Care Professional Awards & Recognition

Home Instead^® Care Professional of the Month Nwanneka Achinivu is an encourager extraordinaire, and her inspirational methods take on many forms as she assists her clients. It’s fitting that Nwanneka’s name – with an Igbo origin from Nigeria – signifies the culture’s high value placed on family, kinship and unity. “Nwanneka” often celebrates the importance of a sister within the family structure. Home Instead’s Nwanneka elicits smiles and an easy lightness as she sprinkles in an occasional “mum” while talking about mothers.  

“I like being part of my clients’ process at this stage of their lives. I give my clients the kind of care I would love to get if I were them,” said Nwanneka, who, on Aug. 20, 2025, joined owner Greg Gomez-Mira’s award-winning Home Instead franchise that serves south-central Houston.

Nwanneka explained: “I like that I can encourage my clients to see that it’s a blessing to reach their ages, and that it’s time to live and keep living with great expectations. I like coming alongside them and supporting them as they push through challenges that frequently include sicknesses or the aging process. I hope to inspire my clients to not pack up, but to finish the race as strong as possible.”

After Brenda James told a friend that she had ended her retirement in October 2024 and re-entered the workforce with Home Instead^® of south-central Houston, the friend noted Brenda’s deep spiritual faith and said, “You are continuing to help others ‘for such a time as this.’ ” The phrase wasn’t lost on Brenda. Taken from Esther 4:14 in the Old Testament, those timeless words signify that God intentionally places people in specific positions, locations and circumstances for a purpose, often to step out with faith during difficult times.

Brenda had worked for the State of Texas for 19 years, serving with the Health and Human Services Commission, which is responsible for managing SNAP food benefits and Medicaid. Brenda liked the fact she could help others by navigating the sometimes-complex steps to receive aid. Referring to her unsettled retirement plans, Brenda recalled, “The Good Lord said, ‘Not yet’ when I thought I was done working. So, I wondered, ‘What will I do?’ I decided I just couldn’t sit at home and do nothing. I always have helped people, whether it is through work, as a volunteer or as a family caregiver. If I can meet someone’s needs, it makes me feel fulfilled.”

Before joining the State of Texas, Brenda had worked as a hospital CNA for seven years. “I was on the neurology floor, and I enjoyed helping the patients while working the graveyard shift,” Brenda said. “Some patients could be challenging because they were sundowning or showing other behaviors that stemmed from dementia or another kind of neurodegeneration. I tried to calm them. My heart went out to them, and I provided dignity and respect.”

There is joy wherever Joy Imo-Jack has planted herself. Her greatest satisfaction and sense of fulfillment come from any opportunity to help someone in need. That’s why Joy is the Care Professional of the Month for January 2026 at owner Greg Gomez-Mira’s award-winning Home Instead^® franchise in south-central Houston. Friends, family and acquaintances describe Joy as someone whose natural inclination is to show love, kindness, empathy and support to people around her, especially those in challenging situations.

Joy’s compassion first showed itself when she was a young girl who was eager to make others happy if she could. “My benevolence began during my childhood. I remember vividly from my elementary school days when I frequently gave my snacks to peers who were hungry and didn’t have any snacks to eat,” Joy recalled. “I became a caregiver as early as my teenage years, caring for my sisters’ children while their parents pursued their careers. In college, I occasionally organized charity events to support orphanages in the community.”

Today, Joy has her own children, and she has served as a multi-generational family caregiver. She said: “It’s been an honor to be my children’s custodian, helping them actualize and fulfill their God-given destiny. I also cared for my ailing elderly mother, who temporarily lived with me before she passed on.” Joy continues to support individuals, families and nonprofit organizations. “My inherent traits and passion for lifting up the downtrodden have shaped me into who I am today,” Joy explained, “leading me to pursue a career in social work.”

Home Instead^® Care Professional of the Month Mawazo Nyabenda gets down to brass tacks when she is asked about the priorities in her position with the award-winning franchise in south-central Houston: “I bring all necessary assistance to my clients and give them a smile while honoring and respecting them.”

Since joining Home Instead on May 27, 2025, Mawazo has been making outstanding impressions on her clients, their family members and staff at the franchise that has been owned by Certified Senior Advisor Greg Gomez-Mira since 2013. As the calendar flipped into late autumn, Mawazo was honored as one of Home Instead’s Care Pros of the Month.

Mawazo’s clients could feel her compassion and empathy on the first day she arrived to assist them. Those are two of the characteristics that are evaluated when a Care Pro is considered for the employee of the month award. Of course, there are others. Has the Care Pro gone above and beyond the call of duty? Does the Care Pro possess the skills and wisdom to be highly successful? Is the Care Pro exceptional at her work with any client? Finally, does the Care Pro focus on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving? In other words, does the Care Pro work at getting better?

