 Sonia - April Sonia has been with Home Instead Senior Care for two and a half years and her performance has been nothing short of exemplary.
It is not uncommon for the office to receive letters from client's grateful for having Sonia assigned to the care of their loved ones. She shares her heart by bringing genuine passion for the care that she provides, often going "above and beyond". We have heard from many of these clients that she has become one of their family.
Over her tenure, Sonia has been with almost two dozen clients, ranging from those that require incidental transportation to those who require palliative care. Returning clients often call requesting Sonia specifically. Many have coined the term "Sonia-like" when she is unavailable.
What is special about her relationship with the office is that she bridges the gap between the client and both her Staffing Coordinator and Client Care Coordinator. She encourages quality assurance visits and dialogue with the family when she notices a need for a change to the Care Plan. She updates us on her clients conditions and any changes to the services that she is offering. She is not a personal care worker, but has extended herself to on-going training to ensure that she is able to meet her clients growing needs. She has completed the Alzheimer's Care Program, suplimentary training on Hoyer lift usage and uses the drop-in sessions as a vehicle to learn and contribute based on her personal experiences.
Because Sonia is so modest she is quick to discount any gratitude expressed toward her and conversely thanks the office for placing her in those special assignments. Accordingly, we would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank her for all her hard work. "It is a pleasure to have you as a member of the Home Instead Senior Care team! Keep up the great work!"
  Joyce - March By coincidence, this month will be Joyce’s one year anniversary with Home Instead Senior Care and we would like to congratulate her BIG contribution to our team!
Joyce’s skill set is multifaceted. She has a background as a clinical psychotherapist, worked with seniors in a cancer centre and is a pioneer of our Alzheimer’s program. Drawing on these experiences Joyce thinks of creative solutions to engage and stimulate her clients. As mentioned in the previous newsletter she plays the piano for one client who has Parkinson, dementia and limited motor skills. The family just adores Joyce and provides her with the sheet music that will be most familiar and enjoyable.
Burning the candles at both ends would be an understatement when describing her schedule. She effectively manages four clients, whose needs range from housekeeping to palliative care. Her service is so much in demand that she has exhausted any additional availability. As a matter of fact, the office often receives feedback from client’s frustrated that they cannot have her for additional shifts.
How do you take the lead, share your heart and build trust? Ask Joyce! She makes it second nature and we’d like to thank her for all that she does for us.  Janet - February In the short time that Janet has been with Home Instead Senior Care, she has personified our values of “Building Trust, Taking the Lead and Sharing Your Heart.”
In the past few months, Janet has been assigned to three different palliative clients. With each of those clients, she expressed a very attentive and compassionate presence. Accordingly, she gave them dignity and respect during their final days. She kept them comfortable and ensured that all their physical, as well as, emotional needs were met. Her gentle, kind, and soft spoken approach had a positive impact on both her clients and their families and likewise earned their respect and gratitude.
Janet is always ready to fill in. Given her client history, she still willingly continues to take on physically and emotionally challenging assignments; sometimes at a moment’s notice.
Janet – Thank you for being the hardworking CAREGiver that you are!  Paula - January Paula has been with our office since March 2011, leaving the field of admin for a successful CAREGiver career. She draws on a personal experience, having cared for her own parents during their time of need. Pulling from this and her completion of our Alzheimer’s course Paula is able to commit to many challenging assignments. She has overcome resistance to care to the extent that it is welcomed and services extended beyond the initial arrangement; she has facilitated a husband returning home as she was able to assist the family in managing his Alzheimer’s and dementia; she is great in building relationships immediately and in extreme cases where the client suffers from loneliness and depression. Paula’s internal communications are thorough, timely and consistent. She has positioned herself to be a bridge between a client and family living abroad, the office and a client, when our role is supposed to be inconspicuous, and in some cases with interested third parties whose own relationship with the client is dependent on this feedback. She definitely challenges the status quo by not only providing feedback but suggestions on care and areas of special concern. She has show a tremendous commitment to Home Instead by working long and exhausting hours, having flexibility with her schedule and a genuine interest in the work she does. Paula, thank you! You are respected and appreciated by your colleagues and clients alike.  Tatsiana - December Tatsiana has been with Home Instead Senior since April 2011. In that time she has cared for numerous clients, all of whom have been extremely fond of her. She is both compassionate and caring, and shows that in the little things she does for her clients. She “takes the lead,” to goes above and beyond to please her clients and their family members. One particular client does not want anyone else to care for her, and she cries and says “I want my Tatsiana”. She has developed a very close relationship with Tatsiana. Tatsiana takes great pride in her work and is always
eager to please her clients. She is very dedicated. We always receive positive feedback from her clients and family members.
