Black Health, Wellness, and Beauty From a Health Care Worker POV
Meet Home Health Aide Nichole G:
Nichole has been in the healthcare industry for over 20 years working as a home health aide. She got into healthcare after moving to the U.S. Previous to working in health care, she worked as a hairstylist. “Moving to the U.S from Ghana was a time to make new changes, and for me, part of that meant pursuing a career change. I entered the home health aide field because I’ve always been passionate about helping others, whether it be big or small, I love knowing I can make a positive impact in the lives of others,” said Nichole during her interview with All Things Hair. We conducted a survey among our readers and asked them what would they change in the hair industry. If they had the power to do so, 20% revealed that more hair types representation is much needed.
Nichole’s Path in Black Health and Wellness
“Through my line of work I have the chance to care for the elderly and special needs kids. Oftentimes, the people I care for don’t have much family who can help them out, or who can spend much time with them due to busy schedules.” As a result of this, Nichole’s patients often feel like she’s part of the family as she spends most of her days with them. In fact, Nichole always makes it a goal to care for and treat her patients like family. “I always think to myself, if this was my relative who I was seeking care for, I would love to know that they were being treated with the love, respect, and patience they deserve. There are simply too many stories out there of home-health patients being mistreated.
Going Above and Beyond: Health & Wellness
I want to make sure I am going above and beyond to nurture and make the lives of my patients and their families easier!” Oftentimes even after Nichole has been assigned to a new case, her patients and their families stay in touch with her because of how positively impactful she is while she’s in their lives. There are times when she is assigned to multiple patients at once and will visit each one depending on the day. And there are also times when she is assigned to one patient and will spend her Mondays to Fridays (and sometimes weekends) with them. Her work is on a case-by-case basis. A day at work for Nichole looks different depending on what patient she is visiting. Some patients need help more than others, and every patient has different needs. Her job entails making sure patients are receiving nutritious and healthy meals, administering necessary medications, assisting patients with personal care activities, assisting patients with mobility, and more.
Beauty in Black Health and Wellness
When assisting patients with hygiene activities, she even often gets a chance to bring her hairdressing skills back to life. When asked what her favorite hair products were to use on her patients, Nichole stated “I like suave products! They’re sold almost everywhere and the products are so gentle on the scalp. On top of that, they’re easy to use. My favorite product from them is the Suave Professionals Almond & Shea Butter Shampoo. In fact, I love using the shampoo personally as well! For my women patients, I love also may use the Dove Extra Hold Non-Aerosol Hairspray. I like how it helps their hairstyles last without making their hair stiff or crunchy. For my male patients, when helping them style their hair, I use SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil + Flaxseed Black Edge Gel. It’s great for providing extra support when wanting to keep a hairstyle in place. At the same time, it doesn’t leave that dry crunchy feel that a lot of men’s styling products may leave. Do you know anyone with an inspiring story who is currently working in Black Health and Wellness? Share their story with us by tagging us in @AllThingsHairUS for a chance to be featured! Also, are you looking to hear more inspiring stories like Nichole’s? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter below!