For Home Instead Human Resources Manager Margi Kenny, the answers were yes. When Margi announced Mawazo had been honored as Care Pro of the Month, Margi said Mawazo displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.” Referring to Mawazo’s team-first efforts, Margi added: “Home Instead’s mission is to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families, and to pioneer greater professionalism within care work. Mawazo has truly helped us create a care experience that’s based on human touch, transparency and compassion.”

Four seniors – two couples – are regular Home Instead® clients of Care Professional of the Month Terry Jordan-Keets, and they couldn’t be more appreciative of Terry’s assistance. The clients could feel Terry’s compassion and empathy on the day she showed up to assist them. In fact, one of the clients told Terry at the end of her first shift: “I like you and want you to come back. I will call the office to arrange it.”

The 71-year-old client likes the way Terry interacts with her 81-year-old husband, who lives with dementia and uses a walker. Among the many ways in which she helps, Terry encourages him to walk inside the house with her, and they go outside if the weather permits. His wife is a retired pastor who appreciates Terry’s compassion. Remarkably, with Terry’s other client couple, the 80-year-old husband also is a retired pastor. He too appreciates Terry’s help, and he loves to joke with Terry and also prays with her.

As much as Terry’s assistance is appreciated, Terry said she receives fulfillment from the deep bonds she has forged with her clients. “They are a source of moral support,” said Terry, a widow who has the full-time responsibility of taking care of three grandchildren. Her youngest grandchild was orphaned in January 2023 when her mother was the victim of a homicide in their native Indianapolis, Indiana. The other two grandchildren were orphaned when Terry’s oldest daughter died in April 2020 as the result of severe diabetes. “I am here all alone with my three grandchildren without other family, but I do have a good friend here,” she said.

Jerald Thompson recalled one of the biggest challenges of his life – a family caregiving season of life – as he and his siblings tended to their father. The fulfilling undertaking, which had its expected ups and downs, propelled Jerald toward a Care Professional position with owner Greg Gomez-Mira’s award-winning Home Instead® franchise that serves south-central Houston.

“We cared for my father after my mother passed away. I knew a professional in-home caregiving job would include a lot of the same tasks I had experienced with my father. One-on-one care is far preferable for senior loved ones,” Jerald explained.

Jerald noticed Home Instead on a television commercial and made a phone call. On May 24, 2023, he joined the Home Instead franchise that Greg, a Certified Senior Advisor, has owned for the past 12 years. Greg’s franchise area covers more than 20 Houston suburbs, including Bellaire, Missouri City, Pearland, Sugar Land and Stafford.

In October 2025, nearly 2½ years after Jerald came aboard at Home Instead, Human Resources Manager Margi Kenny announced Jerald had been honored as a Care Pro of the Month. Among the considerations for achieving Care Pro of the Month status, an employee has shown he has gone above and beyond the call of duty, Margi pointed out.

Empathy and compassion are considered for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Jerald embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”

Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Miriti Zakios says there can be many facets to outstanding senior care and caregiving skills are important, but her primary goal boils down to one phrase: “I take my clients’ pain and try to turn it into comfort for them.”

Miriti’s empathy and compassion for her clients and their families have been on display at owner Greg Gomez-Mira’s Home Instead® franchise in south-central Houston since the end of December 2022. “I applied for my Home Instead job in November 2022 when I talked to Margi Kenny, our human resources manager, before taking the job,” said Miriti, who began working as a senior-care professional in February 2020.

Miriti’s uncompromising loyalty to a longtime client held up her arrival at Home Instead until the client passed away Dec. 21, 2022. “I had decided to make the move to Home Instead,” Miriti explained, “but I could not leave the client until after her death. I value all my relationships with clients and the ties I have with their family members. Your heart goes out to them.”

During a life-changing transition for her 81-year-old client, two-time Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Linda Flores-Roque has been a consistent source of reassurance. Linda has been assisting the client for nearly a year, and their bonds included a strong emotional thread the client sorely needed during a stressful time.

“My client recently moved to assisted living after having lived with a family member. At first, she didn’t want to go,” said Linda, who is her client’s only Care Pro and is a member of the award-winning team at Home Instead of south-central Houston. “On that first day, she asked if she could go home. She was in a bit of a panic and didn’t want to be left alone. I comforted her and helped her to ease into her new surroundings.”

