Caregiving is in Cayla Green’s blood. She discovered that at an early age, when she became a family caregiver. “As far back as I can remember, caring for relatives and visiting them has been part of a daily routine,” said Cayla, who joined Home Instead® of Victoria, Texas, on Feb. 1, 2021, and recently was honored as one of the franchise’s Care Professionals of the Month.
Cayla’s family caregiving journey is an intriguing one, and it’s easy to see how her compassionate ways with seniors in her family set her on a course toward Home Instead, an award-winning franchise in Victoria County owned by Dillon Rice and Pietro Jordao.
Cayla’s great-grandmother lived alone, and her great-grandmother’s sister was in a nursing home. Cayla and her family divided their extra time between the two grand ladies. For Cayla’s great-grandmother, the caregiving included grocery shopping, housecleaning, meal preparation, medication reminders and recording blood-sugar levels. In addition, Cayla and her family members posted daily reminders in large print for her great-grandmother’s failing eyesight.
“My great-grandmother thought it was cool to have a ‘private nurse’ to do finger pokes at just age 5. My great-aunt became a paraplegic because of complications of post-polio syndrome that she first contracted when she was 6 months old. During our visits, she loved to tell stories. Treats of homemade meals and fulfillment of her special requests of a cheeseburger that we brought to the nursing home were always a welcome surprise to her,” Cayla recalled.
“At times,” Cayla said, “we were our great-aunt’s advocate to make sure she would be taken out of her bed to be part of bingo, parties and other special occasions in which we could join. We attended doctor appointments and stayed with her at times when hospital stays came up.”
Cayla added: “Though both have passed away, those two women instilled in me several important things. First, they were entitled to the appropriate level of care they needed. Second, they deserved the emotional care to continue life with love, respect and dignity.”
At age 16, Cayla earned her CNA certification. Soon after that, she started working for a senior-living facility. “Then I decided it was time to move away from my hometown of Ganado, and I knew I had to find another job. As I searched for a job for a little more than two months and after countless interviews with different companies, I knew Home Instead of Victoria was the right fit for me,” Cayla said.
Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey announced Cayla’s Care Pro of the Month honor. 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, Maegan pointed out.
Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Cayla embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
Cayla said: “I have been with this company for two years and five months, and I have loved every minute of it! I have honestly loved everything about my job with Home Instead. The office staff makes you feel important and loved, and the clients make you feel right at home.”
Cayla has embraced being a part of the Care Pro team for the Victoria franchise, a member of a network comprised of Home Instead, Inc. and its parent company, Honor. With the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform, Honor and Home Instead are revolutionizing care for older adults, their families and Care Pros. Combined, the network has more than 100,000 Care Pros across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
At our award-winning Home Instead franchise, owned by Pietro Jordao and Dillon Rice, Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (361) 433-0330 or apply online at
https://www.homeinstead.com/location/781/home-care-jobs/ . For further information about Home Instead, visit our website at https://www.homeinstead.com/location/781/.
