Diane Wine, Portage, MI, is 71 years old and enjoys life, pastel colors, Mackinaw Island Fudge ice cream and time with her grandchildren. Her 9-year-old granddaughter says, “Grandma makes me laugh.”
She started out as a hospital candy striper then worked for 25 years at the hospital as a DCW in different departments including the pharmacy. She retired in 2009 then went to work part-time for a friend who opened a homecare business. Ten years later, she still has a client from that time. She started out at $9.50 per hour and now makes $10 per hour.
Diane talked about her calming effect on people, her skill for deescalating potentially dangerous situations. Every situation is different. “If someone would become agitated, you just kind of have to back off. You try to talk to them and calm them down. You have to be prepared, if they’re going to hit you. It’s just a matter of blocking that hit… Here again, you gotta feel out the patient to know what to do.” Diane says Direct Care work requires diplomacy skills, something she believes all DCWs should have. “I became a home care aide so that people could stay in their own home. They aren’t ready for a nursing home and just need a little help.”