Care Professional of the Quarter

Maria joined Home Instead in October 2020 after hearing about Home Instead through a co-worker. Maria has worked in professional caregiving for at least 14 years, mostly in California. On July 17, Home Instead Engagement and Training Coordinator Sarina Jones announced Maria had been honored as the New Braunfels office’s Care Pro of the Quarter. Sarina said: “Maria is hard-working, dedicated and knowledgeable. She’s great at not only transferring information to other Care Pros but also helping her co-workers better serve their clients.”

Maria said she can feel the love emanating from her Home Instead franchise. “What I love about Home Instead is how they have so much compassion for not just our clients but also for their staff. They have been a true blessing to me as well as to our clients,” she said.  

Leleo said: “I believe we all have the nurturing genes in one way or another, whether it be with animals, dolls, imaginary friends, people or other interests.”

Detailing her dive into family senior caregiving that later led to her thoughts of professional senior care, Leleo explained: “My mother-in-law had broken her femur bone in her mid-80s. After her rehabilitation, I moved in with her for a few months to help her with whatever she needed. The experience of caring for my mother-in-law opened the idea of caring for the elderly once I left a school-district job, which ended three years earlier than I had intended. I searched the internet for ‘caring for seniors.’ Home Instead was the company that drew me in.”

Three Home Instead^® clients had plenty to say about the award-winning New Braunfels franchise’s CAREGiver of the Year, Deborah Reidhead. Superlatives rolled off the clients’ lips as they offered nearly 600 words of commendation for Deborah during telephone interviews, some of which were:

• Mrs. N. – “With Deborah, there is a purity of light because she is absolutely delightful. She comes to my house with a beautiful smile and is such a caring person.”
• Mrs. D. – “Deborah has everything in a CAREGiver you would ever need; she is the picture of a great CAREGiver. I dream about having her more than just one day a week.”
• Mr. F. – “My wife and I love her as if she were our own daughter. Deborah is truly a Christian lady who is kind and gentle, has good energy and is such a sweet person.”

When bonding relationships develop, sometimes the CAREGiver-client roles are switched. Twice-honored Home Instead^® CAREGiver of the Quarter Misty Juarez poignantly found that to be true last year, and those were experiences she will never forget. They involved tears as well as laughter at just the right time.

“Both of my regular clients have helped me get through some of the worst days of my life. Last year, my 13-year-old niece took her own life Feb. 5. Working with my clients through my grief helped me stay busy and heal. They prayed for me and my family through that unsettling period following the memorial service,” said Misty, who was selected as CAREGiver of the Quarter in January 2022.

The daughter of a 98-year-old Home Instead^® client thought of ways to describe CAREGiver of the Quarter Joanne Wellington, who has been a shining star for the past two years and four months.

“ ‘Trust’ is one word that comes to our minds when we think of Joanne and what she means to us,” the daughter said. “ ‘Comfortable’ is another one. I am completely comfortable with Joanne in terms of her care for Dad. I am not sure that one word is sufficient for telling you about other ways Joanne has been so good for Dad. For one thing, she does a complete safety check of his home every time she’s with him. It gives us a great peace of mind.”

“There are a lot of ‘C’ words that describe Ramona: Caring, Calm, Consistent, Communicator and Customizes Care. You should add one more ‘C’ word: ‘connecting.’ Ramona has a steady, approachable and calming way of connecting with her client. Ramona works with an 89-year-old client in a memory-care unit on behalf of our Home Instead office in New Braunfels.”

"What I like most about being a Home Instead CAREGiver is that company-wide, we all put an emphasize on the ‘CARE.’ Throughout the past five years, I have been able to care for all sorts of individuals and accommodate their personalized needs. That has created bonds that will last forever. In the role I play, it is very rewarding to know I am making a difference in their lives every day,” Ramona said.

Sometimes clients look to Dora for responses to their questions and dilemmas. Dora, who has a wise, discerning quality in addition to her other strong attributes, knows there isn’t always a good answer or comforting words for every conundrum. That’s when she turns to her faith and shares in a nonintrusive manner if it seems like the right time.

