Brenda Booth has spent a lifetime connecting people to resources that will make life better.
She did it with great enthusiasm as a media sales expert for 25 years and now she has ‘un-retired’ to use her skills as a Client Care Coordinator at ComForCare Home Care in Peterborough — connecting vulnerable seniors to supports that keep them in their own homes.
In her media position, Brenda worked with different clients, all with different needs and different budgets, by creating the best possible advertising programs and packages. She spent significant amounts of time determining their goals and together, they would see results.
Brenda loved this work but as she got closer to retirement, she started thinking about making a change.
“I was thinking about how my life was changing,” she says. “I was thinking about my needs, how I loved to work but also, I saw myself as someone who would need different things as I aged.”
Brenda laughs about accidentally falling into the media — an accident that lasted a really long time because of her natural desire to care and to support others.
“I’ve always been that way,” Brenda explains. “I always want to know that I have helped someone a little bit.”
This passion for providing support comes from her Aunt Brenda.
Brenda takes a moment to compose herself before reminiscing about her beloved aunt, who passed away last spring. The two Brendas were very close and spent much time together, even when her aunt and uncle retired in England.
“I met her when I was five and she moved from England to live with us,” Brenda shares. “She made a big impression on me. She was always helping, supporting — it was how she was.”
When her aunt moved to the U.S., teenage Brenda would travel by bus each summer to Baltimore, to live with her aunt during her summer vacation. More and more of her Aunt Brenda’s caring ways inspired the teenage Brenda.
“She was big into the United Way and she was big into volunteerism,” Brenda recalls. “It was about learning to contribute rather than to take.”
This spirit of contributing is what helped Brenda return to work shortly after she retired.
“I wanted to un-retire and work with the senior population,” Brenda says. “Before I was in sales, I worked as a medical secretary, so I had some understanding. Now I support people to live the best life possible.”
At ComForCare Home Care, Brenda’s care team supports older adults living in their homes by making sure the best people are providing essential support services as often as they are needed.
Brenda loves this role. She works with seniors, their families, caregivers, paramedical support providers, and an amazing team of co-workers to solve problems and to keep older adults safe, happy, and supported.
Each day, she feels satisfied, renewed, and inspired as she works with the ComForCare nurse to develop care plans for each individual client. The care plans include important support services like family respite, meal preparation, eating assistance, personal care, toileting, medication reminders, light housekeeping, laundry, bed changes, errands, shopping, transportation, and companionship.
“This is not a physically taxing role,” she laughs. “I have two new knees, but my role isn’t physically taxing. I like to have a purpose — my work does that and I work with great people.”
Brenda saw the increasing needs of her Aunt Brenda, especially in her final years of life, and she knows how meaningful ComForCare services are to families and their loved ones. The work she does each day — and the connections she builds for her clients — make each day more enjoyable.
And her work at ComForCare is not all she does. Brenda loves being the matriarch of her small but mighty family and she’s also very involved with her Rotary family. She also sits on the board of Showplace Performance Centre and the Elder Abuse Prevention Network, and she has helped with organizing committees for some large events hosted by Peterborough, including the International Dragon Boat Festival, the Ontario Winter Games, and the Ontario Special Olympics.
As a Rotarian, Brenda works with local youth, helping them to learn interview skills, and she always emphasizes the importance of giving back and volunteering. Through this work she passes on her Aunt Brenda’s message of learning to contribute and she hopes to inspire then next generation to care for and to support others.
“Show what’s in your heart,” Brenda says, sharing her aunt’s wisdom. “Show that your efforts are supporting your community.”
ComForCare Home Care is located at 294 Rink Street, Suite 203, in Peterborough. For more information, call 705-874-5770 or visit comforcare.ca/ontario/peterborough.
You can also find Brenda Booth on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