Linda added: “Before I left on that first day, I took my client to the dining room and promised I’d be back in two days. As I had anticipated, she was eager to see me return. She knows who I am but does not remember my name. Each time when I arrive, she says, ‘I am always looking for you to return and am happy when I see you.’ ”

The client was especially happy on a June day when Linda arrived on the client’s birthday with balloons and candy. “She remembered her birthday on the Friday before it occurred on a Monday. She was anticipating it, and I had not forgotten. She thanked me. She’s a sweetheart. Nine out of 10 times she is in a very good mood. She can be repetitive, and sometimes she realizes and apologizes, but I reassure her that it’s nothing to worry about. I listen to every word.”

Linda’s patience, empathy and compassion are among the many reasons why she was honored as a Care Pro of the Month for the second time in 13 months.

Before Home Instead^® Care Professional of the Month Ramonda “Mona” Tezeno began helping an 82-year-old client, most of the residents at the client’s independent care community didn’t know him because he rarely ventured outside his apartment. … and he had been living there for two years, since he moved from the East Coast to the Houston area to be closer to family.  

The reason for the client’s self-imposed isolation? Mona explained: “He is aware of his Alzheimer’s and had gotten self-conscious. He preferred to have his meals delivered to his room. He was so reserved when I met him. On our first day, his daughter took us to lunch so we could get acquainted. He is a former college professor who is such a gentleman with such chivalry. He spoils me. He opens the door for me. He is respectful. He appreciates my help.”

Mona has infused confidence into the client, emphasizing that forgetfulness and repetitiveness are a part of anyone’s life regardless of age. “He is coming out of his shell. He knows his challenges and has come to grips with them. Now he speaks first to people rather than waiting for them to address him. I gently persuaded him to go to the dining room. Sometimes he will say, ‘I just don’t remember.’ But he remembers the shortened form of my name,” Mona said.   

Heather Carrico’s rewards as a Care Professional at Home Instead^® of Houston have exceeded her expectations. “I have a client who inspires me and does so much more for me than she knows,” Heather explained.

She added: “Despite all the personal losses she has had and everything she is going through right now, she remains full of life and joy. She doesn’t let anything stop her from trying and learning how to keep moving forward. She gives me strength in my moments of weakness.”

When Heather joined the award-winning Home Instead franchise that is owned by Greg Gomez-Mira and serves south-central Houston, it was Heather’s first position with a professional in-home senior-care agency.

“I had heard of Home Instead throughout many years and felt as if it would be a joy to work for them because of their advertised compassion. I found Home Instead’s listing on Indeed.com and was happy to apply. As far as my previous employment background, I had worked many years in customer service, where I strived to make others happy,” Heather recalled.

On her birthday eight months ago, Marlena Soileau applied for a position as a Care Professional with owner Greg Gomez-Mira’s award-winning Home Instead^® franchise that serves south-central Houston. Marlena had a special reason for submitting the application on her uniquely special day. “It was my dream job,” she said.

Marlena does so many little things that make a client’s day special. “Among my favorite stories is that for a particular client, I love our morning walks and inside jokes. Also we play cards and other games. We go to church every first Sunday of the month,” Marlena said. “I love my career because I love helping others. It makes life easier and peaceful for clients.”

Home Instead Scheduling Coordinator Jessica Williams and her fellow staff members wholeheartedly agreed that Marlena has done wonders for her clients. “Marlena has helped a client to get out of her shell and make living for her in a facility more pleasant,” said Jessica, who announced Marlena has been honored as one of the franchise’s Care Pros of the Month. “Marlena displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of ‘Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.’ She has gone above and beyond the call of duty and is exceptional at her work.”

When it comes to patience and empathy, perhaps few others have more of those caregiving qualities than Home Instead^® Care Professional of the Month Celestine Yemeck. The fact that she slowly and adeptly overcame a client’s resistance to much-needed help is an example of Celestine’s innate ability to model Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”

“One of my favorite experiences involves a client who lives with dementia. In the beginning, he had a very hard time trusting me. He often refused my help and preferred to be left alone, sometimes even getting upset when I tried to assist him. But I remained patient, calm and kind, always gently reassuring him I was there to help,” Celestine explained.

The client needed constant supervision and assistance, so Celestine had to be close to him throughout the day, even when he asked Celestine to leave. “At first,” Celestine recalled, “the client had a good relationship with other Care Pros, but not with me. I saw that as a personal challenge. I wanted to build a bond with him too.”

Celestine added: “With time, he began to open up. He started trusting me more, accepting my care and even engaging in conversation. Eventually, we began sharing small jokes and laughing together. Today, we have a beautiful connection, and he no longer resists my help. I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made, and I feel honored to be part of his care journey. I’ve also learned a lot about his culture through our time together.”