Teresa Sauceda had just gone through a challenging family caregiving experience – one she was grateful to face – before she joined the award-winning Home Instead® franchise owned by Pietro Jordao and Dillon Rice.
Teresa’s mother had been diagnosed with lymphoma about a year and a half ago. She is now cancer-free, but it took a lot of hard work, a fighting spirit and a devoted daughter. Looking back on helping her mother, Teresa said: “Mom’s cancer took its toll and deteriorated her body and health. Once she was allowed to be home, it was all hands on deck. My mother is the strongest woman I know, but at her worst, she could hardly do anything for herself.”
Teresa added: “After everything she’s done for me in my life, I was more than happy to help her when she needed it most. I found myself bathing her, helping feed her and giving her medications as scheduled. I took on a greater amount of responsibilities around the house.”
Recalling an especially excruciating situation, Teresa said: “One of our hardest moments was when I stood behind Mom to brush her hair. Because of the chemo, as I brushed, she lost a great deal of hair. While this was to be expected, it didn’t make it any less painful. When I was done, we stood for a minute and cried together. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, but I’m so grateful I was able to be there for her. It’s a moment in time I will always remember.”
When it came time for Teresa to join the workforce for the first time, she was fearful. While Teresa knew exactly what she wanted to do and had a long-range goal in mind, she had no professional experience and figured that would be a problem for prospective employers.
“My passion has always been to go to school to become a nurse, so when I was looking for a job, I didn’t want to do just anything. I wanted to do something that allowed me to care for people in some way. I applied with a different caregiving company before I found Home Instead. Thankfully, the first company never got back to me. For me, that turned out to be serendipitous because I was definitely meant to be a part of the Home Instead family,” Teresa explained.
Even though Home Instead was interested in her, Teresa wasn’t convinced she’d become a CAREGiver. “While looking into caregiving jobs, I knew it wasn’t going to look great that I didn’t have any professional work experience. I was pretty nervous when filling out my Home Instead application, knowing I couldn’t put any job references for professional senior care. To my surprise, the staff didn’t mind and was super excited for me to be working my first real job at Home Instead. I’m very grateful to the Home Instead crew for taking a chance on me and allowing me to show them exactly what I have to offer to their company,” Teresa said.
On Nov. 4, 2021, Teresa joined Home Instead of Victoria, Texas. On Feb. 14, Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey announced Teresa had been honored as CAREGiver of the Month. “With respect to how employees should be treated, Home Instead has definitely set the bar very high. I’m so lucky to be working for such compassionate and caring people. Every time I see any of the office staff, they always make me feel so comfortable and welcome. With their feedback, I feel really good about myself and the work I’m doing,” Teresa said.
Teresa loves to receive the opportunity to be part of the Home Instead clients’ lives “even if it is a tiny part.” She pointed out: “I meet some of the sweetest people working here. The feeling you get when seeing your regular client smile and become happy when you walk through the door is amazing. I’ve made some incredible connections with the people for whom I assist. It makes my day when I get to see and talk to them. Every day we get the chance to make even the smallest positive impact on their lives. I can go home after each shift, knowing I did my best to help improve my clients’ lives and hopefully bring a little joy to their day. It’s a very rewarding job.”
Teresa’s favorite client story involves the man for whom she cares twice a week. The client has Alzheimer’s, but he still loves to be active. After Teresa arrives, she almost immediately goes back out – she drives him around town and finds something entertaining to do.
“One day,” Teresa said, “we went to the zoo. We had a blast and agreed that a parrot was the best thing we saw. As we were walking through the zoo building, we heard someone telling us ‘hello.’ It was strange, since we were the only ones in the building. After continuing a little ways farther, we walked up to a bird in an open cage. It greeted us with a very kind ‘hello,’ and everything made sense. The bird proceeded to make kissing sounds and the infamous ‘cat call’ sound. We talked and laughed with that bird for at least five minutes.”
Another memorable story involved “the sweetest lady” Teresa has met. On their first day, the client talked about a glass dish she’d had for years. The client’s cat knocked the dish off a table, and it broke. The client was upset because the dish meant a lot. Teresa inspected the broken dish and thought she could fix it. Teresa asked if she could try, and the client was happy to indulge her. The client sent Teresa to the store with a grocery list that included glue.
“When I returned,” Teresa said, “I put the groceries away and got to work on the dish. I spent about an hour doing my best to glue the pieces back together. When I was happy with the result, I took the dish to her. The look of gratitude on her face and her thanks made my entire day. I was so happy I could do that little thing for her and make her feel better.”
Teresa added: “She’s the kind of person to whom you can talk for hours about anything and everything. I am glad she started by telling me about that dish. The day ended well, and that’s what makes the job so fulfilling.”
All Home Instead CAREGivers 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.
