Caregiving Veteran Vickey Doesn’t Skip A Beat After Joining Home Instead
Until last February, Vickey Catoe had successfully handled nearly every possible caregiving challenge. But then, the senior-care veteran encountered a rare test: She needed someone for whom she could lavish her compassion and provide her highly acclaimed skills. Home Instead® of Midland-Odessa welcomed Vickey with open arms, and three months later, she was honored as the franchise’s Care Professional of the Month.
“I applied with Home Instead because in my previous job, there was no new client for me. The client, with whom I assisted for six years, passed away Feb. 22. It broke my heart. He had diabetes and COPD, and then COVID-19 proved to be too much to overcome,” said Vickey, who found Home Instead, an award-winning franchise owned by Lorena and William Shensky, during an online search for caregiver jobs.
A short time later, in an office at 3001 W. Illinois Avenue in Midland, Assistant Administrator and Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Imelda Hawkins was thrilled with her first encounter with Vickey.
She recalled her conversation with Vickey. “While this amazing Care Pro is fairly new to Home Instead, Vickey is a pioneer in caregiving. She came to us with more than 30 years of experience,” Imelda said. “Vickey made my decision as the recruitment and engagement coordinator easy on the day I interviewed her. Vickey’s soothing voice and giving heart make it easy for a client to fall in love with her. Vickey has such a vast amount of professional senior-care experience that it helps the client feel relaxed and comfortable with her.”
Vickey’s empathy, Imelda pointed out, starts with her family and has emanated from that core. “During her interview, she expressed love for her family members, especially for her sister who she likes to take to a casino in Hobbs, New Mexico, and for her sons of whom she is very proud,” said Imelda, herself an award-winning Home Instead Care Pro for the Midland-Odessa franchise in 2015.
Imelda emphasized there was nothing easy about the professional caregiving Vickey had provided before she arrived at Home Instead. Vickey explained: “I took care of a quadriplegic man for three years and a paraplegic lady for five years. I look forward to helping my clients with whatever they need.”
Vickey added: “I help a Home Instead client who is in a wheelchair. She can tell you some stories about her life when she was a little girl. She had to work on the farm. I like helping her and her family. I try to help with her bathing, dressing, meals and, of course, by providing companionship. She is so much fun; she makes me laugh. She is always glad to see me.”
While announcing Vickey had been selected as the Home Instead franchise’s Care Pro of the Month for May, Imelda said: “We are very thankful that Vickey exemplifies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
Vickey loves being a part of the Care Pro team for the West Texas franchise, a member of the highly successful Honor and Home Instead network. Honor is the world’s largest home care network with the most advanced care platform, revolutionizing how society cares for older adults, their families and Care Pros. Honor acquired Home Instead in 2021, and the combined company supports the work of more than 100,000 Care Pros across 13 countries and meets the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (432) 689-4663 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
