Who takes care of a former Home Instead® CAREGiver when she reaches the point of need? CAREGiver of the Month Allison Ansley answered the bell for her mother.
“Like I do now,” Allison explained, “my mom also worked as a Home Instead CAREGiver, but she worked for a different franchise. In my spare time, I am the primary family caregiver for my mother. She lives in a different city, so I am somewhat of a long-distance family caregiver.”
Allison is in her first year of working as a CAREGiver for the award-wining Home Instead franchise that serves south-central Houston. Owner Greg Gomez-Mira’s Home Instead office assists seniors in 22 Houston-area communities, including cities such as Bellaire, Missouri City, Pearland and Sugar Land. Scheduling Coordinator Rebecca Garcia announced Allison’s CAREGiver of the Month honor. Destiny Wesley is the client care coordinator and office manager, and Margi Kenny is Home Instead’s recruitment and engagement coordinator.
Rebecca said, “The bottom line is, Allison is a really good CAREGiver.” Rebecca, Greg, Destiny and Margi are glad Allison heard about Home Instead from her mother and eventually decided to apply with the franchise that’s a member of a highly successful network founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, by Paul and Lori Hogan. The Home Instead network is the world’s leading provider of in-home care services for seniors, with more than 1,200 independently owned and operated franchises throughout the U.S. and 13 other countries.
“My previous experience with caregiving was working for another agency, and I have several years of experience in the profession,” Allison said. “I have good memories of being with seniors. Now that I am working with the elderly, I continue to enjoy listening as they talk about life and tell stories about things that happened to them in the past. We hope that everything will go smoothly, but when tests arise, I enjoy a real challenge and use compassion and empathy to help resolve dilemmas.”
For Allison, touching lives impacts her soul, whether she’s providing physical help such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication reminders or personal care or if she is offering emotional support in a companionship role. Allison’s experience is a big plus, but she said focusing on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped her achieve CAREGiver of the Month status.
CAREGivers offer personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, dementia support, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. CAREGivers not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom. Allison focuses on each client’s interests and builds relationships by doing so.
“I have a client who absolutely adores dogs and books about dogs,” Allison said. “The client recently moved, and we assisted her in decorating her new home with a ‘canine theme.’ I picked out a few new books for her.”
Allison added: “She and I talk about the therapy dogs we previously owned in life. It helps her to cope because she has been naturally reserved and quiet throughout her whole life, and now we have a topic in common. She enjoys being read to occasionally, and the services she receives from Home Instead help build a lasting bond with the client. I love caregiving as my profession because we truly get a chance to help others.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (713) 774-2215 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
