Iona Gladly Accepts Role of Family to Client
Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Iona Cook’s 90-year-old client lost her husband 20 years ago; they didn’t have children. The client later lost her mother and then her two sisters, with whom she had chatted daily on the phone. A year ago, the client’s two beloved cats, Bumpkin and Pumpkin, died. “As far as family goes, I believe she has a cousin and nephew left. I feel we Care Pros are family to her,” said Iona, who went through Home Instead’s orientation and initial training Aug. 31, 2022, was assigned to the client the next day and has never left her.
“I thank God every day I am with her. I enjoy listening to her and her stories,” Iona said, referring to her client who is being assisted by the award-winning Home Instead franchise in Mount Airy that’s owned by Van and Ann Lankford.
“My client is very social. She talks about growing up in our area – we did a lot of the same things during our childhoods. She loves when I ask about her family, and she mentions how she misses her two sisters. She’s a very tough, resilient lady who recovered from COVID-19 twice and bounced back from a bout with pneumonia. Her mind is clear. A teacher, she can remember everything and is sharp. She watches ‘Jeopardy!’ every night, and she does her best to answer the questions.”
The client also dearly misses her cats, and she watches cat videos on her electronic tablet. “She loves to watch cats on Facebook. I think she would love to have a cat, and one of her friends brought a cat when she visited my client,” said Iona, who herself owns two rescue cats. “I’d love to see her have another cat, but that’s up to her. Considering mobility issues, I don’t think she could take care of one without our help, which would be fine because they are so independent.”
Iona takes one of the three Care Pro shifts that form the 20-hour assistance each day for the client. Iona alternately works either five or six days a week. “She needs help with some aspects of personal care and is fine doing other aspects by herself. There are times when she asks for help, which shows great judgment on her part,” Iona said.
Iona is familiar balancing assistance and allowing independence as a senior-care professional. “I had worked as a CNA in the 1990s. When my CNA license ran out, I got another job. Later, I worked as a private-duty caregiver in 2014, 2015 and 2021,” Iona explained. “I think the richness of those experiences prepared me better for Home Instead – I just didn’t know it.”
One of Iona’s private-duty clients was her sister’s 90-year-old father-in-law, who fell down 12 steps at a church. He needed 24/7 care and wore a neck brace. Iona stayed with him day and night in some stretches. “The client and I worked well together. All in all, it was an amazing story,” Iona said. “He passed away at age 95 in 2020 in a facility from which he’d call me, and I’d go see him. I have kept his last phone message. At the start, I helped him with exercises, and he got better. Then I took him to a physical therapist, and he said, ‘You don’t need us. He’s doing well. Just keep doing what you’re doing.’ I made sure my client didn’t take his neck brace off unless he was showering. He had the willpower not to give up.”
In 2021, Iona served as a private-duty caregiver on weekends with an elderly woman. “A friend had called me about assisting this lady, which I did for a month and a half. She calls me all the time and tells me she loves me. She was willing to let me help her, but she wanted to do some things on her own. It was a balancing act, as it often is,” Iona said.
Balancing safety and assistance, using wise judgment and calling on her intuition … Iona brought all of those attributes with her to Home Instead last fall. “I had seen Home Instead in television commercials, but I had not paid much attention to them. I have a friend who works for Home Instead, and she told me to apply there. I love Home Instead, and I plan on staying with them as long as I am healthy,” she said.
Home Instead Staff Coordinator Sharon Bledsoe said: “Iona is a hard worker and is very dedicated to her client and this company.” Among the considerations for achieving Care Pro of the Month status, an employee has shown she has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Iona embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (336) 223-3059 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
