Brenda Hagwood has been working with Piedmont Home Care as a caregiver for a little less than
a year, but she’s already become an invaluable part of the team. With more than 20 years of
experience in caregiving, she brings her own mix of compassionate care, wonderful talents and a
great smile to her work with clients on a daily basis.

Brenda’s journey to the healthcare profession started at a young age. “When I was a teenager, I
was the one in my family to take care of my grandmother. She had dementia and had suffered a
stroke, and needed help with daily activities,” Brenda says. “One of my aunts took care of her
while I was at school, and then I went as soon as school was out to sit with her, help give her
medicine and make sure she had a bath.”

When other kids were working after-school jobs, Brenda was sitting with her grandmother, and
through that she found her calling. She decided to go on and get her CNA, to be able to help
others in need of care.

Brenda has lived in Winston-Salem for much of her adult life, and during that time she has
worked at The Oaks, at Novant, and at another home health provider. Now at Piedmont Home
Care, she enjoys the family values caring nature of the company. “Where I was working before, I
would go from one client to the next, with just two or three hours at a time at each place. I
always rushed, and like I was driving more than actually caring for people,” Brenda says. “I love
that with Piedmont Home Care I go to the same place every day, and stay for hours with my
clients.”

Every morning Brenda gets to her client’s apartment bright and early at 7 a.m., just in time to
make breakfast. “She loves when I make biscuits and gravy. We sit and eat breakfast, and look at
the birds that come to her birdfeeder,” Brenda says. She’s been able to grow a good relationship
with her client her three daughters in just the few months she’s been working with her. “It really
means a lot to me when my client’s children still play a big role in their lives,” Brenda says.
“I’ve seen people grow old, and be so lonely, when no one takes time to come visit them.”

Once she’s put in her hours with her first client of the day, Brenda moves on to a different home
in the same apartment complex to work with an elderly couple in the afternoons and evenings. “I
just love what I do,” Brenda says. “It doesn’t even feel like work, and I’d much rather be here
helping someone else out than sitting at home with nothing to do.”

Brenda treats her clients like family, which is one thing that drew her to work with Piedmont
Home Care. “It’s just like one big family here,” Brenda says. “Ever since I’ve been working
here, I feel like they’re always keeping our best interests in mind. Whenever I have something
going on in my life, I know I can go talk to them and we can work through it. I’ve never worked
anywhere before that felt as understanding as Piedmont Home Care.”