CNA Amy is a Decatur House gem. Arriving for an interview about five years ago, she was amazed that owners Linda and Steve Austin had black- and fawn-colored pugs, Lulu and Woody as Amy, too, had black- and fawn-colored pugs! “You have to hire me!,” she remembers saying.
Once hired, her feeling was “I’m home!” Amy’s definitely at home here and appreciates Linda and Steve as wonderful employers.
Amy typically works overnight care shifts and some weekend days. It wasn’t easy to talk her into an interview, but multiple team members said it’s high time to profile this terrific employee.
Amy is a true Cape Codder, having been born at Falmouth Hospital. She grew up near Old Silver Beach in West Falmouth.
Thanks to her mother’s career as President of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, Amy traveled extensively when she was younger. She’s visited Holland, London, and Belgium, and once went sledding in Quebec.
Prior to becoming a private-duty caregiver and then joining the DH team, Amy was a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym for 17 years. She also was a dog-walker. Love for both animals and residents is evident with Amy. As fellow CNA Jesse Miller says, “Amy is awesome with the residents. She’s definitely Helen’s best friend.” Jesse appreciates Amy’s reliability and also her sense of humor.
Fun facts: the way to Amy’s heart is Monster Energy drinks, SweetTart ropes, and anything green (especially Jolly Ranchers). And dogs, of course. Her own Leo is 15 years old. Sadly, Leroy Brown passed away about a year ago.
In typical Amy fashion, she would only allow a photo that featured a dog (in this case, team member Andrew’s Rory). But there’s no question about it: Decatur House is fortunate to have this lovely human as part of the staff.
— Cathy Ode
