Ah, the stories. Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Heather Higgs loves the stories. It’s part of the fulfillment she receives from her job of helping others. Seniors have a way of generating smiles and golden memories.
“One of my favorite stories is of my client who was a flight attendant. She tells me she was an ‘Air Goddess.’ It’s super cute when she says it!” Heather said. “I often get to drive her to lunch at a local cafe and she enjoys her time out.”
While Heather has been with Home Instead of Winchester since October 2021, she has been a CNA for 25 years. The award-winning Home Instead franchise that serves the Northern Shenandoah Valley has greatly benefited from Heather and her vast professional senior-care experience. Allyson Starling, who works in the Home Instead franchise’s human resources department and in Care Pro recruitment and retention, announced Heather’s honor as Winchester’s Care Pro of the Month for June.
“I’ve worked in nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities. I was also able to work private care for a sweet lady,” said Heather, who found Home Instead on Indeed.com. “I had heard great things about the company and had a family member who had used Home Instead. I knew there were people in my community who could use the care and help, the kind of assistance I could give. I decided to work for Home Instead so I could give one-on-one care.”
On top of her professional experience, Heather also has served as a family caregiver. “I helped care for my grandmother and mother. They both had cancer and were able to stay home and get the care they deserved from family members and hospice services,” Heather said.
Heather treats her Home Instead clients just as if they were family members. Heather embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.” In fact, she said: “The thing I like most about my job is simply being able to give the individual my attention and the care he or she deserves.” It’s clear that Heather has gone above and beyond the call of duty for her clients. That’s one of the criteria for achieving Care Pro of the Month. Empathy and compassion also are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations.
Heather loves being a part of the Care Pro team for the owner Keith Clay’s franchise, a member of the highly successful Honor and Home Instead network. Honor is the world’s largest home care network with the most advanced care platform, revolutionizing how society cares for older adults, their families and Care Professionals. Honor acquired Home Instead in 2021, and the combined company supports the work of more than 100,000 Care Professionals across 13 countries and meets the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (540) 722-8750 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
