A Kennewick caregiver is one of 10 semifinalists for Visiting Angels’ National Caregiver of the Year award.

Samantha J. Fishman was working with a client when her employer, Visiting Angels in Kennewick, called to notify her.

“When you work on a one-on-one basis ... you don’t realize people are actually really paying attention, and it was really nice to feel recognized,” Fishman said. “I know a lot of us work really hard.”

Caregiving comes naturally to Fishman. 

Before her time with Visiting Angels, which provides in-home care to seniors, Fishman was a stay-at-home mom to three children. She was inspired to go into caregiving while providing respite care for a friend with a special needs son and became certified as a home care aide. She also helps take care of her own parents.

“I try to make it as easy for (my client) as I would want it to be for myself or for my parents,” Fishman said. That means not only helping with various tasks, but also preserving the clients’ dignity as they age. 

Her current client had been very active throughout her life, so Fishman helps her with a seated exercise program.

In her two-and-a-half-year tenure at Visiting Angels, Fishman has tried to take on only one client at a time. 

“I like to build that interaction with one person … I like to know that person,” she said. 

It was relationships that brought her to the Tri-Cities in the first place. 

When her parents retired and moved to the Tri-Cities, Fishman, originally from California, followed them. She said it was important for her children to grow up around their grandparents.

Getting to know her clients and their unique perspectives and stories are Fishman’s favorite parts of caregiving.

Next-generation role model

Christine Rose-VanWormer, owner of Visiting Angels Kennewick, said Fishman exhibits extraordinary commitment to her clients.

“Samantha takes time to understand her clients’ needs deeply and comes up with a unique approach for every situation to help create safe and comfortable environments for her clients,” said Rose-VanWormer in a statement. “She’s a role model for our next generation of caregivers.”

Sharing happiness

A client Fishman worked with a few years ago who was receiving hospice care had a passion for poker. She let him teach her how to play. 

“I try to learn my clients inside and out because I knew it brought him happiness to teach me this. You know, I had no interest in necessarily learning how to play poker, but it was so fun to see how excited it made him,” Fishman said.

Fishman’s current client is a woman with dementia. “It’s a new day every day,” she said, describing the experience as like in the film, “50 First Dates,” a movie starring Drew Barrymore about short-term memory loss. 

“I get to reintroduce myself every day … she kind of knows who I am now,” she said.

Taking inspiration from an activity she has done with her kids, Fishman made sensory boxes for her client.

She put recognizable objects in the boxes, like fridge magnets shaped like letters and numbers. Some days are frustrating for her client, but other days she can identify the color or shape.

For Fishman, it’s particularly special when her client talks about something out of the ordinary, like a story about her parents. Sometimes, she remembers Fishman’s name. “That brings me so much happiness,” she said. 

This kind of work takes a lot of patience, but for Fishman, it’s rewarding.

“She’s very happy … she makes me happy,” she said. 

The National Caregiver of the Year winner will be announced at Visiting Angels’ annual conference in June. The winner will receive a $5,000 prize, and two finalists will receive $2,500.

The Kennewick office also had a semifinalist in 2022: José De La Torre Gonzalez.