Caregiving: Peter's Story

“I wasn’t really looking for extra work or a new career at the time, it just sort of happened.”

Looking back over his more than 30 years of caring for others, Peter J. of Mayfield laughed as he recounted the time his old friend said he should “get on the payroll.”

“I wasn’t living in the area at the time, but I was making trips home quite often to visit my family and childhood friend, Walter, who was a quadriplegic. When I officially moved back in 1987, I would stop by to see Walter every day to see how he was or if he needed anything - and I learned how to drive his van so I could take him places. One day he said to me - ‘You should really be on the payroll.’ I thought he was kidding. I told him I had a job, and I was helping him because we were friends.”

Peter was working full-time as a purchasing agent for a wholesale distribution company, but his friend was persistent. Peter did eventually talk to the agency that was organizing Walter’s care and became one of Walter’s caregivers. Back then, another company was in charge of Walter's care, but in the early 2000s Allied Services became the managers of Walter’s care. Peter then became an Allied Services employee.

“I had a full-time job, so I only officially cared for Walter 2 nights a week. I would put him to bed, but of course, he had other aides because of his condition. Then when I was about 58 or 59 years old, the company I was working for was downsizing and I was laid off. I could have retired, but I didn’t want to and since I was already working 2 nights taking care of Walter, I asked Allied Services if there was anyone else I could take care of.”

“They started off with one person one extra day, plus Walter and his two days. Then they asked if I wanted to take care of that person two days a week too, and I said, sure! But I still wanted my 3-day weekends so I stuck to my 4 days a week. Allied was happy with that and so was I.”

Peter notes he has met so many interesting people right here in our area that he never would have met sitting in an office.

“I’ve cared for many veterans, one that survived the Battle of Iwo Jima. Another gentleman had climbed over the Berlin Wall to find freedom. You never know who you will meet or the wonderful stories they will tell.”

We asked Peter what he would tell anyone who is curious about becoming a caregiver, and he said:

“I would say call - just call. Ask them questions. Try it for a day - try it for an hour, what do you have to lose?”

“You’re not spending 8 hours in the same place. You’re on the move quite a bit - so if you like that sort of thing your day will go by pretty quick!”

“It's great work, no matter if you’re younger, older, looking for extra work, or even retired. Between your day and the clients' needs, the schedule can be really flexible.”

Become a Caregiver Today

Caregivers (also known as Direct Care Workers) make a meaningful impact in these peoples' lives, allowing them to remain in their homes safely. If you are already providing this type of care for a relative, we would like to pay you for your care! If not, we can train the right compassionate and caring people to join our team. Caregivers receive a $1,500 sign-on bonus when they join Allied Services.

• Learn about becoming a Caregiver with Allied Services.
• Fill out a short inquiry form to get started as a Caregiver.
• Call us at 570-348-2210 to speak with us about Caregiver jobs.