“Humble” isn’t the only adjective to describe Home Instead® Care Professional Lynette Kelley. Add “esteemed, skilled, wise” and “compassionate.”
When Brenda Munro, recruitment and engagement coordinator at owner Michael Lammers’ award-winning Home Instead franchise in Louisville, Colorado, wanted to honor Lynette as Care Pro of the Month, Lynette politely declined at first.
Since 2007, Lynette – quietly and without any fanfare – has been selected as a Care Pro of the Month four times. It’s not that Lynette didn’t feel worthy to receive recognition, it’s because she works without drawing attention to herself and prefers to keep it that way. She allowed her story to be revealed through previous interviews. It’s clear that her huge heart has continued to beat passionately for seniors. Her clients, their families and the Home Instead are totally appreciative.
Office Coordinator Joan Donaldson, herself a former Care Pro of the Month and a 12-year Home Instead employee, said: “Lynette Kelley is the perfect example of a Care Professional flying under the radar by showing up for her shifts and doing her job. She’s been with us forever, is very dedicated to her clients and rarely declines to help with her current regular client when fill-in shifts are needed.”
Michael, the Home Instead franchise owner since 2015, said: “Lynette is one of my all-time favorites. I’ve learned a lot from her. The world needs more Lynettes.”
Dana Ramos, the office administrator and a 14-year Home Instead employee, said: “Lynette will always get my vote as Care Pro of the Month. I've known her since I started with Home Instead. She's always been an amazing Care Pro and one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met.”
Brenda said: “Everyone at the office adores Lynette. What my fellow co-workers say is true: Lynette flies under the radar. She has had her current regular client for two years and works overnight shifts twice a week. As far as her recognition goes, she wished to forego another story, but we felt we needed to honor her because she is so deserving.”
For the record, Lynette was honored as Care Professional of the Month in April 2007, June 2013, June 2016 and now May 2023. In previous years, Lynette reminisced about a drastic career change more than 18 years ago, when she joined Home Instead of Boulder, Broomfield and northwest Adams Counties.
“I was going through the motions of a full-time office job, feeling more overwhelmed than fulfilled. After 23 years with the company, I was sitting at a desk and making a lot of decisions but not making a lot of difference. I heard a social-change speech about working at a mundane job and afraid to make a change. I felt a calling, stronger than myself, to make a meaningful change. It is powerful when you feel something that strong churning up inside,” said Lynette, a former health-insurance manager who spent 34 years in the industry before joining Home Instead in May 2005.
“The feeling was intense when I made the decision to leave my ‘forever’ job and go into full-time caregiving. When I announced at an office staff meeting I was leaving for senior care, I got a lot of stares and disbelief. I emphasized I wanted to feel like I was making a difference and doing something with a glad heart.
“At the time, I was already working part time with Home Instead in addition to the office job; having that Home Instead connection made the decision easier. It is important for people to know they can leave their jobs if they feel a yearning to help others as I did. I’d been involved in family or professional caregiving for 11 years, and I still have a love for it. Caregiving gives you so many opportunities you never receive in an office setting, or any other job. I am making a difference, enhancing someone’s life. I am certain that clients’ lives and their families are enriched with a Care Pro.”
In 2009, Lynette moved to Illinois to take care of her father. She was with him 2½ years before he passed away in 2011. After her father’s death, she returned to Colorado, and Home Instead welcomed her back. She never lost the desire to serve. Lynette said working nights is fulfilling because that is often a lonely, fearful time. “Working nights provides the chance to provide comfort. I can also comfort family members who are going through a tough time,” she said. “One particular family just lost their loved one to Parkinson’s disease; they made an impact on me as I saw their love for him. His wife was totally devoted to him. It was a privilege to care for the client and to know his wife; I now consider her my friend.”
“Passion. I feel it more with each client. They add a new dimension to my life and fuel my Care Pro passion. The job is never mundane. Each shift, I communicate, comfort and bond. When I retire, I want to continue on a smaller scale. I like to contribute to bolstering a person’s dignity and quality of life. I consider myself a passionate person of faith and believe that as a result of that faith, I should live it out in fervent love toward others. Being a Care Pro provides that opportunity ... what a gift I have been given!”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (720) 890-0184 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
