 Aaron Blight, Owner Aaron and Jessica Blight bought Home Instead Senior Care of the Northern Shenandoah Valley from the original franchise owners. Aaron and Jessica were caregivers for Jessica's mother during her five-year battle with cancer from 2000 until 2005. After Aaron and Jessica contacted a non-medical home care company for 24-hour assistance with Jessica's mother, they immediately saw the value of these services, which not only made it possible to fulfill Mom's wishes to remain in her home until her death but also provided support and peace of mind to the entire family during a difficult period of time. This personal experience with non-medical home care ultimately led Aaron to become a Home Instead Senior Care franchise owner.
Prior to arriving at Home Instead Senior Care, Aaron was the Director of the Division of Financial Operations for the Medicaid program at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Aaron holds a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in health care policy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish. Aaron works full-time on the business, while Jessica concentrates primarily on raising their four children. Aaron LOVES helping seniors and their families on a daily basis and is totally committed to providing exceptional quality care to our clients.   Peggy Davison, Registered Nurse Peggy has over 30 years of nursing experience and was a Shenandoah County Health Department Nurse until she came to Home Instead Senior Care in 2007. Among her responsibilities, Peggy performs initial assessments of personal care clients, trains our CAREGivers in personal care, handles client inquiries, and applies her nursing skills in regular visits with clients to ensure quality care. Peggy acts as a valuable resource to clients as they experience changes in health conditions over time. Peggy is married with three grown children. She has blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries in her garden, and in her spare time she paints and helps to feed cattle on occasion.
 Cheryl Strickland, Community Service Representative Cheryl relocated to Winchester from Atlanta in 2005 and started working for Home Instead Senior Care as a CAREGiver. Cheryl had acquired over 20 years experience in sales and office work prior to her arrival at Home Instead Senior Care. Today Cheryl blends her caregiving experiences and her business background to network with referral providers and promote Home Instead Senior Care in our community. Prior to assuming the Community Service Representative role in January 2010, Cheryl was our Office Manager, responsible for overseeing the administrative functions in the office and matching clients and CAREGivers. Cheryl loves working for an organization that offers a critical service for so many seniors. Cheryl's deep admiration and love of seniors has made this her dream job!
 Glenda Dousa, Client Care Coordinator Glenda has over 40 years of business experience as co-owner of two family businesses. After retiring, she joined Home Instead Senior Care in 2005 as a CAREGiver, providing compassion, love and respect to the elderly clients she served. In 2006, she became a member of our office staff. Glenda loves the positive atmosphere of Home Instead Senior Care and the comfort and benefits that our services bring to others. Some of Glenda's duties include initiating quality assurance visits with established clients; performing service call visits with prospective clients; and providing counsel to clients, families and caregivers while addressing concerns they may have about care and service. When not in the office, Glenda enjoys volunteering, walking, reading, music, and spending time with family and friends.
 Marie Chacra, Client Care Assistant Marie assists the Client Care Coordinator with office responsibilities and paperwork generated by both the clients and caregivers involved in client care. Marie reviews and tracks all our client journal entries, ensuring that they are submitted to the office in a timely manner, completed correctly, and filed appropriately. Marie calls CAREGivers to schedule appointments for reviews with the Client Care Department and fill assignments for weekend on call duty. Marie also provides direct client care and enjoys the time spent with her client on weekends. Marie was born in England, came to the United States in 1981, and has lived in Virginia for nine years. Prior to coming to Virginia, she worked in upstate New York, England, Switzerland and Lebanon. Marie has two sons and three grandsons, as well as a large, multi-national family and many far-flung friends. She visits her family and friends at every opportunity.  Rosetta Shaffer, Recruitment and Retention Coordinator Rosetta was hired as a CAREGiver in 2007. Her passion for assisted in-home care quickly became evident and her 25 years of experience managing human resources functions in various organizations made Rosetta the "perfect fit" to move into the office role of Recruitment & Retention Coordinator. Rosetta seeks to interview qualified applicants who possess caring, compassionate, and kind personalities. While reference checks, background screening, and drug tests are a very important part of Rosetta's hiring process, all applicants must pass her final test question: "Would I leave this person in my home with my 83 year old mother unsupervised?" Under Rosetta's direction, newly hired CAREGivers acquire the tools and training needed to perform their duties effectively. Rosetta also spearheads informative and fun activities for clients, as well as special programs that recognize CAREGivers for their contribution to Home Instead Senior Care.
 Peggy Uchno, Recruitment and Retention Assistant Peggy joined Home Instead Senior Care as a CAREGiver in March of 2009. Peggy and her husband are originally from Pennsylvania, where they raised two sons. Peggy worked for several years in customer service positions prior to her arrival at Home Instead Senior Care. After demonstrating exceptional caregiving abilities, Peggy was promoted to the position of Recruitment and Retention Assistant in July of 2009. Peggy focuses on hiring compassionate, dependable, and trustworthy CAREGivers. She recognizes the importance of carefully selecting the right individuals to care for our seniors and is passionate about her work. Peggy enjoys physical fitness and strives to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  JoAnne Pryor, Lead Scheduler JoAnne retired in 2003 from a manufacturing plant. Still ready and able to work, she wanted to do something rewarding. A friend recommended Home Instead Senior Care to JoAnne, and she started in 2004 as a CAREGiver. JoAnne loved working with seniors and was subsequently asked to help out in office, where she felt like she found a home as a scheduler. In this position, JoAnne is able to offer service to both seniors and CAREGivers, making the job particularly rewarding. She thrives on finding the "perfect match" between clients and CAREGivers. JoAnne possesses infinite patience and genuine concern for the well being of our clients, their families, and our CAREGivers, and she is always willing to lend a listening ear or a helping hand.
