month of September!
Elaine has been with Sunny Days In Home Care North West since December of 2025. Originally from Iberia, Missouri, she now calls Hadley, Pennsylvania home. Elaine has been with her boyfriend, Jared, for six years and has two daughters, Ryan and Kaycie. She and her girls live with her mom, Janet, along with their pit bull, Bella May, and their very unique pet goose, Big Bird!
Elaine’s favorite meal is pot roast and potatoes, but she also loves trying the new recipes she cooks with her client. Her favorite movie right now is The Super Mario Bros. Movie, she enjoys animated movies, and her favorite type of music is pop.
A Lifelong Love of Unusual Pets
A fun fact about Elaine is that she has always loved having unusual pets! Growing up on 1,200 acres in Missouri, she was always raising some kind of interesting animal. Today, that tradition continues with Big Bird, her house-trained goose who even has her own indoor kennel!
Outside of work, Elaine stays busy spending time with her mom, daughters, and boyfriend. She also makes it a priority to take at least one day each week for herself because she believes taking care of yourself is just as important as caring for others.
What Caregiving Means to Elaine
Elaine’s favorite part about being a caregiver is the memories she makes and knowing she is making a difference in someone’s life while they make a difference in hers, too. To Elaine, caregiving is truly about both caring and giving — giving clients the time, attention, companionship, and support they need, even if that sometimes means simply sitting together and being there for them.
Her Advice for New Caregivers
Elaine’s advice to new caregivers is to remember that every client deserves warmth, love, patience, and attention, even when forming a connection takes time.
A Day at the Yard Sales
One of Elaine’s favorite memories was spending an entire day yard sale shopping with her “lady,” as she affectionately calls her client. They stopped at a flower sale, and Elaine remembers how excited her client was, describing her as being “like a kid in a candy store.” After spending so much time going to appointments together, having a day where they could simply get out and enjoy themselves was extra special. Elaine enjoyed it so much that she even called in for extra time because she didn’t want their day together to end!
Thank You, Elaine
We are so grateful to have Elaine as part of the Sunny Days In Home Care family. Her compassion, warmth, and understanding of what caregiving is truly about make a meaningful difference in the lives of those she cares for.
Congratulations, Elaine, on being our Featured Caregiver for the month of September!
Interested in learning more about home care in the Northwestern PA area? Reach out to our team today.