“I have many great memories from work, but my favorite one was when a client shared a difficult family situation that was causing her much grief. My words could not console her. With me being a Christian and my client also being a person of faith, I asked if I could pray with her. We did many times, and I know that praying is what got her through that difficult time,” said Dora.

Kat is a natural as a CAREGiver for many reasons. One of her role models was her grandmother, who owned a nursing home in the 1960s and 1970s in Kerrville, Texas. Kat’s grandmother was so attached to her residents and so particular about their care that she alone prepared their meals. The nursing home was Kat’s first exposure to dementia behaviors.

“I was 7 years old when I remember listening to the residents talk to my grandmother. I was puzzled because often they asked repetitive questions. Dad took me to the nursing home after school to visit three times a week,” said Kat, whose grandmother sold the nursing home and later passed away when Kat was a college senior. “The dementia made a lasting impression. I’ve been reading a lot about it. I try hard to understand what I am possibly missing with a client. What can I do that helps them? The job affects more than the clients. There is an impact on their spouses.”

The Home Instead® of New Braunfels office and its clients have a lot to say about 2020 CAREGiver of the Year Lisa Ruiz-Burchfield, but one staff member boiled the superlatives to a succinct sentence: "We wish we could clone Lisa!"

"Lisa is amazing. She truly has the heart of a CAREGiver," a staff member said while pointing to the fact that Lisa was honored as one of the franchise's CAREGivers of the Quarter in 2019 just six months after joining the award-winning Texas office.

When CAREGiver of the Quarter Lynn Richardson says, "I was born to do this job," there is no disagreement from anyone who knows her. From clients to their families to the Home Instead® franchise staff, Lynn's work always has received A-pluses.

Staff members at the Home Instead franchise in New Braunfels also pointed out: "Lynn is the special kind of CAREGiver who plants roots wherever she goes. When Lynn meets a client, she's there for the long haul. She's been with her some of clients to the end, and those clients' families have always taken the time to specifically recognize her. Not all families take the time to call the office to say, 'Thank you' and compliment their CAREGivers, but we can think of several who have done that for her."

At age 16, Josephine Anderson and a good friend made a pact to take temporary hospital volunteer jobs for the summer. Months later, when school began, Josephine's friend backed away from pursuing a nursing career. Josephine, however, had fallen in love with the work. As her volunteer position ended, the hospital offered Josephine a part-time job. "I'd do such things as bring patients up to radiology for X-rays and try to make them feel comfortable," she said. "Hospital work is where I found my love for taking care of people."

Josephine's life took a few twists and turns before she became a nursing-home CNA. "After high school," Josephine said, "I wanted to study electrical engineering in Austin, but transportation problems became overwhelming and I dropped out of school. I took on restaurant work for about five years before someone suggested nursing or caregiving because of my caring nature. I earned my CNA certification while I was working for a nursing home."

Years ago when Rebecca Thomas returned to her native Philippines to visit an ailing aunt, she was stunned by the decline of her senior loved one's health.

"When I walked in the door, I saw my aunt bedridden already. She was in the process of passing away. I did not know things had deteriorated that much. I had not seen her for seven years. Worse yet, I did not know how to help her. When her leg muscles constricted and caused her great pain, I did not know what to do. I felt hopeless to help during my entire time there. I felt I had let my aunt down somehow. I was thankful I had a cousin who was a nurse," said Rebecca, who spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy and retired from military service in 2017. She had become an American citizen in 1992.

It was a sight – and sound – to behold. Three guys were singing in nearly perfect unison, although a little off-key: CAREGiver of the Quarter Terry Mullen, his 90-year-old dementia client and Alan Jackson, one of the all-time best-selling country music artists. Of course, Jackson's voice came from one of his gospel CDs. Jackson's songs had turned around the client's agitated mood.

Terry said: "The client sang along with every song, hitting 95 percent of the words, loud and clear, and at the top of his lungs. I would have loved to be able to do exactly that. I was singing with him, trying to keep up. It was wonderful, just great. I was pretty happy that he had found his happy zone. His arms went up in the air."