Joni Shivo is humble and unassuming, and she chooses her words thoughtfully. While she doesn’t “toot her own horn,” the Home Instead® staff wants to trumpet the fact that she’s the Care Professional of the Year at the franchise. Human Resources Director Brenda Munro explained: “Joni Shivo is amazing in every way. She’s reliable, compassionate, always willing to learn and takes on new clients or those with higher needs. Every client adores her.”
Brenda added: “Our team totally agrees that Joni does her job so well, yet always flies under the radar because of her modest nature. That does not mean she lacks confidence to make the right decisions. In fact, Joni is not reluctant to address client issues with us when needed. A wise person, Joni has great judgment and intuition. Joni communicates well with the staff, is willing to pick up additional shifts, takes on challenging client situations and is always flexible.”
Joni pointed out: “I get to know my clients really well, and they become friends. I want to do as much as I can for them. Also, I want to support my clients’ families, who are always so nice and helpful. I try to take care of my clients just as I would want to be cared for if I were in their situation.
“One of my clients has multiple sclerosis (MS), but she is always so cheerful and makes me laugh despite all of her medical issues. I always look forward to going there to help her as much as I possibly can. Another client is always happy to see me and hear stories about my cat and the dogs I often take care of. She always asks me about everything I do. It is like becoming a member of my client’s family. We care about each other. My clients are very appreciative.”
Sometimes Joni is helping with more than just the care for her clients. “One client loves her dogs so much, and I think that really helps with her health issue. She also loves when her family brings her little grand baby to visit. It makes her so happy. And she has a good sense of humor. Emotional care and support sometimes are just as important as physical care,” Joni said.
“I started at Home Instead in August 2023. It is my first job in professional senior care. I was working at a retail job for 10 years and wanted to change. My sister, who lives in Pennsylvania, had a caregiving job. She thought I would be good at caregiving, and I liked the idea. So, I looked into it and found Home Instead. The people at Home Instead could not be any nicer. I have loved my job from the start,” Joni said.
Joni grew up in New Jersey, where she was the middle child of five children. She especially liked the summers because she said, “You could be outside all the time. I loved swimming, biking and boating on the Delaware River.”
Joni’s adult life has been one of service for others. “My first job was at a bed-and-breakfast back in Vermont, where I lived for 20 years and raised three children. After they were grown, I did a lot of caregiving for friends who had small children,” she explained. “After my husband died, I lived with my brother and his wife for a year in New Jersey. My son and his wife, who were living in Colorado at the time, wanted me to live with them, and I’ve been here ever since.”
The opportunity to help seniors is not lost on Joni, who notes that touching lives impacts her soul, whether she is providing physical help such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication reminders or personal care or if she is offering emotional support as a companion.
“I really wish I could’ve been more of a family caregiver to my mom and dad and grandmother when they were getting older, but I lived seven hours away and had a baby and two young children. It would have been nice to be there for them more,” Joni said.
Among the considerations for achieving Care Pro of the Year status, Joni has shown she has gone above and beyond the call of duty, Brenda said. Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Joni embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.”
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.
