About Shawn

Reviewed on 2/20/2024

When I met Shawn, I was in desperate need of an in-home caretaker for my sick grandfather. He had late-stage dementia, which came with an onslaught of physical disabilities that were becoming increasingly difficult for my grandmother and family to manage on our own. If you knew my grandfather before his final days, you’d know that being in this state was tremendously difficult for him emotionally, and that he was a proud man who considered it his life mission to provide and take care of his family. At that time, I was getting ready to move from New York all the way to California, and as one of his main caretakers, I was really worried about the quality of care I could find. I met Shawn on Care.com in June of 2022, and he made it clear right away how lucky we were to have him. Every time he went to my grandfather’s home, he provided the utmost level of care - in washing him, feeding him, helping him around the house, and transporting him to and from medical appointments. He always went the extra mile, going grocery shopping for my grandmother, helping her keep the house pristine, and even making himself available outside of usual hours. Most important of all, he upheld my grandfather’s dignity, and became to him a real source of happiness. He was someone my grandfather could relate to - so many times in that year, my grandmother told me about conversations they had, and how much Shawn made him laugh. As I write this, it’s hard not to get emotional, remembering how Shawn became something novel and necessary to my grandfather: a really good friend. Professionally speaking, I know the value of providing superior, compassionate care to one’s clients. I worked for two years as a Direct Support Professional in New York, providing 50 hours of care each week to children and adults with developmental disabilities, taking care of them and befriending them in their homes and communities. I have witnessed firsthand how hard it can be for someone to let a stranger into their home, and ask for them to cook, clean, and bathe you when you yourself are unable. What I’ve learned in that time, and what I continue to practice as a Registered Behavior Technician, is that protecting the dignity and uplifting the spirit of the people you care for, is just as paramount as the quality of care itself. When I think about Shawn as a friend to my grandfather, I am filled with gratitude; when I think about Shawn as a professional caretaker, I am filled with admiration. He is a model for compassion and excellence that all healthcare professionals should aspire to. Wherever Shawn goes next in his journey - whether he continues to work in healthcare, or decides to do something different altogether - what you need to know as a potential employer is that he will bring passion, a rigorous work ethic, and dedication to his craft. He is what any industry would be lucky to have: an upstanding man who will get the job done, who will do so with enthusiasm, and will make the people around him happy for having done so. I hope you take this opportunity to heart - because the heart he will bring to your organization or home will reap its benefits tenfold. That is just who he is.