Stephine Couldn’t Arrive Soon Enough for a Client
The dementia client has his challenges, but he can still decipher a calendar and a clock. He does get a bit antsy in his anticipation of Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Stephine Hazle’s arrival. She always shows up 30 minutes early for every shift. One day when Stephine came through the door at 8:30 a.m. as usual for her 9 o’clock start, the client wore an impish grin. He said, “It’s about time you got here.” Stephine flashed her trademark smile and said, “But you know I’m always early.”
The client is like any other senior Stephine has assisted on behalf of the award-winning Philadelphia franchise owned by Steve Levin. They can’t wait for Stephine to appear. She joined Home Instead in July 2021, and General Manager Charlea Lyn Grieco announced Stephine had been honored as the franchise’s Care Pro of the Month for August 2022. “She is one of our amazing Care Pros,” Charlea said.
Seniors are comfortable with Stephine because she’s always been comfortable with them. In her native Jamaica, she served as a family caregiver for her paternal grandmother as well as her mother. Stephine arrived in the U.S. in 2006, living in Jacksonville, Florida, for a year before moving to Philadelphia in 2007. She immediately accepted a private-duty caregiving job as a live-in worker before taking continuous private-duty jobs at a well-known senior-living community in downtown Philadelphia for 11 years.
“My last client at that senior community died in 2019. When that happened, I went to school to become a CNA. A friend, who has worked for Home Instead for eight years, told me about Home Instead. I am glad she did,” Stephine explained. “I love my job so much that I arrive 30 minutes early for a shift so I can go through what has happened earlier that day for the other Care Pro and help finish a shift if it is necessary. That way, I know exactly what I have to do. Seniors’ situations can change on a dime. That is one way that I can do my best for each client.”
For one of her two current regular clients, when Stephine arrives early, she immediately goes to work to help the other Care Pro with personal care for a 76-year-old bedfast client who suffered a stroke in 2008. “I also help change the client’s clothes,” said Stephine, who recently took a double shift with the client when another Care Pro could not come.
Her regular male client lives in the same senior community. “He does most things for himself so far. I make sure he has clean clothes, so I do the washing. Among other things, I go down to the dining room every day and get his lunch and dinner. I put notes on them before I stick them in the refrigerator. I also show him the food before I put it away so he knows what he has. He moved to Philadelphia from Louisiana in April to be closer to his daughter. He remembers me when I come in,” said Stephine, referring to the client who anticipates her arrival.
“I enjoy my job, and I love this company. I see myself staying with them. I can call and communicate with any staff member for any reason. They make me feel good, and I have a comfortable feeling about them,” Stephine said.
Stephine is happy to be a part of the Care Pro team for the Philadelphia franchise, a member of a network comprised of Home Instead, Inc. and its parent company, Honor. With the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform, Honor and Home Instead are revolutionizing care for older adults, their families and Care Pros. Combined, the network has more than 100,000 Care Pros across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (215) 925-4610 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
