Home Instead® Care Professional Kristin Fields is a Renaissance woman whose piano-playing acumen fascinates a client. In addition to excelling in music and senior care, the Care Pro of the Month’s education includes degrees from St. Olaf College in Minnesota (Music and Psychology); University of Colorado in Boulder (Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences Master of Science); and Yale University (RN, Master of Science in Nursing, Psychiatric Nursing). While that’s an impressive résumé, it’s Kristin’s piano skills and empathy that captivate her client.
“During this holiday season,” Kristin explained, “my client has been singing along with the religious and popular tunes as I play them on the piano in her living room. After one such afternoon, I finished playing and turned to look at her. ‘Pass the hat!’ she responded, clapping her hands and smiling.”
That memory will live forever in Kristin’s compassionate heart. “Those moments of connection, humor and warmth are the best of what life has to give,” Kristin said. “I am grateful to have the chance to be a part of it all.”
Kristin added: “The woman with whom I am working, although struggling with aphasia, is full of witticisms and one-off comments with hidden gems of wisdom and humor.” Aphasia is a language disorder from brain damage (possibly a stroke or injury) that impairs speaking, understanding, reading and writing, but doesn't affect intelligence.
Home Instead Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Brenda Munro’s emotions were stirred recently when she saw Kristin and her client interact. “Kristin brought her client to the office for our holiday party and seeing them together was incredibly moving. Rather than Kristin simply providing our highly regarded care, Kristin and her client relate to each other as good friends. Kristin is the quintessence of patience, warmth, respect and genuine affection,” Brenda said.
“Kristin came to us a year ago as a retired rehabilitation therapist and is an unbelievably wonderful Care Pro,” Brenda added. “Kristin is reliable and compassionate, and she goes above and beyond the call of duty. In addition to assisting one of our clients who lives with advanced dementia, Kristin fills in with other clients.”
Brenda might have had the last word in persuading Kristin to rejoin owner Michael Lammers’ award-winning Home Instead franchise that serves Boulder, Broomfield and northwest Adams Counties and is based in Louisville, Colorado. “When I retired as a rehabilitation therapist who worked with people with a cognitive impairment diagnosis – while also helping their families – I looked to Home Instead. I had been ‘retired’ for about six months before sitting down with Brenda in the office,” Kristin said. “After listening to my story, Brenda reflected, ‘Well, it’s clear you aren’t done!’ It’s so true – I am not done with creating the special relationships that are made possible through caregiving.”
This is Kristin’s second stint with Home Instead. “Back in the late 1990s, I had just moved back to Boulder after a two-year foray to California and sought work with Home Instead in the Boulder-area office upon my return. I don’t remember how long I had worked with Home Instead before moving on to hospice work, but I do remember working with a woman in the Golden West Senior Community,” Kristin recalled.
Kristin’s experience with caregiving and health services is a rich one. “I have a degree in nursing and have practiced in the areas of outpatient psychiatric treatment, home care and hospice. After 20 years, I decided to switch it up and get a degree in speech language and hearing sciences, focusing on the adult and geriatric populations. This brought me to working in nursing-home and outpatient-therapy settings for another 15 years before retiring in 2023,” Kristin said.
She added: “In between, I have had two marriages and three beautiful daughters. I am still waiting for the first grandchild. My husband and I live in the countryside just east of Boulder with our two dogs. We enjoy music, traveling, cooking and a long-awaited slower pace of life. I have a newfound passion for Pilates and get in as many sessions per week as I can!”
Kristin is an important part of the Care Pro team at Colorado’s leading 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.
“What I love most about working in home care as a Home Instead Care Professional is the opportunity to be present and to practice kindness with truly lovely people,” Kristin 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 at HomeInstead.com/397.
