Leon Church: Recipient of 2024 National Caregiver Award

Note: Leon’s client has requested that only his first name be used.

What drew you into the caregiving profession? 

I’ve been doing it [for] a total of 10 years. Unfortunately, I lost my dad when I was in nursing school, so I stopped … but basically just working at the hospital during COVID, taking care of way too many people by myself, dealing with hospital politics, just unfortunate, compromising situations … I was just tired of feeling overworked and underpaid.

I wanted to do one-on-one palliative care or quality-of-life improvement … with Right at Home, I applied and they called me within a week. As soon as I walked into the office, I just felt this genuine kindness, sincerity that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

It was kind of like destiny because this company was the last stop for me. I was angry and frustrated with kind of how my medical career was going. When I got to meet Jason and his family, I could tell there was a lot of anxiety and a lot of tension. But what this has done in the last three years has made me a better person. I’ve learned a lot about humility and patience, and I’ve helped calm the nerves of Jason and his family.

What was your reaction to receiving the award? 

I was just overjoyed, I was shocked. I had never won anything in my life. What’s awesome is that I couldn’t have done it without Jason, because it’s not done on the merits of just me and what I do. It’s about what we do together.

What would you tell yourself 10 years ago when you first started as a caregiver?

Just take each day as a blessing and a gift to get to know your clients personally. That’s what I try to do every single day with Jason, to be open-minded and try to understand their inadequacies and yours, and how you can just formulate a game plan … that shows the best versions of you and your client together.

In the beginning, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it was like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ on TV … medical health care is just a piece of cake. There’s nothing easy about working in health care at all, it’s all hard work.

What are some defining challenging and rewarding aspects of your career? 

I do think you have to have a sentiment of emotional intelligence and separate personal from business, and there’s a level of maturity that needs to be there for the person and client.

The main things that are challenging are obviously feeding him because he can choke, and it is quite scary sometimes.

Can you describe any standout moments between you and Jason? 

There’s a number of things I could elaborate on … when I first met Jason, who he is today and how healthy he looks, I’m very proud of that. I trim his nails, I groom him, I style his hair, put some cologne on, you know, I’m happy that he reciprocates being the best version of himself and being open-minded to my criticism, but to help him with his struggles and overcome them.