Whether you call her “Ruby” or her God-given “Socorro,” Elk Grove Village’s Caregiver of the Month is known for one thing: Excellence.
Digital Brand Manager Mia Tatone said, “She is an awesome Caregiver!”
Human Resources Manager Alina Merrill said, “ ‘Ruby,’ as we call her, always steps up and is there when she is needed! She is very compassionate, and her kind heart shines through with the care she gives our clients.”
Mia announced Ruby was honored as the December Caregiver of the Month for owner Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning Home Instead® franchise that serves the Chicagoland-area cities of Addison, Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Bensenville, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Elk Grove, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Itasca, Medinah, Mt. Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, Streamwood and Wood Dale.
Among the considerations for achieving Caregiver of the Month status, an employee has shown he or she has gone above and beyond the call of duty, Mia and Alina pointed out.
Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Ruby embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.” Ruby is someone who is exceptional at her work with any client, Mia and Alina emphasized.
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Ruby provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Ruby offers personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility assistance. By expertly doing so, Ruby and her fellow
Caregivers not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
To build on their knowledge and experience, Ruby and other Elk Grove Village Caregivers are offered the opportunity to increase their dementia-care skills by taking part in the Home Instead network’s one-of-a-kind training protocol. Home Instead’s Person-Centered Care Training for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias is recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association® for incorporating the evidence-based dementia-care practice recommendations in these topic areas: Alzheimer’s and dementia, person-centered care, assessment and care planning, activities of daily living, and behaviors and communication.
Focusing on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped Ruby achieve the Caregiver of the Month award.
Ruby loves being a part of the Caregiver team for Kelly’s Elk Grove Village franchise, a member of a highly successful network founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska. The Home Instead network is the world’s leading provider of in-home care services for older adults, with more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises that provide care throughout the United States and 13 other countries.
Ruby is among more than 100,000 Caregivers worldwide, and she has helped add to those numbers because of her strong belief in Home Instead’s purpose. She also strongly agrees with Home Instead’s core values: “Honor God in all we do; Treat each other with dignity and respect; Encourage growth in ourselves and others; Build value in our service to others.”
