About Lauren

My first "job" out of college was taking care of my grandmother for seven months when she became ill and disabled. This experience forever changed my life and gave me a heart and passion for care-giving and so many areas connected to it. Since then I have had many experiences in care-giving and assisting others with care-giving for people and animals that have increased this passion, developed my perspective, and blessed me with greater knowledge and ability. I was raised by a physician and a nurse in a medical family, which has given me an added understanding of healthcare and care giving issues. I am passionate about finding ways to meet the unique needs of the person I am helping, being sensitive to non-verbal cues of a patient's needs, providing focused, compassionate care, never quitting, advocating, and helping people and animals stay in their homes with those they love by finding creative ways to accommodate disabilities. I am experienced with many aspects of the healthcare system through helping other caregivers and family members and friends. I believe in preserving life and I view the lives of the elderly and disabled as filled with meaning and purpose regardless of and even as a result of disability or physical/cognitive limitations. I am a part-time student pursuing post-bacc premedical classes at the bachelors level. I would like to work 20-30 hours a week (or alternately work a full-time/in home position with some time for studying possible "on the job"). I have very little paid experience as a caregiver because helping people in my life with care-giving has been a natural part of my life that has filled up a lot of my "free time" for several years. But because I need a job to help me pursue schooling, I am looking to put my experiences and natural passion to work in professional ways now. I also have Executive Assistant experience and can help with phone calls, appointments, organization, hospital-home transitions, and other administrative tasks for patients and family members and caregivers. I consider myself to be an "amateur social worker" and excel at researching and networking to find resources and information. I enjoy cooking delicious food catered to specific health needs (e. g low sodium). I am and have always been drug, tobacco, and alcohol-free. Honest, integrity, and ethics are very important to me. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, spending time with family, church activities, and animal care and rescue.