Rosie’s Impressive Start Quickly Earns Care Pro Honor
Rosalinda “Rosie” O’Neal remembers her first fulltime job, when she joined an architectural firm as an administrative assistant. There were pluses, including her paycheck, but something didn’t feel right. “The job kind of got old,” Rosie recalled. “I remember driving past a nursing home now and then, and wondering about it. Eventually, I told myself I’d work there someday. Then I did – it was 1998. They sent me to an educational program that resulted in a CNA license. I found fulfillment by helping people.”
After a winding road through professional senior care that included other jobs in Texas as well as in Alabama, Rosie landed at award-winning Home Instead® of Midland-Odessa, Texas, on Oct. 27, 2025. Forty-two days later, Rosie was honored as the franchise’s Care Professional of the Month for December. The Home Instead staff members can see the joy in Rosie’s eyes as well as those of her clients and their family members.
Speaking on behalf of Home Instead owners Lorena and William Shensky, Engagement and Training Coordinator Rozephyr Jean said: “Rosie hit the ground running and showed that caregiving is her true calling. She’s a former CNA who has a lot of experience. She goes above and beyond the call of duty. For instance, she takes last-minute shifts and has earned her clients’ praises. In a short time, Rosie has proved to be reliable and professional, and she definitely takes caregiving to another level. We can’t wait to see what other great things she’ll do.”
Rosie was born in Waco, Texas, and grew up in Carrollton, Texas. The Midland-Odessa office is the third Home Instead franchise for whom Rosie has served. The others were in Dothan, Alabama, and Sherman, Texas. “I moved from nursing homes to home-health agencies because I had a family with children,” said Rosie, who has never stopped learning more about professional caregiving at each juncture of her career.
An urgent call for family caregiving took Rosie off her course for an RN degree. “I had started nursing school,” Rosie recalled, “but my dad got sick, and I paused my education to help take care of him. He was an independent soul, so when I tried to get him to move in with us, he said no and stayed in his home, and that’s where I went. I went back to school after his medical condition improved, and I had progressed to clinicals before his health deteriorated again.”
Rosie added: “I took Dad to dialysis three times a week. He later started bleeding internally, probably in his kidneys. I knew how to take care of him through my CNA training and experience and kept him out of a nursing home. There was no coming back from his medical changes that included diabetes. After he died, I tried to resume nursing school. But the administrators said I needed to completely start over in the RN program. I couldn’t do that.”
For Home Instead, Rosie is worth her weight in gold. The schedulers send Rosie to clients who have all kinds of challenges. “That’s fine,” Rosie said, “because I have the background, training and experience to handle almost everything. For example, I can easily execute occupational therapy directions because I previously had worked for an in-home rehabilitation agency.”
Saying “It’s a great job,” Rosie praised the Home Instead office staff: “Everything in the office is good. Everyone gets along and is so nice. The staff cares about the Care Pros as well as the clients. If I have a question and the staff can’t immediately answer it, they dig in, find the answer and get back to me as soon as possible. I do my job the best I know. I work a lot of hours and enjoy it. I do the basics of being on time every day and being totally attentive to the clients. Specialized care might spring from that baseline.”
Pointing out some pluses of her job that include the clients’ thanks and appreciation, Rosie said: “I feel bonded to all three of my clients. I try to make them all feel special. Their input is important to me. As far as interaction with the clients, I always learn something new from the seniors. They are so knowledgeable.”
Rosie added: “I want to stay with Home Instead as long as I can.”
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.
