At Generations Ashe, we are committed to meeting people where they are to overcome challenges.  This is not just a figurative statement but can often be literal.   Every day, our In-Home Aide team of around 30 employees go out into the community and provide care and support to individuals where they are: at home.  

For 28 years, Vicky Blankenship has served as an in-home aide and is a shining example of the heart and compassion behind the program.  Over the years, she has had the privilege of caring for many different clients.  All with different and unique needs.  On a daily basis, she provides services through grocery shopping, housekeeping, household chores, cooking, personal hygiene care, pet care and much more for her clients.  But most importantly, she provides companionship to her clients, tries to keep their spirits up, and helps them stay as independent and in control of their life as possible.

Her favorite part about being an aide is helping her clients stay at home as long as they can.  “I love seeing someone comfortable in their home”, she told me.  She also goes above and beyond by learning each client’s preferences.  From folding laundry, or making cornbread, she wants to keep things consistent for her clients. 

I asked Vicky why she chose caregiving as her career path, and she told me about caring for her grandfather as young as 10 years old while he battled brain cancer.  After that, during her teenage years, she cared for her great grandmother after she lost a leg.  So, caregiving is something that she has done her whole life, literally, and she has never looked back.  She specifically chose in-home caregiving because she loves helping people stay in their homes as long as possible.  She said that anyone with an aging parent or grandparent knows that feeling.  Wanting them to be as independent as they can be, for as long as they can be.  Vicky feels a calling to help in that journey. 

Vicky encourages any young person to consider the career field of caregiving.  She describes it as a rewarding field that will “make your heart rich”.  Thank you, Vicky, for the incredible work that you do each and every day!

“I love seeing someone comfortable in their home”
-Vicky

-Jessica Mast
Executive Administrative Assistant
Generations Ashe