Eileen, left, with Darlene. “The people in this house become your family. I feel like this is my second family.”
It has taken Eileen Haggerty many years and a lot of jobs before finding her niche. After raising her two girls, and working 10 years as a home health aide, mostly with the elderly, she took a year off to regroup before jumping back into the workforce. She has been working at the Berkshire County Arc now for a year-and-a-half.
“I really feel like this is where I belong,” Eileen said from a home in Lanesborough where she works with four individuals with disabilities. “In this field you’re not supposed to get emotionally attached, but how can you not? The people in this house become your family. I feel like this is my second family.”
Working with developmental disabilities was new to Eileen, and she started at BCArc as a part-time worker to see how it felt. “I’ve always loved helping people. So that wasn’t a question. But at first I was uncomfortable, particularly because some of the individuals are non-verbal. But they have taught me so much kindness, caring, sharing, and patience.” After a pause, she added, “They’ve taught me general goodness.”
Eileen eventually moved to a full-time overnight position, where she is paid to sleep at the house from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. she helps, with a co-worker, prepare the individuals ready for their day. “We get each individual cleaned up, dressed, and fed.” A van picks them up to take them to different programs for the day.
“A lot of people turn their heads away when they encounter a person with a disability,” she said. “But when you get to know the individual, it becomes a wonderful, mutually caring relationship. The individuals I work with can’t verbalize, can’t always tell me what she wants or needs, but once you tune into their behaviors, you know what they are communicating.”
Eileen emphasized that the work takes a certain person. “It’s not for everyone, but it sure is for me.”
With her two grown kids out of the house, she has appreciated her life in the Berkshires. But, she said, “The winters are going to drive me away.” She plans to retire in a few years and move to Arizona. “As much as I love it here, I look forward to no more winter.”
