Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Catherine Ncube quotes a Bible verse, Colossians 3:23, when she explains her motivation for helping people: “To me, taking care of somebody is something I want to do as my calling from God because human beings are God’s highest creation. ‘All that I do is as though I am working for the Lord rather than for man.’ So, at the risk of being redundant, I wish to emphasize that the act of caring is not a job or paycheck – it’s a ministry for me.”
By humbling herself, Catherine assumed a place of honor in her family 25 years ago in a servant’s role. As a family caregiver, Catherine took care of her mother in their homeland of Zimbabwe from 1998 to 2005 before Catherine moved to the United States in September 2008. “To me,” Catherine said, “it was a great joy and honor from God to have my mum stay with me.” Catherine’s mother had had asthma and high blood pressure for many years. As she grew older, the asthma got worse. From among her seven daughters, their mother chose to stay with Catherine, a decision that Catherine’s sisters accepted. Their mother told everyone, “Catherine is very caring, loving and patient.”
Eighteen years later, Catherine has had the same impact with her clients while working for Home Instead of Collin County, an award-winning franchise owned by Todd Felker. Recalling her first Home Instead client more than two years ago, Catherine said: “She and the family members were so nice. I thought when I came the next day their demeanors could change. But every time I was there, I was treated with the same love. One day my client told her family, ‘Catherine is part of the family.’ In addition, she told everybody who came to visit and even told her dog not to bark at me: ‘She is part of the family.’ I love them, and they love me too.”
Because of circumstances beyond Catherine’s control, her regular assistance to the client sadly came to an end. “Thank God the client and her family understood. I still go if there is an open shift and I am able to make it. My client will never forget that I am still part of the family,” Catherine said.
Catherine’s bonding and deep relationships with Home Instead clients began about 2½ years ago. She found Home Instead online because the agency for whom she was working had few clients or sometimes none at all because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After finding Home Instead, Catherine searched on its website, called and set a date to come to the office to fill out the employee forms. Following her arrival, Catherine took care of the paperwork and went through the Home Instead orientation. “I had been checking with a different agency at the same time. I felt I should try Home Instead first and compare whether there’s a difference in what they offer. I found that Home Instead was the right choice,” she said.
Catherine entered her Home Instead job with plenty of experience. “I started working in professional caregiving in 2010 in a residential home in Richardson, where they had residents in one house. I was working Monday through Friday 24 hours a day because I was doing live-in shifts. Someone came Friday evening to work weekends. I worked there for five years. In all those years, we were staying with those residents as family. I really enjoyed it, and my employers were wonderful too,” Catherine said.
“Then I decided to attend a CNA college on weekends when I was off. I passed and got a CNA license. Then I decided to get a house in Garland, and I could not do the live-in work. I wanted to be home, so I left the residential home workplace, and it was not easy to leave. Everybody wanted me to stay. I had worked for some other agencies in Dallas and Plano before I came to Home Instead.”
Home Instead Care Pro Advocate Amanda Ross said she is glad Catherine chose their franchise in Plano. “Catherine is wonderful and always helps by taking extra shifts when she is able. Catherine embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart,” Amanda said.
Catherine said: “I like working for Home Instead because it is a well-established company, and there has never been a time when you are told, ‘Today we have no clients. We will call you when we get one.’ I like the office staff – actually, I liked them the first day I went there for orientation. They are all wonderful.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (469) 916-9202 or apply online . For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
