Tandem Home Care is the result of discovering who I, Diva M. Hemphill, was created to be and finding my purpose: providing love and caring assistance to seniors and individuals unable to care for themselves due to old age or disability. My first real job while in college working on my Associate’s Degree was with the Chester & Lancaster Board of Disability. This position gave me fulfillment, a sense of belonging and acceptance while caring for individuals who could not care for themselves. I later gained employment at Midlands Center, one of South Carolina’s four regional disability centers. I worked there while getting my Bachelor’s Degree. I loved what I did, but I knew that spending my life being a direct care staff member was not the answer. I then thought being a nurse might be right for me, but quickly determined that nursing was not my true calling. I received my Master’s Degree, while working for South Carolina Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Company, and South Carolina Department of Social Services. I have spent the last ten years working in secondary and post-secondary education while becoming a certified life and emotional intelligence coach.
My employment has always involved helping people, but no profession provided the fulfillment that the Board of Disability and Midlands Center did. I often talked about how much I loved those two jobs and that I desired to return to that type of work one day. But I needed clarification as to how and in what way. It was not until the person who believed in me the most, whom I call my superhero, that I found my purpose in life, the person I was created to be. She is the lady I call MaMa, my grandmother who cared for me and my daughter, who never gave up on me.
MaMa provided me with unconditional love, support, and care, and it was not until I had to give her all that in return, plus more, that I realized the feeling I had in college was returning. I’ll never forget the day my grandmother had to go live with my parents. My grandfather could no longer care for her, and the Department of Social Services had even gotten involved. It was then that I realized there was no way that I would allow the lady who had been a homemaker all her life and raised all her grandchildren, go to a nursing home.
I assisted my parents with my grandmother’s care, commuting from Greenville, South Carolina to Chester to help with doctor appointments, and hospital stays. Caring for her gave me the same fulfillment I got when I worked at the Board of Disability and Midlands Center. It was a feeling that I had not had in a long time and that I had a desire to feel again, but could never achieve that in the jobs I’d had since. I felt that I owed MaMa my life and wanted to ensure that she stayed home by all means. Even when she was under hospice care, I made sure she had the best care possible. I even considered quitting my job and bringing my grandmother to live with me. At the time, that was not the best option, so I had to figure out a plan that included keeping her at home.
I looked into in-home care services in Greenville and Chester County. I used a few companies until I decided to pay my aunt, my father’s sister, to help my parents care for my grandmother. She provided her with the quality of care she deserved. That gave me comfort and peace of mind knowing that she was home and receiving the best care possible. My grandmother’s journey allowed me to discover who I was created to be and my purpose in life. As much as it hurt to see her age and be unable to care for herself, and finally lose her, it allowed me to discover myself. If I could turn back the hands of time and have her here with me today, I would. But I can’t. So, I have vowed to walk in my purpose and be true to who I was created to be by providing unconditional love, care, and comfort to seniors and individuals with intellectual disabilities.
I dedicate my business to Helen G. Wallace, who suffered from dementia and died at age eighty-eight in the comfort of the home of her loved ones, and my nephew Jacob D. Waller, who has cerebral palsy and resides at home with his parents and twin brother. My life journey has prepared me to care for them while assisting other families needing quality in-home care along with continuing care education to keep their loved ones home, proudly standing on the core values of The Tandem Way.