Home Instead Itasca, IL Featured Care Professional of the Month

Four months after Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Maria M. had begun helping a client in his 90s, he contracted COVID-19 at a rehabilitation facility and died last May. “It was a shock to all of us. He was really nice, a very loving man. I want to keep his memory in my heart. Deep inside my heart, I want to see my clients’ smiles, and his smile shined brightly,” Maria said.

Observing her client and his wife, Maria witnessed the conclusion of a long-running love story. “He and his wife had been together for 72 years and had met when they were about 20 years old. Every day, he always would be saying cute things to her like, ‘How are you, beautiful?’ To him, his wife always had been beautiful. I told his wife, ‘I wish I had someone like your husband,’ ” Maria said. “The wife did not become my client until after her husband died.”

The client’s widow felt a bond with Maria and asked her to stay as her only Care Pro. “She wants just me, which makes me feel good. She is doing pretty well, and I am with her for four-hour shifts. While her husband had signs of dementia, she has no memory problems,” Maria explained. “Family members drop in to visit every other day. They live five minutes away. I provide them with peace of mind. I am busy when I am there.”

Home Instead^® Training Coordinator Jackie Washburn smiled broadly when she read a client’s Care Professional of the Month nomination for Barbara Z., who later was selected as the franchise’s January honoree. The client wrote:

“I want to tell you about Barbara Z. She is caring and funny, and goes beyond the call of duty while covering all of the bases. For example, I don’t have any family. So, for Thanksgiving, she brought me flowers, homemade soup, cake and candy. Throughout the warmer months, she brought me cucumbers-turned-into-pickles and tomatoes from her garden. She has prepared her native Polish dish of pierogi for me and more. I would like to nominate her for Care Pro of the Month!”

“How touching!” Jackie said. “Barbara is a very special Care Pro of the Month honoree to kick off our New Year at Itasca. In addition to the client’s nomination for Barbara, our staff can tell you that Barbara is very well-received wherever she goes. She is personable, compassionate and genuinely kind. I look forward to seeing her whenever our paths might cross. She told me that, ‘This is not my work, this is my life!’ ”

A year ago in December, Nataliia was in the depths of despair. The 35-year-old Ukrainian native had arrived in the United States in the summer of 2023 and desperately needed a job. Enter Home Instead^® of Itasca, Illinois, where Nataliia unexpectedly found a warm Christmas spirit.

Nataliia set the scene by explaining: “I had filled out a form on the Indeed.com jobs website, but none of the job offers suited me. I had already lost hope. But as you know, Christmas time is a magical time. This is the time when dreams come true.”

They certainly did for Nataliia.

Home Instead Human Resources Manager Alina Merrill called Nataliia and invited her to an interview. Nataliia admitted: “I went to the interview without much hope. I was pleasantly surprised by the general office atmosphere. Everyone was so polite and pleasant, so patient with my fractured English. And surprisingly, I was hired. Words cannot describe how happy I was.”

Nataliia had become a Home Instead Care Professional at owner Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning franchise. The humble, self-deprecating former science teacher cleared every caregiving hurdle while receiving a crash course in the English language and American culture. Then Nataliia was honored as Home Instead’s Care Pro of the Month for December 2024.

In November 2023, Doris was encouraged to apply for a Care Professional position at owner Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning Home Instead^® franchise in Itasca, Illinois. One year later, Home Instead Training Coordinator Jackie Washburn announced Doris had been honored as the franchise’s Care Pro of the Month.

Before arriving at Home Instead, Doris had never worked in professional senior care. While figuratively traveling “from zero to 65” to adeptly embrace her job and its challenges, Doris credited the discovery of her fulfilling job to her daughter, who works full time as an accountant in the Chicago area.

Doris explained: “My daughter took me to this Home Instead office to apply. She said I would like the job. She had worked part time for a different Home Instead franchise. She was working on her master’s degree at the same time and found that being a Care Pro was perfect for her. Now I know why. Even though we have worked for different offices, I found that my Home Instead office also is made up of good people. What I like most about my job is the way the Home Instead staff does things for us and communicates well. I love them all, everybody.”

In October 2023, life was moving torturously fast for Yasmin. Her husband of nine years, who held down two jobs so Yasmin could stay at home with their 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son, returned to Mexico to finish his U.S. immigration process. Caught off-guard, Yasmin needed a job quickly, and not just any job. She needed a flexible employer so she could take her children to school as well as coordinate their return and home care.

Enter owner Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning Home Instead^® franchise in Itasca, Illinois. “When I was looking online for jobs, Home Instead came up on my screen.  When I sent my contact information, they asked me to come to the office the very next day. When I arrived, I spoke to a kind lady and explained my situation and the need for flexible work hours. I said, ‘Please work with me,’ ” Yasmin recalled.

On Nov. 1, 2023, Yasmin joined Home Instead as a Care Professional, and 11 months later she was honored as the franchise’s Care Pro of the Month. “Senior care is nothing new for me. In my culture, we help elderly family members; we never leave them. When I was growing up, we were together all the time, all of the generations together. I assisted my grandmother and grandfather. It is heartbreaking to see seniors who are lonely and struggling to live on their own. So, there is a real need for Home Instead,” Yasmin said.  

Near the end of a conversation about her position with Home Instead® of Itasca, Illinois, Care Professional of the Month Jennet wanted to make one thing clear: “I am not looking to go anywhere else to work. Relationships mean too much to me.”

Jennet paused for a moment and added: “I am happy with my client. From my heart and soul, I try to assist him to the very best of my ability.”

