Mary Buckert became a CNA in 2004. She has worked in professional senior care since then, including positions with care communities and sometimes serving as a private-duty caregiver. Then Mary joined Home Instead® of Victoria on Nov. 14, 2022. She said she’s never been happier with a job. “I was meant to be at Home Instead. I’ll retire or die before I work for a company other than Home Instead,” said Mary, who was honored as the award-winning franchise’s Care Professional of the Month for February 2023.
As an example of how Mary is sold on Home Instead, she said: “One of my friends said her uncle was declining in health, and their family was wondering which care community would be best for him. I told them to hold on about looking for a facility and have Home Instead evaluate him first to see if we could help and keep him at home. I told them Home Instead is straight-up honest and would be frank with them. I really recommend Home Instead.”
To learn when Mary first got the feeling senior care might be her career pursuit, you have to travel back in time to her freshman year in high school. That’s when she began assisting her grandmother. “I helped with her during my high school years. When I went on a retreat after high school, my grandmother pulled a guilt trip on me and told me no one could take care of her like me,” recalled Mary, whose grandmother died in 1993.
In recent years, Mary has pulled double duty as a professional caregiver and volunteer family caregiver. “Within the past 10 years, my dad had a stroke. For me, it was God’s timing. I moved in and helped him and my mother. Mom began to go through her first round of cancer treatments, and I cared for her. Then Dad had a blackout episode and needed a pacemaker. When he got home, Mom had a stroke. I jokingly told Mom she and Dad were competing for my attention. At first, being his daughter and helping with personal care was hard for him. We all adjusted together. We were able to keep him at home for 10 years after his surgery,” Mary said.
Eventually, because of their various serious medical challenges, Mary’s parents needed around-the-clock care. Mary also needed to work. “For example, I worked at a nursing home from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. When I’d get home, I’d check out Dad. But life was taking another turn for us. To accommodate everything that was happening in our lives, I found the right situation for them in a nursing home. It’s a big plus they are in the same room. I have two sisters who help them now,” Mary explained.
Following her nephew’s advice, Mary put her resume on Indeed.com in late October 2022. “Home Instead and other agencies contacted me. I picked Home Instead because of the hours, and I like one-on-one care. With Home Instead, I’ve been blessed with clients who have been very good,” Mary said. “Being a Care Pro, everything has worked out. It goes without saying you must have patience. I’ve had good days and bad days, but that’s normal.”
A 100-year-old client liked to watch television and talk about the old days, and she also liked Mary’s meal preparation. When I made her waffles with cut-up banana and other fruit for breakfast, she called it ‘a wonderful feast.’ I also made spaghetti and asparagus when she was not eating well. I didn’t ask her if she wants to eat. I said, ‘Here it is,’ and she ate. One day she had two helpings, and her daughter-in-law was amazed,” said Mary, who ended up doing the client’s grocery shopping.
“I bought enough groceries to make five different leftover meals they could stick in the refrigerator or freezer. It’s the least I could do to make homemade meals. She might have been used to microwave dinners, but I feel she deserved better. I also made pork chops, mashed potatoes and green beans. The client wanted to know how I prepared the pork chops because they were not dried out. I bake them in the oven and use my own shake-and-bake formula. I treat her like family. I remember limiting my dad’s salt when he was in his 70s.”
Whether it’s meal preparation, companionship or another form of assistance, Mary loves 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. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
