Thinking back to June 2025, Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Angie West wistfully recalled: “I wasn’t sure I still had ‘it’ in me, ‘it’ being my caring gene.” It turns out Angie’s “caring gene” remained deeply engaged in her heart and had never disappeared.
Angie thanked staff members Brenda Munro, Melinda Pfanstiel, Lisa Jarko, Amber Smith, Kelli Giltner and Libbie Miller at the award-winning Home Instead franchise owned by Michael Lammers. Angie said: “I want to thank them for taking a chance on me,” Angie said, “and I want to thank the schedulers for finding so many clients for me.”
Why wouldn’t a reputable in-home senior-care company want to hire Angie? After all, she was honored with customer service awards twice during her 16 years with Balfour Cherrywood Village memory care in Louisville, Colorado. That is where Angie was a Qualified Medication Administration Person (QMAP), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and state-certified professional caregiver.
Angie explained: “In October 2020, COVID-19 got into building, and I was hospitalized for seven days. The care community lost 20 residents. I never went back into the building because of the trauma of losing my residents. I developed PTSD, anxiety and depression, and I was afraid to leave my house. In 2024, I started slowly rejoining society. Later, I shopped and delivered packages for Uber. My sister, daughter and mom encouraged me to get back out into public life and do that with which I’m good – caring for seniors.”
On June18, 2025, Angie joined the Home Instead franchise that serves Boulder, Broomfield and northwest Adams Counties and is based in Louisville. Brenda, Home Instead’s recruitment and engagement coordinator, said: “Angie has been a caregiver her whole career, and she has been a great one.”
Brenda added: “Angie told me in her interview she chose caregiving because ‘it’s just what I do. It’s not about the money, it’s just who I am.’ She leads with compassion in everything she does. She connects to her clients and shows up with patience, kindness and a genuine desire to make their lives better. They are lucky to have her, and so are we. She’s our Care Pro of the Month for May.”
While Angie is a consummate professional, she also didn’t hesitate to serve as a family caregiver. “When I was 27,” Angie recalled, “I took care of my grandma, Leila Lila Minnie Vann, in the hospital. She was difficult for nurses because of her Alzheimer’s. I stayed at the hospital until she passed away. She was a former head nurse.”
Angie pointed out: “What I like about my Home Instead job is that I get to bond with not only my clients but also their spouses, children, siblings, grandchildren and sweet animals. I get to hear funny stories when they were kids. With my client, Mr. G., no matter what is going on in the world, we sing Backstreet Boys songs every morning, including ‘Everybody’ and ‘I Want It That Way.’ ”
Angie has made more memories with Home Instead, and has been pleasantly surprised with wonderful coincidences that have spanned two jobs.
“A 99-year-old client asked where I formerly worked, and I told her Balfour Cherrywood. My client’s son said, ‘Did you know a Donna?’ It turned out I had taken care of a Balfour Cherrywood resident, Donna, for 16 years, and my 99-year-old client’s children and Donna’s kids grew up together,” Angie explained. “We had a laugh two days later when my client’s son saw Donna’s kids at a store and told them what had happened, and they had a laugh. Donna was a great singer. On the wing I worked on, out of 25 residents, she was among the ones who survived COVID-19. It is a small world.”
Home Instead and its clients are glad Angie now is part of their world.
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 at HomeInstead.com/397
