Adriana Receives Home Instead Honor for Fourth Time
During Adriana Goodloe’s highly successful nine-plus years with Home Instead® of Midland-Odessa, she has been honored as a Care Professional of the Month four times: May 2015, December 2017, August 2020 and January 2024. Adriana’s memories are innumerable because there have been countless laughs, tears, triumphs and challenges.
When Adriana was asked to recall her unforgettable highlights since she was last honored in 2020, Adriana solemnly drew on a melancholy remembrance. “A special client passed away two years later. The memories of my time of providing care for her are memories I will always hold dear to my heart. What she told me in the end, I’ll never forget. She said, ‘I will always cherish our friendship, I love you,’ ” Adriana said.
Those words prompted a question: How do you recover from the death of such a special person?
“In my nine years, I have had losses, and it still doesn’t get any easier. But it is extremely hard not to get close to clients and their families, especially when you are with them almost every day,” said Adriana with an emphasis on “not.”
Adriana added: “It’s a special bond you form with them, and sometimes you end up being ‘like family.’ So, yes, it felt like I grieved a loved one, like a family member when she passed away.”
But Adriana was quick to change the mood and interject: “Fast-forward to now. I have a client whom I’ve recently had a couple of months, and she is friendly, funny, witty and straightforward. I enjoy the one-on-one interaction with my client, and I love when we converse about her past. It’s fascinating to hear about her many adventures and places she’s traveled.”
Adriana loves the times when her clients open up about what has made them happy. She said: “The excitement on their faces brings me joy that knowing – even if it’s for the moment – they lived the moment all over again. I hope when they do tell their story, they feel they have lived an amazing life. I was to emphasize I feel lucky that I’m the one with whom they get to share their favorite, cherished memories.”
Adriana always is looking forward to being an even better Care Pro with each passing year, and she sets specific goals as she strives to achieve authentic bonding and relationships.
“One of my intentions/aspirations this year is to continue to provide compassionate care to all of my clients, and I hope to improve my clients’ well-being as best as I can, and make them feel confident enough to trust me with their care,” Adriana said. “When trust is present, I feel it assures the client will have quality care, and they will feel free to express their needs without feeling as if they are a burden. The client will know they will always have an ‘ear’ who will listen and empathize with them.”
Adriana added: “I have the best bosses at Home Instead, and supportive staff team, and I truly am super grateful for my job!”
Perhaps few Home Instead colleagues know Adriana as well as Imelda Hawkins, who is the human resources director, assistant administrator, and recruitment and engagement coordinator at the franchise owned by William and Lorena Shensky.
“It has been a pleasure to have Adriana with Home Instead since Oct. 1, 2014,” Imelda said. “She continues to prove herself as a Care Pro of the Month and was unanimously selected by our staff for her fourth honor. Adriana is an instant client favorite with her warm smile and gentle touch. Adriana quickly gains her clients’ trust by instilling Home Instead’s core values of ‘Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.’ ”
Imelda added: “A former CNA, Adriana has excelled in almost all of the various Home Instead Care Pro training programs. By doing, that expertise enables Adriana to provide exemplary care for her clients. Adriana is a true Care Pro super star!”
Caregiving always has been part of Adriana’s DNA. She became a CNA in 2001 while living in Le Sueur, Minnesota, and working at a hospital. Adriana later returned to her hometown of Iraan, Texas, about 82 miles south of Midland. She spent two years in Iraan before moving to Midland, where she has lived for the past 22 years. Adriana goes about her work humbly and with little fanfare, Imelda pointed out.
Imelda remembered four years ago when an enthusiastic client described Adriana as “perfectly perfect in every way.” The client slightly misquoted a song lyric from the Broadway musical “Mary Poppins” while describing her affection for Adriana. While the actual line is “practically perfect in every way,” anyone who knows Adriana would opt for “perfectly perfect.” The client also called Adriana, “Our new Mary Poppins.”
Imelda agreed with Adriana’s client and used even stronger descriptions of the Care Pro, who is perhaps the most honored employee in franchise history. “What an honor it is for us to have such an amazing Care Pro. To our clients, she may be a Mary Poppins who is ‘perfectly perfect’ in every way. To us, she’s our Care Pro who was handpicked by God! Adriana is loved by her clients,” Imelda 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.
