Cindy Honored With 5th Franchise Award
In the world of professional senior care, it’s not hard to notice frequent changes, sometimes occurring daily with the clients and care specialists coming and going. But, in West Texas’ Midland-Odessa area, award-winning Home Instead® Care Professional Cindy Kontowicz has remained a shining constant for the past 10 years. Since she joined Home Instead in September 2013, Cindy has been honored as Care Pro of the Month four times: December 2013, June 2015, January 2019 and April 2023. She also was selected as Care Pro of the Year in 2015.
When Cindy accepts a client assignment, she wins over the senior and usually remains with him or her until the very end. That kind of loyalty is hard to miss.
Imelda Hawkins is Home Instead’s human resources director, assistant administrator and recruitment and engagement coordinator. She joined Home Instead in 2014 as a Care Pro and has had a closeup view of Cindy’s consistent excellence for nine years. “Cindy has really been a treasure for Home Instead,” Imelda said. “From companionship to specialized care, Cindy has proved herself over and over again in every aspect of caring for our seniors.”
Imelda added: “I can personally vouch for Cindy’s awesomeness because I have seen her in action firsthand. Cindy and I worked together with a 24/7 client when I was a Care Pro. When Cindy is not sharing her heart with our seniors, she enjoys spending time with her husband and is always excited about getting to visit her grandbaby!”
Cindy has been with her primary client for about one year. He is an 81-year-old Vietnam War veteran whose health has been impacted by the Agent Orange, a lethal chemical herbicide and defoliant that was used during the conflict in southeast Asia. “I get along well with my client, who reminds me of my dad. A widower, he is a sweetheart who has spunkiness,” Cindy said.
While her client uses a cane and must monitor a few conditions, Cindy believes her client’s overall health “is pretty good.” He has some challenges, some of which are unusual. “He craves coffee, but when he drinks it, his legs get wobbly like Jell-O, which is something I hadn’t seen previously. So, we remain vigilant. One of his daughters, who lives in Great Britain, started him on herbal tea. Another daughter, who lives with him and has continued to work outside the home, is on top of things and has a list of the things he can eat. I encourage him to drink at least two glasses of water with his prescriptions. We keep an eye on other challenges and routinely get medical checkups for those.”
Cindy takes the client for walks in warm weather, and he rides a scooter when they go grocery shopping. “He picks out the groceries. He thinks well, but sometimes his memory can be foggy. I remind him about meds. The client and I watch TV, including newscasts, old-time movies and military movies. He is a history buff but doesn’t say much about Vietnam. All in all, guys like him are the reason I do this work.”
Cindy’s love for senior care began in Wisconsin, and now she believes she is fulfilling her destiny as a Care Pro. When her father died Jan. 23, 2013, at age 75, Cindy decided to get back into senior care. “That’s my passion – helping seniors,” the Wisconsin native said. “I am a lot happier in this field than any other I can think of. My sweet spot is seniors. I am very comfortable with them.”
Even after moving from Racine, Wisconsin, to Texas in 2010, Cindy regularly returned to help her mother, two brothers and sister as they cared for her father, who underwent heart and kidney transplants. Cindy teamed with her late dad to assist fundraising efforts for transplant awareness.
Cindy also has been a family caregiver at times for her husband of nearly 40 years. They moved to Texas because he needed a warmer, dryer climate for his lungs. “It has helped,” Cindy said. “He still has some bad days, but overall it is much better for him. He did so well that he got his college degree after we moved here.”
Shortly after she joined Home Instead, an interesting-yet-predictable development took place. Cindy was in demand. “The clients adore her and trust her completely,” a staff member said. “She is a diligent, compassionate, lovely lady.” Nothing has changed in the past 10 years.
Referring to Lorena and William Shensky, who have owned the franchise for the past three years, Cindy said: “I love the new owners. I plan to work until I am 70, which would be 10 more years. I used to work a lot more hours than I do now. I currently limit my hours, but I am still pretty much full time.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (432) 689-4663 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
