Hi, I’m Valerie Bender, a client of HomeCare Advocacy Network Lincoln. Working at a university department of fine arts for many years, I have a deep love and passion for art. As an artist myself, I rely on having a wide range of motion to create. I also maintain much of our house, which requires the same. That’s actually where my story starts.

I was working around the house when I had an accident that caused a major injury to my left shoulder. I went to the hospital, where they discovered I’d need surgery to repair it.

After my time in the hospital, I knew I wanted to recover in my home, in a comfortable setting where I could be in control. Besides, I didn’t need round-the-clock care and it made much more sense economically to choose home care.

My husband wouldn’t be able to stay home with me while I recovered, since he is a college professor and was in the middle of a term. Thankfully, he looked online and found HCAN for me.

Casey Sova, an Operations Director at HCAN, came right out to our house after I was discharged. We knew shortly into the visit that HCAN would be the right fit.

I enjoyed the continuity of care that I received, as well as the one-on-one interaction with my HCAN caregiver. I got a real connection out of it. My caregiver got to know me and cared about how I was feeling.

At first, my in-home caregiver helped me with bathing, dressing, laundry, and food preparation – things covered with Personal Care. She was so gentle and patient while cleaning my back and putting lotion on my feet. It made me feel comfortable and cared for.

One of my best memories was when my caregiver and I made my favorite old-fashioned pound cake recipe. I read off the instructions and she prepared it. That day was so much fun.

My caregiver also took me to my physical therapy appointments and helped me maintain the house by sweeping the floors and other light housekeeping tasks that I could not do.

After a while, I started regaining my range of motion and I could do more of my personal grooming. I decided to switch to Companion Care, which was perfect for that stage of my recovery.

Now comes the bittersweet part. My accident was a bad thing to have happened, and my recovery was painful. It was a time that challenged me, and I was glad to be healing. However, I wouldn’t have made these memories without it. I always had someone to smile and laugh with me throughout the process. I’m happy I’m recovered enough to take on my daily tasks, but I’ll miss the connections I shared with my HCAN caregiver and the other HCAN staff.

P.S. – HCAN was very happy to hear I was well enough to not need their services anymore. They truly supported me all the way through. I would recommend HCAN to my family and friends with no hesitation. They will always have my gratitude.