Tatsiana is a great asset to Home Instead Senior Care. She is always ready to help out in a crisis, by willingly accepting extra shifts, when she is requested to do so. She has developed a
great rapport with all of the office staff, and is a pleasure to work with.
Tatsiana, you are a great asset to the HISC team and we look forward to working with you for years to come. Thank you for being the extraordinary caregiver that you are.  Zahra - November Zahra was hired by HISC just this January. In the past months she has been with numerous clients. She is both compassionate and caring; building trust with her clients and taking the lead.
These clients have nothing but affection and glowing things to say about Zahra. In recent months she has become the lead caregiver and a great advocate for her present client. This client has grown very fond of her. She always makes certain everyone in the office is aware of any changes in her client’s condition when it is necessary.
Zahra has proven to be an asset to HISC and is willing to help out whenever possible. In addition Zahra has helped the office out on occasion by taking on last minute assignments from Dorothy Ley Hospice. We have received positive feedback from their staff as well with the positive comments from their clients.
Zahra thank you very much for your dedication and hard work, we really appreciate it. We hope to be working with your for years to come. Thank you for being the great caregiver that you are  Elizabeth - October We are pleased to announce that Elizabeth Izzard has been selected CAREGiver of the Month for October 2011.
Elizabeth has been with Home Instead Senior Care since the end of March 2011. In this relatively short period of time, she has proven herself to be a valued member of the Home Instead 'team' by accepting last minute assignments anywhere from Etobicoke to Oakville. And by 'last minute', we mean calling her up at all hours to pick up an assignment. When the office is pressured with last minute client requests, Elizabeth frequently agrees to jump in and help where she is able.
Her positive attitude, friendly demeanor and easy sense of humor make it a pleasure for our office staff to work with her but where she particularly 'shines' is with her clients who have great affection for her. Elizabeth brings to her role a broad background in compassionate caring both through volunteer work and personal experience. She has taken Palliative Care Training at Dorothy Ley Hospice and has also completed the Home Instead Senior Care Alzheimer's Training Course.
Elizabeth, you're a great asset to 'the team' and we hope you're enjoying your relationship with us so far and that you look forward to the clients you will be serving in the future! Thank you for being a great CAREGiver and for building great rapport with your clients.
 Madelaine - September Madelaine is a third year BscN. student at MacMaster University. We were very fortunate that Madelaine chose to spend her summer vacation with us, sometimes under less than vacation-like circumstances.
This CAREGiver of the month, provided service and support to two palliative care clients as well as numerous others that have only great things to say about her. She is hardworking and committed, having picked up several shifts when needed and going “above and beyond” the call of duty.
While in our employ and since then, we have received phone calls and referrals from people 'singing her praises'.
We thanks Madeline for her hard work and contribution to the team. We wish her well in her studies, hope to work with her again and we are certain she will excel in her chosen field of study.  Onika - July/August Onika has been with HISC since April 2010. Because of her participation in our Alzheimer’s Training Program, she was hand-picked for her current assignment. Her current client has dementia and has declined, in health, quickly. It was clear to us and the client’s family that an Alzheimer trained CAREGiver was a necessity, in order to provide the type of help that he needed. In this role, she has become a steadfast advocate for her client. She is an extremely dedicated caring and hard-working individual who has become very fond and attached to her current client. She has worked with nurses and doctors at the hospital to ensure that he receives the best at all times, without fail. In addition to this, Onika has helped out the office, numerous times, by taking last minute shifts at the Dorothy Ley Hospice or with other clients, who know her so well. We would like to take this to opportunity to thank Onika for being a great CAREGiver; for taking part in our Alzheimer’s Training Course and helping out when needed. Words cannot express how fortunate we are to have Onika working with us at Home Instead Senior Care by providing the excellent, high quality level of care to her client in the capacity in which she has been. We are lucky to have her working with us and she is truly an asset.  Pernica - May/June Pernica has been with Home Instead Senior Care since April 2010. Since that time she has proven to be very dedicated, caring and overall a hardworking individual.
She balances, perfectly, a full-time work schedule, school and personal life while always giving 100%. She makes herself available when needed, communicates the needs of her clients and remains positive at the same time.
Pernica has been with the same client since she started with HISC and the relationship is nothing short of complimentary. We continue receive positive feedback about her performance and work ethic. We would like to take this opportunity to let Pernica know that she is tremendously appreciated. You have set a new benchmark for service and we are all fortunate to work with you.  Anne Marie - February/March Anne Marie has been with Home Instead Senior Care since September 2010. In the short time she has been a Caregiver with our company, she has proven to be very a hard working individual.
