Meet Our Team

As the new Client & Family Care Advocate at Home Instead I am excited to support our clients, team and community in providing personal service. I come armed with a background in Hospice and Home Health along with resource navigation. I have loved every minute of care giving and want to support our caregivers to have the same experiences. I moved to Arizona a year ago from Bend Oregon with my two daughters and mother. From a small hobby farm in Eastern Oregon to apartment living, it has been an interesting adjustment to city living. The "Country Mouse becomes a City Mouse." I have three amazing kids. My two daughters, Taylor (26) and Sadie (18) moved with me. And my son, Corbyn (23) remained in Oregon. I am also surrounded by my two cats and mini dachshund, a bearded dragon and a spotted gecko. I absolutely love the hot Arizona weather (you don't have to shovel 117 degrees!). I am embracing a very active lifestyle, I recently returned to road cycling, chalking up an average of 100-150 miles a week! So many trails to also explore on my mountain bike and dust off my hiking shoes. I also enjoy repurposing old furniture, gardening, and fiber arts. I look forward to meeting each of you and building a relationship with this Home Instead "home."

My name is Alicia Sunada and I recently moved from Oregon with my husband and two cats. There, I worked for Home Instead for the last 5 years. My favorite part of my job is being an advocate for Caregivers. I love problem solving and helping others be successful. My experience started as a Caregiver in 2016, where I learned to appreciate the importance of care. This later helped me in life when my Papa became very sick, and I was able to step in and help my Nana care for him. The training, knowledge, and resources I had from being a part of Home Instead, really impacted this journey in a positive way. To Home Instead, it really is personal and is why I love working here!

My name is Debbie Gerlach. I am originally from Detroit, Michigan. I moved to Arizona in 1988 to be with my extended family. I love spending time with my husband of 17 years and my rescue dogs. I enjoy traveling to new places and exploring different things when I can. I have a medical background of 32 years as a CNA/LNA and caregiver. My most recent experience was with Hospice as a CNA providing homecare to patients near the end of their life. I was the go-to person and was responsible for training newly hired CNA’s. I also had the pleasure of caring for my own grandmother and mom whom I was very close to. I love caring for people and helping them out however that may be. I’m looking forward to my new role with Home Instead and supporting the Care Professionals.

I am happily married to the love of my life, Jeff, since 2017.. I am the mother of 6 adult children and have 5 grandboys ages 18 down to1 years old. We recently moved to Sun City from Washington state for the WARMTH and to be closer to our daughter, Britt, who has the 2 youngest grandboys, along with many other family and friends who have moved here.

My hobby has been participating in NASCAR, both as a race car driver and as a championship team owner. I served a few years as the NASCAR Ambassador for Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. Now we are in a new phase of life where we will be exploring and developing new hobbies.

I am enjoying meeting and becoming friends with many of the seniors in my area and feel compelled to make a difference in their lives. I researched Home Instead and found that we have the same goals and beliefs about the important and attentive care someone like our 99 year old grandma would need. I have 12+ years in scheduling and office administration and am enjoying putting those skills to good use serving my community here at Home Instead!

I was born and raised in Guadalajara Mexico. As an adult I moved to the USA and lived in Washington state before moving to Arizona in 2001. Since then, I have worked in the healthcare field at different capacities, from caregiver to medical assistant to currently certified hospice palliative nursing assistant (CHPNA).

I have 2 children. My daughter Mariana and my son Tyler, both live in the Northwest. I have 2 grand cats Bobee and Ruby.

In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym or going for walks in my neighborhood. When I feel lazy, I love to watch documentaries or movies based on true stories just like I enjoy nonfiction books. I especially enjoy biographies--not necessarily about famous people though.

It is exciting to be part of Home Instead for the second time around! I hope to be a strong asset to the company by giving my best to support our clients, Care Pros, and coworkers.

In 2008 I transplanted to Arizona from Minnesota. Believe me when I say I was happy to move where the sun is always shining, and I no longer needed to shovel snow.

I met my husband after moving to Arizona; as an Arizona native he doesn’t like the cold, says he prefers 110 over 10 degrees, and he only goes home to Minnesota with me in the summer to see my kids.  I am the mother of 3 grown children, grandmother of 3 and even a great grandmother of 3 adorable little ones; I admit they are my world. I also have a bonus daughter who lives in Seoul S. Korea, she was a foreign exchange student who lived with me prior to my moving to Arizona. She too is married and has 3 children. I see a pattern of threes here; I wonder what that means?

I spent many years, actually decades in the healthcare field. From being an aide and nurse in a nursing home, a volunteer EMT on a small-town ambulance service, working in medical research, documentation and billing, provider education and finally healthcare privacy and compliance I experienced a bit of everything. I decided to retire in 2021 and see what that was like. Well, for someone who likes to “stay busy” retirement didn’t last long. Deciding to do something a bit different, I became a CarePro at Home Instead. I love helping people and knew I would enjoy it.  From CarePro to Client Care Coordinator I have seen both sides and know this is where I’m supposed to be.

In my free time I love to travel and see different parts of the US, there’s so much to see, do and learn, spend time with family and mostly just enjoying life and what it has to offer. 

I look forward to working with everyone at Home Instead making life easier for those who need help keeping their loved ones in their homes, for they truly are a blessing to have around.