Clients Tell Care Pro Debra: ‘You Are Just Like Family’
Being selected as a Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month is an enviable accolade. But for Care Pro honoree Debra Hadder, there is an even higher acclaim – clients have told Debra that she treats them “just like family.” Debra pointed out: “There is no greater compliment to me than that. Feedback like that lets me know I’m doing right by my clients.”
One of the top administrators at Home Instead of Midland-Odessa wanted everyone to know that Debra’s work “has not been easy road, no picnic.” Imelda Hawkins, the human resources director, assistant administrator, and recruitment and engagement coordinator, said: “Debra cares for a client who has been challenging.”
Imelda added: “Debra has gained the trust of the client’s son and other family members, as well as the client himself. She has done that by using her Care Pro skills, her ability to overcome difficult situations and her reliability, which is an underrated element. We are ecstatic that Debra drives more than an hour roundtrip to share her heart with her client. Debra has gone the extra mile with her clients and always shares a smile and her good sense of humor with them.”
Adding to Imelda’s descriptive summary of how Debra has excelled with the award-winning Home Instead franchise, the Care Pro explained: “I have worked with all different levels of clients’ needs and have learned so much. My goal is to become a dementia expert because my father recently was diagnosed with this horrible disease that causes the loss of cognitive functioning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.”
Dementia care involves many different challenges and requires patience and compassion, but another difficult caregiving task is hospice care. That’s where Debra’s empathy and warm shoulder of consolation are welcome attributes. Care Pros encounter many end-of-life clients who fear death, as well as their family members who grieve.
“I consider it to be just as much a privilege to be with someone at the end of his or her life as it is to be with a precious newborn at the very beginning. Since June, I have had the experience of being with two clients who died. In my heart, I felt convinced that I brought compassion, love and respect to their final days, as well as peace to their families,” Debra said.
While she has been grafted into many clients’ families, Debra also enjoys being with her own family when she’s not working. Imelda pointed out: “Family is very important to Debra. She has two children, and six grandchildren who call her ‘Memaw.’ A seventh grandchild is expected Sept. 6. They are her pride and joy. Time with them is well-spent.” Imelda also said: “Debra enjoys volunteering, playing bingo and cards, crocheting and gardening. Her favorite book is the Bible, and she loves country and spiritual music.”
Hearing from Imelda in late spring of last year was music to Debra’s ears. “I had worked at several different kinds of jobs. I found myself unemployed, Imelda reached out to me about a Care Pro position and I accepted. I have worked for Home Instead since June 2023, and I have enjoyed working for them,” said Debra, referring to the highly respected franchise owned by Lorena and William Shensky.
“This job fits me like a glove because I’m a very caring, compassionate person. I started nursing school at age 40 in Louisiana before I moved to Texas. With my husband in Iraq, I could not finish clinicals. But here I am, working as a senior-care professional for the best agency in Midland-Odessa. I feel fulfilled by bringing as much joy and dignity as I can to my clients. I look forward to learning and growing with Home Instead,” Debra said.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (432) 689-4663 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
