Blanca Muniz, Home Health Aide, Partners in Care

“When my patients feel secure around me, it helps me do a better job—which, in turn, makes them feel better.”

Blanca’s clients consistently praise her kindness, her gentle approach, and her above-and-beyond, caring nature. One couple she cares for, a physically and emotionally fragile patient coping with ALS and his wife, are both very private people who had long been highly resistant to allowing a home health aide into their home. Now, they call Blanca their “angel” and cannot imagine life without her. Even though the patient is unable to talk, she has found ways to communicate with him and anticipate his needs. To Blanca, who will mark her 15th anniversary at VNSNY next year, it’s all just part of the job. “I’m very caring about my patients, and it’s important to me that they’re very comfortable with me when I enter their home,” she says. “So I always smile, and I always make sure I’m very friendly and patient with them. When they feel secure around me, it helps me do a better job—which, in turn, makes them feel better, even after I’ve gone for the day. It makes it a very rewarding relationship, both for me and for my clients!”