About 10 years ago, Mary H.’s aunt had fallen and went to live in a skilled care community. Mary visited her aunt daily after work, ate dinner with her and tucked her in bed before leaving. “But my aunt didn’t like the nursing home, where she had remained for a couple of months before she insisted on returning home,” Mary recalled.
Mary’s aunt then asked a question that changed the course of Mary’s life: “She wanted me to live with her. I had been in accounting positions my entire life, including 19 fulfilling years at my last job, but I decided to retire and move in with her. My aunt and I had done quite a few things together over the years.”
Mary added: “There were three of us family caregivers – two of my aunt’s granddaughters took turns giving me breaks. They had their own families, and it worked out well. I was with her for about a year before she passed away in 2016. My aunt had lived a good, long life.”
Mary further explained the “why” to her decision to help her aunt: “I was 25 when my mother died, and my father died four years later. I didn’t get a chance to take care of my parents when they aged. I did get that chance with my aunt, so that’s how I got into senior care. I also had one other family caregiving situation. When I was in sixth grade, I helped my grandfather, who had suffered a heart attack. My mother and my grandmother were his primary caregivers, and they both worked. I came home at lunchtime from school to help him.”
Fast-forward to August 2021, when Mary saw an online advertisement for Home Instead® of Naperville, Illinois. “I interviewed with Home Instead and was hired that day,” Mary recalled. “With my first two clients, I worked a combined five days a week, with Monday as the only day when I assisted both. I was with one for 18 months, and I helped the other for about two years.”
Mary’s track record has been stellar, and she was honored as Naperville’s Care Professional of the Month for April 2025. Home Instead Sales Manager Adam Westell, previously a longtime franchise supervisor, said: “Mary is beyond reliable and always does more than is required to be the best Care Pro for her clients. She is a personal assistant in addition to being a Care Pro and does so well working with other teammates to keep the client thriving and safe. To say she has provided peace of mind – not only for the clients but for our office team – is an understatement!”
Naperville Staffing Manager Kim Slezak said: “Mary always goes above and beyond. Her clients are always taken care of. If extra tasks need to be performed, Mary jumps right in. She is dedicated and very hardworking. Mary is a rock star!”
Staff members and clients aren’t the only ones who have praised Mary. She bonded with some of her clients’ family members, and Mary holds warm memories of interacting with them while taking care of their senior loved ones.
During Mary’s early years with Home Instead, one of her other clients resided in a skilled nursing home. “She was 100 percent sharp mentally. We played cards and did other things together. I would take her to meals. Sometimes we would color together or watch TV. She was a very nice person who enjoyed the companionship,” Mary said.
Mary is one of five Care Pros who form the team that helps her current client. “All of us have been with the client for a while – in my case, it has been about 15 months. I’d have to say the other team members deserve the Care Pro of the Month award as much as I do,” she said. “In our situation, all Care Pros have to work together and communicate well. We all have to know what’s going on, and we have to be on the same page.”
Mary added: “A whiteboard sits in the client’s kitchen window and has all of the calendar scheduling. Transportation to appointments is important since the client doesn’t drive any longer. We buy her groceries and drive her to hair appointments. I take her to medical appointments and listen carefully for her. I serve as her eyes and ears.” The Care Pros also take care of the client’s longtime pet, a dog named Eddie. “Her little dog loves all of us. I fix food for her dog. Pets are important to clients, and Eddie is like a child to the client,” Mary said.
Mary loves being a part of our Naperville team at one of Chicagoland’s outstanding Home Instead franchises, a member of the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform. “I’ll continue to work as a Care Pro as long as I can,” Mary said. Overall, there are more than 100,000 Care Pros across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
Franchise owner Kelly Hutchison said: “For our Care Pros, touching lives impacts their souls, whether they are providing physical help such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication reminders or personal care or if they are offering emotional support in a companionship role.”
At our award-winning Home Instead franchise, owned by Kelly Hutchison, all Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (630) 637-3360 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website at homeinstead.com/home-care/usa/il/naperville/402.