Anne Marie is a CAREGiver who is kind, dedicated and full of compassion. She also consistently provides excellent care to her clients.
We would like to thank Anne Marie for being a great CAREGiver. We are so fortunate to have you to depend on and you are truly an asset to Home Instead Senior Care. Thank you for all that you do.
 Merecyl - January Merecyl has been with Home Instead Senior Care since September 2009. In her time with us, she has met many clients, but served one very special client since
Since then, Merecyl has been meeting new clients and providing them with the same exceptional level of care that she is known for.
Merecyl is a CAREGiver that is full of kindness and compassion. She is gentle and makes her clients and families feel as though they are deeply cared for.
We congratulate Merecyl on this accomplishment and say “Thank You” for everything you do for your clients.  Sherry - CAREGiver of The Year 2010 You know when you meet someone for the first time and things just “click”? That’s the way you feel when you meet Sherry , our choice for CAREgiver of the Year. Her gentle, talkative and open demeanor spark an instant likeability, even among the most unlikely clients for the former Red Seal Chef, including an 85-year-old sports enthusiast, and a nature-loving piano-playing extraordinaire suffering from Alzheimers.
The bonds that Sherry establishes with her three clients — working tirelessly seven days a week — run so deep that family members are surprised and grateful for the new insights she shares with them about their loved ones. Of course Sherry is capable, conscientious, thoughtful and reliable (she’s never taken a sick day or said no when we are in a pinch), and so much more. But rather than detail her many strengths, which are universally true in any great caregiver, we want you to experience the incredibly powerful sense of companionship she establishes and nurtures with those she cares for.
She has touched the lives of our clients deeply, irrevocably, and has vastly improved the quality of their remaining years simply by caring — fully and completely. We believe her dedication and devotion, thoughtfulness and giant-sized heart, is worthy of honouring with the CAREGiver of the Year award.  Winsomme - CAREGiver of the Year Winsome has been with Home Instead Senior Care since October 2008. During this time, Winsomme has worked through some difficult situations with grace and continues to stand out as a stellar CAREGiver.
Winsomme has been with the same client since November 2008. She visited the client in a long term care facility, providing companionship and personal care 6 days a week. Winsomme is a gentle and kind soul and it was amazing to see how well her client responded to her. In addition, Winsomme is always in touch with the office, Neifa (Client Care Coordinator), and the family to ensure that the client’s needs were always met.
A short time ago Winsomme’s client was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. When the family advised the office, we notified Winsomme immediately. While talking to Winsomme it became obvious that it was difficult for her to not be with her client and she asked if we would allow her to at least go to the hospital to visit. We approved Winsomme to be able to go to the hospital to visit. The next day, we discovered that Winsomme was there much longer than just a visit. When we talked to her about her visit, she told us that she needed to stay with her client so that she could ensure that he received the level of care he had become accustomed to and ended up staying the entire day.
When I spoke with the family to let them know that Winsomme had been selected as CAREGiver of the month in July 2009, they were so happy for her. They proceed to tell me how wonderful Winsomme is and that she does not simply see her job as being there for just 8 hours or just as “caregiving” but that she truly cares for their father. One of the sons told us “you can see how much she cares in everything she does”.
On Monday October 26, 2009, Winsomme’s client passed away. Winsomme went to the long term care facility to pick up the log book because she felt a strong sense of responsibility to be in the same place as her client one last time. The facility allowed Winsomme to see her client and say her goodbye to allow Winsomme closure. Winsomme is grieving but is relieved that her client is not suffering anymore and is at peace with God.
Winsomme is a remarkable CAREGiver and did such a tremendous job with her client, his family, and HISC. We are so thankful to have her as part of our team and are proud to nominate Winsomme as Mississauga's CAREGiver of the year.
 Stephanie - CAREGiver of the Year Stephanie is a gentle soul. She is so good with each of her clients as she treats them as though they were her own parents. Stephanie had been a CAREGiver for 25 years with one of the local hospitals but after only a few short months of retirement she realized that she needed to care for seniors to fulfill her soul. That is when Stephanie came to Home Instead Senior Care. Stephanie is truly a special person. Her kindhearted, cheerful, empathetic ways ensure that all her clients enjoy each and every one of her visits. These characteristics stood out for us as soon as we purchased the business and that is why Stephanie was selected the first ever CAREGiver of the Month for our business. During CAREGiver interviews one of the final questions I always ask myself is would I hire this person to work with my mother. Stephanie has impressed us so much that we have hired her to work with our own grandmother. | 