 Sherry Heltzel, Staffing Coordinator
Sherry started working for Home Instead Senior Care in 2008 as a CAREGiver. Naturally friendly, Sherry enjoys meeting our clients and eventually became a Lead CAREGiver with responsibilities introducing new clients to their CAREGivers. Sherry was promoted to her current position as Staff Coordinator in January of 2010. In this position, Sherry matches CAREGivers and clients, and she conducts quality assurance visits to ensure that our services are meeting client needs. For six years, Sherry has been caring for her elderly father, and this experience has given her a keen insight into the needs of seniors and a compassion for adult children caring for their aging parents. Sherry relates to family members who call our office for assistance taking care of their loved ones. Sherry loves to play with grandchildren, spend time with family, listen to music, and dance.  Karen Fletcher, Staffing Coordinator
Karen worked for Home Instead Senior Care in Eugene, Oregon as their administrative assistant prior to relocating to Winchester, Virginia with her husband in September 2010. Her experience watching all departments work together to help a client and their family see they are not alone and realize help is just a phone call away has made her career choice gratifying. Scheduling offers a unique and fast paced opportunity to become acquainted with CAREGivers and clients alike. Making the “perfect match” is her goal! Karen enjoys traveling, history, cooking, reading, puzzles, college football (Go Ducks!) and music.  Sandra Pryor, Administrative Assistant Sandra came to work with Home Instead Senior Care in September of 2002. Her husband had retired from the Federal government, after which they moved back to their hometown of Edinburg. When she first started with Home Instead Senior Care, Sandra was not so sure she would stay, but after several weeks, she just knew this was the place for her to be. Sandra worked in the scheduling department for six years and quickly got to know so many of our clients and CAREGivers. She grew to realize how important this company is to our seniors and how much they look forward to our visits. Today Sandra no longer works in scheduling, but she handles important back office functions like invoicing, insurance, and payroll. Sandra is really proud to be a part of our Home Instead Senior Care team.  Kristi Piotter, Administrative Assistant
Kristi started working at Home Instead Senior Care in 2009 as a CAREGiver. She loved working with the clients and felt as though this was one of the most rewarding jobs she had ever had. When an opening arose in the office, Kristi accepted a position that utilizes her business training, people skills, and organizational strengths to enhance our team. Even though she misses working with the clients in their homes on a daily basis, Kristi still takes advantage of the occasional opportunity to serve as a CAREGiver. Kristi absolutely loves her job and is so thankful that she is able to work with such wonderful people. Kristi is the first point of contact for those who call or visit our office, and she supports the staff in a wide array of administrative functions.  Kandi McInturff, Community Service Representative, Shenandoah County Those who work with seniors in Shenandoah County see Kandi helping others everywhere. Kandi has lived in Shenandoah County her entire life. While teaching at a Christian school, Kandi began a nursing home ministry with the children in her school. Kandi loved to see the nursing home residents light up whenever she brought children into the facility. Kandi recalls this experience as the one that sparked her love for seniors and her desire to help them in their daily lives. With her motivation to make a difference, Kandi came to Home Instead Senior Care in 2006. As our Community Service Representative for Shenandoah County, Kandi lets people know how Home Instead Senior Care can enhance the lives of seniors and their families. Kandi also coordinates our Be a Santa to a Senior program at the local level during the holiday season.  Mary Lebo, Local Administrator, Alzheimer's CAREGiver Training Program After 15 years in various office positions, Mary knew she wanted a job where she was involved with helping people. A job as a CAREGiver offered the opportunity to make the difference in someone's life, and Mary began with Home Instead Senior Care in September 2002. Mary's experience with clients who had Alzheimer's Disease helped her realize how important it was to become educated about this debilitating illness. After completing the exclusive Alzheimer's CAREGiver Training Program developed by the George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers for Home Instead Senior Care, Mary observed how helpful her training was in her interactions with clients. Mary is passionate about helping those with Alzheimer's Disease, and she became the Local Administrator for our Alzheimer's CAREGiver Training Program in 2009. In this role, Mary directs extensive learning activities to teach CAREGivers about the clinical aspects of Alzheimer's Disease, as well as practical methods of interaction that maximize the independence and continued dignity of individuals who progress through the stages of the disease. Mary main function is as Customer Service Coordinator for our Martinsburg WV franchise. If and when Mary has spare time, she enjoys a quiet life with her husband in the hills of Virginia surrounded by nature.  Daronda Toole, Outreach Coordinator Daronda has worn diverse hats during her lifetime. She began as a teacher until 1988 when a move facilitated a switch to the corporate world where she spent 15 years supporting technical implementations around the globe. In 2008, Daronda joined the Home Instead office in Winchester as a CAREGiver. Her compassion, zeal and dedication, combined with a sense of humor, enabled her to help her clients deal with challenging life situations and bring laughter into their lives during some very dark times. In October 2010, Daronda accepted the new role of Outreach Coordinator. While she misses being a CAREGiver, she greatly enjoys applying her business skills and experience to help Home Instead further its mission of helping seniors remain independent as long as possible. Daronda’s personal mission is to make a difference in the world one person at a time. |
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