Annabelle Snider, Family Resource Home Care’s Salem Branch Manager shared her personal experience that brought her to love home care. Beginning as a family caregiver for her grandmother, whom she endearingly called Nana, she continues to represent FRHC’s mission, values, and purpose of improving more lives as a leader of her branch.
“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”
Annabelle’s Home Care Story
To listen to Annabelle’s story and drive to help aging seniors stay independent is a powerful testimony to what it means to be a caregiver and help our aging loved ones maintain their dignity, and independence, and feel at home in their homes. After finding out that her grandmother was struggling to recover from a fall at 91 years old, Annabelle made the decision to move her entire family to Oregon to help, in 2017 from Georgia. With another fall and yet another surgery, her mom (a nurse) reluctantly placed Nana in a facility where she felt her mother could receive more comprehensive services. Within just three days, Nana shut down. Once a talker, she stopped talking and lost her appetite completely. She simply wouldn’t eat and began to quickly deteriorate. Devastated and concerned, Annabelle worried Nana wouldn’t make it much longer. She wrestled with ideas on how to help her grandmother feel better and start eating again, so she took her on a field trip to get her out and about. She brought Nana’s cat to help her feel a sense of “home”, but Nana continued to shut down and deteriorate more quickly, and the facility estimated she would only survive for one more month.
“There’s no place like home”
In the frustration and sadness, her grandmother was experiencing, Annabelle and her mom discussed bringing Nana home. As soon as they brought her back to her home, Nana was back to her old self—talking, eating, and enjoying the company of her cat and her family. She would continually comment, “There’s no place like home.” She thrived in her familiar and home environment. Of course, the family knew Nana wouldn’t be with them forever, but in the time they experienced with her, she was so happy. Nana seemed to almost wait to pass—not within one month but an entire year and a half later–waited for Annabelle to come home from work as she was also working another job. Annabelle asked her how she was, and she responded, “Fantastic!” She stayed with her for the evening, and then Nana looked up at her, “Promise me you will continue homecare for us old people.” Hearing this from her Nana, known fondly as the Queen Bee of the family, reinforced how special she was to not only the family but to our aging communities.
Annabelle was resolved to fulfill her grandmother’s last wish. With every client consult or visit, she shares her story. It is evident her heart and soul are in her work, and it has spread into the hearts of all the Salem Branch staff and caregivers. Annabelle worked as a scheduler and then as a client care supervisor for FRHC as she believed in her heart that home care is where she needed to be. Everything from the big move from Georgia with her husband and children lined up exactly as it should–like it was meant to be. She shares with everyone, in honor of her grandmother, that she (Nana) is why she believes home care is best. Even her children, who are older now, are in service to others and helped as caregivers themselves.
The power of caregiver growth from within
If you get a chance to meet Annabelle, you’ll immediately notice the bee items in the office. Her Nana, the Queen Bee, is a reminder to her and anyone who knows her incredible story, of how powerful home care can be in the life of your loved one, enabling them to age gracefully and independently at home, live longer with quality of life, surrounded by loved ones.
