Home Instead Honors Cherylann for Second Time
When Cherylann Blackwell goes to work each day, she always brings an attitude of excitement and a pleasant tone in her voice. By doing so, Cherylann cheerfully establishes a confident, positive pace for her Home Instead® shift. Her Home Instead clients and their family members say Cherylann brings them joy each day.
That is why Cherylann has been honored twice as her Home Instead franchise’s Care Professional of the Month. Working for Home Instead of Philadelphia, Cherylann was selected for her first award in September 2020, and General Manager Charlea Lyn Grieco announced Cherylann’s second honor in June 2022. All in all, Cherylann has provided consistently excellent caregiving since September 2015, when she joined the highly successful Home Instead franchise Steve Levin has owned since 2003.
“I love, love what I do, taking care of the seniors from whom I can learn things and enjoy our many experiences. Companionship is important. I love to keep my clients company and chat with them while I work,” said Cherylann, who also embraces the opportunity to work with her clients’ family members.
Some of her clients’ family members have told Cherylann, “We love the way you speak,” or “We love your attitude and your advice.” Accepting the unsolicited praise, Cherylann said, “They like the way I show concern for their senior loved ones, and it is a good feeling for me to have. It is an affirmation. It helps me to know I’m doing something right.”
With one client, Cherylann would quickly know if she was having a good day by the tone of voice and her attitude when she met Cherylann at the door. Cherylann added: “Sometimes I’d meet her when she was outside the door as she watched people go by. She’d try to get acquainted with them. She’d always have a saying that, ‘You’ve got to stand up and stand out’ with a positive attitude. I loved that about her. We would joke together and have good communication going on. At the end of the shift, she’d wish me the best, and I’d do the same with her.”
Cherylann pointed out: “My clients and I have such a wonderful relationship going on that it’s hard for me to part with them. I get too close to each and every one.”
A year before joining Home Instead, Cherylann’s faith was put to the test. Her husband had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, she was taking care of their 3-year-old son and she was working as a private-duty caregiver for a World War II veteran. Sadly, her husband and private-duty client died months apart. “It was a tough year, and my hands were full. Everything happens for a reason,” said Cherylann, who acquired wide-ranging caregiving skills in 2014 that greatly benefitted her after she joined Home Instead nearly seven years ago.
Her husband’s cancer was discovered too late to effectively treat. “Time was short. It was 10 months from diagnosis to his passing. My husband needed a lot of medical attention, and I learned how to handle much of it. My goal was to make his life as comfortable as possible. Toward the end, he was in hospice in our home. Other than taking care of my son, I had had no previous family caregiving before my husband’s cancer diagnosis,” Cherylann recalled.
“Concerning my client, I took care of him every day. His family helped and also later hired other private-duty caregivers, so it was a team effort. It was an honor to take care of him. He and my husband died just months apart, and my client actually came to my husband’s funeral and then passed away in the following months.”
As 2014 faded away, Cherylann tended to her family life before beginning her job search. She learned in 2015 of her son’s autism diagnosis. “He needs a special kind of love,” she said. As far as finding a job, a friend of Cherylann’s mother gave her the Home Instead phone number. “I had not heard of Home Instead until I was tipped off to call them,” Cherylann said.
Cherylann has been a caregiving superstar from the very start. “This is my calling,” she said.
Cherylann is thankful for her Care Pro of the Month honors.
“When I was selected the first time, I told people that the award gave me a big smile and warmed my heart. Nothing changed with the second honor, so what can I say? Once again, I would love to thank Home Instead for the nomination. I try my best not to let the ladies down in our franchise office nor my clients. I also want to point out that my son is making a big sacrifice along with me for us to reach this far,” Cherylann said.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (215) 925-4610 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
