The Home Instead® corporate office, seeking Care Professionals from its North America franchises to honor for its monthly #StandingOvation feature, created the July theme of “Rookie” while focusing on Care Pros who’ve had outstanding performances in their first 90 days. In Louisville, Colorado, Care Pro of the Month Linda Orozco easily fit the criteria.
“It was almost unanimous when our staff talked it over – it was Linda,” said Brenda Munro, the recruitment and engagement coordinator at owner Michael Lammers’ award-winning Home Instead franchise of Boulder, Broomfield and northwest Adams Counties.
Brenda added: “Linda joined our team Feb. 23, 2022, and started with a bang. She works full time, is adaptable and flexible, and usually takes fill-in shifts when asked. She works mostly with our 24/7 clients, and her dependability is much appreciated.”
The funny thing is, Linda is hardly a rookie. True, her Home Instead job is her first professional senior-care position, but she’s been in the business of taking care of people or helping them in one way or another since she worked as a daycare specialist in 1999, when Linda was 17. Daycare was a natural fit for Linda during her early adulthood years, but unpaid senior care – a huge dose of it as a family caregiver – came into Linda’s life before she joined Home Instead.
“I took care of my mother for the last 10 years of her life, before she passed away in January 2021. We lived together, so that made it easier to give her care. When I say I took care of her, I mean I was the one who took her to the doctors and medical appointments. Since I have a medical background, I was able to understand what was going on with her and could explain it to her in a way in which she could understand it,” Linda explained.
“I cooked for her and my dad, as well as for my little family. My mom was still able to take care of herself and my dad. I was there when it came to medical situations. After she passed, I helped my dad with all of his medical situations.”
Linda graduated from the Institute of Business & Medical Careers as a registered medical assistant (RMA) in 2013. “I never worked in a clinical setting because I became a full-time nanny for my cousin’s children. I did that from 2013 until I started at Home Instead. I had the honor of helping raise two kids; Aydan and Izzabelle joke that I am their favorite aunt,” said Linda, who found Home Instead through an online employment search service.
Linda pointed out she has worked in different kinds of environments, and in each case, she was working with people. “From being a guest services representative at a major-chain hotel in 2005, I went back to daycare and then was a housekeeper in a facility in Arizona that dealt with patients on tracheotomy ventilators in 2008. I worked in a warehouse in 2010 and was a DollarTree cashier from 2019 to 2021. I also cleaned my friend’s Airbnb. After the warehouse job, I became a housewife, at-home mom and nanny,” Linda said.
When Linda was asked to describe her work highlights with Home Instead, she said: “What I like most about my job is being able to be there for someone in need. If I can help in any way within my abilities, I’ll do it. I like to do things for others out of the kindness of my heart and never expect anything in return.”
Linda’s favorite client stories emanate from hearing about her client’s lifetime of experiences. “There is a love story about how my client and her husband met. I’ve also heard about her career as a librarian and the places she traveled while her husband was in the military. She has talked about the experiences she had living in New York City, such as going to the theaters and concerts,” Linda said.
Linda especially treasured the special day when she helped her client celebrate her 97th birthday with her two daughters and their pups. “
“We have conversations about life in general and how much things have changed from when she was a young woman. We love sharing our family traditions and how they differ between our two backgrounds. It is a fulfilling and enlightening time,” Linda said.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (720) 890-0184 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
