Home Instead Senior Care
Denver South

At 85 years of age, Mei is more energetic, exuberant and passionate about care giving than many CAREGivers half her age.  Recently, she shared the secret to her eternal youthfulness:

 

 

After Mei recovered from her overwhelming surprise of being chosen as our 2010 CAREGiver of the Year, she spoke briefly to a group of her fellow CAREGivers and members of our office staff.  She said simply - in her charming, lighthearted manner - that she doesn't think of herself as being any different from other CAREGivers and she basically "loves the people she works with and that always motivates me to do the best job I can for them."

 

Since her first day with Home Instead Senior Care in 1999, Mei's clients have known one reason for her deep level of empathy is because she is their contemporary and a peer.  Mei is a good friend, who is not only extraordinarily kind and helpful, but an experienced CAREGiver who uses her considerable skills to advocate for her clients, wherever they may be.  She always goes the extra mile according to each client's needs.

 

Hailing from Hawaii, she has lived in Colorado for 14 years.  She is active with the Aurora Center for Active Adults, teaching Hawaiian dance, as well as stage managing and appearing in various theatrical productions during the year.  One can sometimes see her center stage at the head of a troupe of her students in a Hula dance number, which she has also choreographed.  She is also very involved with the Polynesian Pacifica Foundation of Colorado.  She likes to keep in touch with her roots and keep her hand in all things Hawaiian.  Her son, who still lives in Hawaii, visits frequently.  She is referred to as 'Aunt Mei' to a number of nieces and nephews who live in Northern Colorado.

 

Mei stands out as a CAREGiver and a wonderful human being because of her easy grace and charm and her infectious joy of life tempered with the wisdom of her years.  Sometimes we speak of aging in terms of loss, Mei is a shining example of the amazing value that is gained by age.

Mei Newmann loves her neighbor. Her motivation is nothing less than doing the best job she can for clients, watching their faces light up when she arrives and finding ways to enjoy their company. She’s also a lifelong learner who provides competent, compassionate care.
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Lisa Barr Kazmierczak saw eyelids flutter. Her client, who had vowed not to get out of bed that day, was curious. The client and CAREGiver had exchanged words that, had she believed them, would have broken Lisa's heart. Despite encouragement, the client refused to rise and shine. Lisa told her she would check again in 15 minutes, but the client told her not to bother.
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"I didn't want a job just for the sake of having a job. I wanted something I'd really love doing." So said Barbara Maxwell, West Region CAREGiver of the Year for 2009, about joining the Home Instead Senior Care Omaha Service Office in early 2006.
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Wilmington, North Carolina

When asked why he decided to become a Home Instead CAREGiver, John Dutille of Wilmington, NC-the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Regional CAREGiver of the Year-said, "I've always done caregiving for friends and family members, so the job just fit me. Everything fell into place."
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"Whenever I enter my clients' homes, I remember to make them happy by going in with a smile. And I always say that you haven't lived a perfect day until you've done something for someone who can never repay you," said CAREGiver of the Year Gerry Rious. About being a Home Instead CAREGiver, she said, "I'm really drawn to this job. I just love it."
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Home Instead Senior Care Co-Founder Lori Hogan called CAREGiver of the Year Alec Rogers a "superstar - one who helps Home Instead Senior Care shine brilliantly by touching clients' lives each and every day."
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You don't have to talk long with Jeanie Avilez to realize that she's devoted to seniors. That's what makes her work resume a bit of a puzzle. There's a 16-year span of no service to the elderly between the time she left a nursing home job and when she joined Home Instead Senior Care.
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CAREGiver of the Year Sandra Golden has been shining since she joined the Home Instead Senior Care caregiving team in Columbia, South Carolina. Known as the "golden girl" by her clients, Sandra has brought happiness to many older adults who have come under her care.
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When it comes to clients with physical illnesses or disabilities, CAREGiver of the Year Jane Travis truly understands. Jane, from the Carmel, New York franchise office, has lived with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for many years, but that hasn't stopped her. In fact, she's the first one to admit it's made her a better CAREGiver. "Going through MS makes me more understanding and compassionate for other people's illnesses," she said.
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Helena Hickson of Savannah, Georgia came to Home Instead Senior Care with the highest qualifications. The third eldest of 12 children born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to a carpenter and his homemaker wife, Helena had plenty of experience caring for her siblings.
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A good deed led Charles Ripley of Des Moines, Iowa to make caregiving a successful career long after he had retired from other jobs. "I became interested in caregiving when I took care of a friend with emphysema," Charles said. "I'd pick him up and take him to dinner and I'd drive him where he needed to go. When he couldn't take care of himself, I helped him find a nursing home."
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