River City Six: Gayleen Bradley
Offering services from as little as one hour a day, all the way up to 24-hour care, Comfort Keepers (www.ComfortKeepers.com/Omaha-NE) is an in-home care service committed to providing companionship and personal care to adults and seniors. Their goal is to improve the quality of life and enable independent living wherever adults and seniors call home. Gayleen Bradley is the Client Care Coordinator for Comfort Keepers Omaha.
Tell us a little about your business. – We specialize in helping people remain independent in the home through personal care (like bathing, cooking, medication reminders and companionship). I am the liaison between our clients and caregivers. I discover the needs of the client, learn his/her personality traits, and then match the skill set and personality of our caregiver to that client. I enjoy meeting with both our clients and caregivers. Problem solving is part of what I love about this position. Creating a good match, watching the trust build and the relationship blossom is very rewarding.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – My dementia training has been my most important achievement. I am a Certified Dementia Specialist through the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. I currently present seminars to the public (for free through Comfort Keepers) on the signs of dementia, how to recognize some different types of dementia, coping strategies, and techniques to handle challenging behaviors. Being able to educate and help people understand the disease process is personally fulfilling. Even more so is helping families communicate with, and meet the needs of, those who are close to them suffering through dementia.
Tell us a little about your family. – I have 5 daughters and 3 grandkids who live mostly in the Lincoln area. I look forward to spending time with them on the weekends. My time with them is always a highlight for me as we are all very close.
If you could choose any other profession to be successful in, what would it be? – I would be a chef. I am interested in health foods and would lean towards creating healthy meals.
What is your favorite TV show? – To go with my unfulfilled other career, Chopped! Chopped is a cooking show on HGTV and it is fun to watch them compete with mystery ingredients which they have to turn into three course meals right then. They are judged on their work and go through elimination rounds. There is only one winner in the end.
What local non-profit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – The Alzheimer’s Association is my go-to non-profit because my father has dementia. He is still alive and I work with him and his dementia and help my family to understand his needs. He is why I reach out to people to educate them on the disease. I live through the frustration of trying to get my family to understand that some of my dad’s actions are caused by the disease and not just orneriness. Helping others learn coping skills also helps me with mine.
What is your favorite local restaurant? – For Thai food it is the Blue Orchid in Lincoln. My favorite dish there is the drunken noodles. It is usually the only one I get; it has just the right amount of spice to give it a kick!
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – Please contact me if you would like me to educate your church group, trade group, neighborhood association or employees about dementia. My Comfort Keepers mobile number is (402) 306-9987 and direct email is Gayleen.Bradley@ComfortKeepers.com. You can also check out our website at www.ComfortKeepers.com/Omaha-NE.
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