And to think, her current client, a widower, was not originally Jennet’s client – his late wife was. “The husband made sure I knew that he wanted me to focus on his wife,” recalled Jennet, who joined owner Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning Home Instead® franchise July 27, 2023. “His wife needed the help, but I included her husband where I could with things such as meals and other forms of assistance. It just made sense and was good manners. They both liked my meals. They were family.”

“I am Filipina, with a big dream.”

With seven impactful words, Wanna made a dynamic first impression on Home Instead® franchise owner Kelly Hutchison. As a result, Kelly helped Wanna take big steps toward achieving several of her goals by hiring her as a Care Professional on May 5, 2023, for his franchise in Itasca, Illinois. “Home Instead is the one who provided me with the opportunity to work here in United States,” Wanna said.

During her career in her native Philippines, Wanna worked extensively in home care and assisted living facilities. She explained: “I have assisted clients with personal care, medication management and companionship. I approach caregiving with empathy and compassion, ensuring that each client receives personalized care tailored to his or her needs. I am committed to upholding the highest care standards and am always seeking opportunities to expand my knowledge. I’m passionate about making a meaningful difference in my clients’ lives. I had looked forward to bringing my skills and dedication to the entire Home Instead team.”

Raynuel arrived at just the right time for his Home Instead® client.

The 97-year-old client had seen a number of Care Professionals come and go before Raynuel was sent to the client in July 2023. “A lot of Care Pros had tried to work with him before I went. I am the only one who has consistently stayed. We bonded and have a good relationship,” said Raynuel, who joined Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning Home Instead franchise in Itasca, Illinois, in May 2023.

Raynuel described his client, Mr. C., as a “very good man.” For four days a week, Raynuel serves as a live-in Care Pro for Mr. C. The widower lives alone. He has a daughter and a son who lead busy lives.

It cannot be discounted as a coincidence that Mr. C.’s health has improved since Raynuel came to assist him. “He’s a tough man,” Raynuel said, “but he had been very sick when I arrived. He was weak from a UTI. We changed a few things, including his meals. His primary challenge simply is ‘old age.’ He is blind in one eye, and I help him with personal care, but I generally am happy with how he is doing. He had his bad days and his good days, but we all do.”

Little did Care Professional of the Month Jane know more than a year ago, she would have a divine appointment to assist a faith-based lady for the final 11 months of her life. Referring to her Home Instead^® client, Jane revealed: “She told me one day: ‘I had been praying to God for a long time for Him to send me somebody good, and He finally sent me you.’ ”

Pondering her client’s words, Jane reflected on her time with the special client and said: “It touched my heart that she was so very sweet and compassionate. She was my most recent client. I have great memories of baking with her and going on walks with her. I also helped her do her hair and makeup. In addition, I helped her pick outfits.”

Jane’s precious days with her Home Instead client were not unlike her close relationship with her grandmother.

or nearly two years, Home Instead^® Care Professional of the Month Ivy M. has been assisting a client whose dementia is nearing “end-stage.” At this challenging point in her life, the 84-year-old former elementary school teacher often struggles to find words if she responds at all to conversation. But one day, the client shocked Ivy with three words that left Ivy in tears. “She held my hand and said, ‘I love you,’ and it overwhelmed me, and I cried for a little bit,” Ivy said.

That occasion was a 180-degree shift from Ivy’s first experiences with the client, whom Ivy lovingly calls “Grandma.” Ivy recalled her difficulty in winning over “Grandma.” “It took a couple of months. She is very stubborn,” Ivy said. “Now when she sees me at the start of a shift, she cries and reaches out for me. I am verbal with her all of the time and just hope to get a few responses. I keep talking to keep her engaged.”

Ivy added: “Her expressions often will tell me everything I need to know, whether she’s happy, sad, surprised or whatever she is feeling. I understand her.”

Care Professional of the Month Vasilina smiles whenever her 94-year-old client tells her, “I have prayed to God to have someone like you. I feel God has blessed me by sending you to help me.” Vasilina joined Home Instead^® of Itasca, Illinois, on Feb. 27, 2023, and almost immediately began assisting the client in every conceivable way as a live-in Care Pro. Vasilina said, “We became friends right away. She says we are a team, and I am ‘a best friend.’ ”

Every morning after the client awakens, she smiles when Vasilina walks into her bedroom to help her client out of bed and start their daily routine. “My client, who is a very sweet lady, craves companionship. She wants to be with me all the time, and she feels my love. When you give your whole life to someone, it just warms your heart to get her love in return,” Vasilina said.

Vasilina’s client is almost always wheelchair-bound and has dementia. She occasionally can stand up and take a few steps with her walker. “As a result,” Vasilina explained, “I do everything for her, including transfers, medication reminders, personal care, transportation and meals. She says she likes everything I prepare for her. I bake, prepare lasagna and make sandwiches and soup, among other things. I am always trying something different. She doesn’t like food from the freezer, and I cannot blame her. She does like chicken pot pie.”

Evelyn has a huge heart for helping people – young or old – but she was honest about taking a Home Instead® Care Professional position five years ago. “At first,” Evelyn said, “I was not sure about this kind of job. But I kept an open mind and, as time went on, I could see I was making a difference by taking care of the elderly who need help.”

Evelyn added: “There are seniors who need lots of help, especially those who cannot walk on their own, change their clothes or are bedridden. Some are just able to sit in their chairs and do little else because of their health challenges. I decided to stay with this job because I liked it. I enjoyed helping others. Also, it is my dream to become a nurse.”