Care Professional of the Month Tom Lierman has been a great success with Home Instead® of Louisville, Colorado, which isn’t surprising because he already had been a success as a Registered Behavioral Therapist (RBT) while helping autistic children, including his daughter.
Tom formerly worked for a Longmont clinic, which required its employees to have their RBT certification to provide therapy for children who are on the autism spectrum. Tom explained: “I homeschooled my daughter for the first eight years of school. Being an RBT helped me understand my daughter’s challenges to be more successful with homeschooling.”
As his daughter’s full-time family caregiver, Tom worked with many different therapists at Children’s Hospital, including those in the fields of physical, occupational, speech, sensory, eating, social interaction and life skills. By doing so, Tom learned his daughter’s needs and worked on her therapies through the week when she was not receiving professional therapy. “My daughter is 18, is thriving and will graduate high school this year,” Tom said. “She is considered high-functioning autistic. She has worked so hard to develop all of the necessary life skills and lessons that you would not know she’s autistic. I’m so very proud of her!”
Once the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, business at the Longmont clinic slowed. “My territory was large, primarily in Longmont and Fort Collins, but I live in Westminster,” Tom explained. “My driving time was excessive. I wasn’t home enough to manage homeschooling and wanted more time with my daughter and family. I tried to find an RBT position closer to home, but had a difficult time or the therapy territories were too large.”
Tom began a more general job search, and a position as a Home Instead Care Pro stood out. He said, “I applied, and the magnificent Home Instead recruiter, Brenda Munro, immediately scheduled an interview. On the day of my face-to-face interviews, Brenda and the entire staff were incredible. The office’s energy was electric. Brenda was great at explaining the job expectations and sharing the challenges. I told Brenda I was ready, and she extended an offer quickly. The rest is history. I have been a Care Pro for just over one year. I am surprised at how quickly the year has gone.”
Brenda said: “Tom started full time with one of our highest-needs clients, and he works 48 hours a week with the client. A hospice nurse told us that Tom is so caring and careful. The nurse described Tom as ‘one of the top two senior-care professionals’ she has met. The nurse added: ‘If you watched Tom care for his client, you’d think it was his own father.’ Tom is one of our best Care Pros and so very deserving of this Care Pro of the Month recognition.”
Tom has enjoyed working with his client, who has Parkinson’s, through many stages. First, it was the physical and occupational therapy. “He has the strongest will and worked so hard to stay mobile as long as possible. I worked closely with every therapist to learn the techniques Mr. L. needed, and I implemented them all week to help him prolong his physical abilities,” Tom explained.
The client’s physical condition has gradually declined, and he is now bedbound. He also is challenged with hallucinations, which are not uncommon with Parkinson’s patients. “I’ve had several in-depth conversations about the hallucinations, learning they are primarily about what he did for work. Mr. L. was a mechanical engineer, and the hallucinations are about machines on which he worked,” Tom said. “Mr. L. was also a high-level corporate manager and traveled the world with his wife and two daughters. I’ve been so enthralled with my relationship with my client that time has flown by. It feels as if I’ve been with him for a brief few months, but it’s been a year. The time has gone by so quickly.”
When the client was still mobile, he and Tom would walk and talk while experiencing meaningful exchanges. “One of my favorite client stories is that we’d walk through the massive facility where he lives, and he’d share with me stories of his travels around the world,” Tom said. “My client lives in a facility that is like an art museum. Every building has many levels, and each level has a different art theme. There are hundreds of pictures on each level.”
The client would share his knowledge of the different types of art with Tom and also discuss his experiences when he lived in that part of the world. “When he got tired, I’d return him to his apartment for rest, and when he’d awake, we’d return to the hallways, having amazing conversations and spending countless days and hours talking about life, philosophy and what artwork we liked most and why.”
Tom added: “My client has had an incredible life. He’s been a devoted husband of 58 years, has two wonderful daughters, was a master of his trade and has been an amazing, loving, respectful person to all. I’ve been blessed to have been able to meet his family and help him. He is an incredible person and getting to know him, being his friend and being there to help him has been unforgettable, inspiring and priceless.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (720) 890-0184 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
