Her Daughter’s ‘Persuasion’ Leads Mellanie to Ideal Job
Mellanie Garza’s daughter Austyn found a way to persuade her mother to become a Care Professional at Home Instead® of Midland-Odessa. Part of the successful persuasion was a pragmatic approach to paying for Austyn’s college expenses, and another part was an emotional appeal to help a client in the Garzas’ hometown of San Angelo, a 115-mile drive from Midland.
“As a Home Instead Care Pro, Austyn began working with Mr. B. after she graduated from high school. Austyn moved to Midland for college, but she still commuted to the client’s home here in San Angelo for a while, and that got to be too much. She didn’t want to leave the client or Home Instead in a bind without a Care Pro, so she called and said, ‘Hey, Mom, I think you should work with this client,’ and she proceeded to tell me about him,” Mellanie recalled.
“Austyn also told me, ‘You’ll need three months of work to pay my college expenses, so you ought to work for Home Instead.’ I thought, ‘LOL!’ I spoke with my husband, who always gave me the luxury of staying home to care for our kids. We didn’t have schoolchildren anymore, so I told my husband, ‘I’m going to do this for only three months until I pay off Austyn’s college.’ I was wrong! Three months later, I was in love with the job and in love with Home Instead! Our company’s compassion and care for our clients is awesome. I knew this is where I belonged.”
Mellanie joined Home Instead on Oct. 20, 2022, and she was honored as the award-winning franchise’s Care Pro of the Month for August 2023. Imelda Hawkins, Home Instead’s human resources director, assistant administrator, and recruitment and engagement coordinator, said: “Mellanie brings a wealth of knowledge with her previous experience with mental health and mentally handicapped patients, and other past caregiving experiences.”
Mellanie is a natural at caregiving. “I was raised by grandparents, so caregiving came early in my life. My grandparents were very loving people. My grandmother’s heart was very big, and she modeled that for me. So, compassion also came early to me. I’ve cared for anyone who has needed help. When I say ‘care,’ I mean, physical care, emotional care and mental health care,” Mellanie said.
In Mellanie’s early working life, she was employed by a company that worked with mental health and mentally handicapped (MHMR) clients on daily living skills. Later, the company opened a school, and Mellanie was the reading and writing teacher. As a teacher, Mellanie planned spelling bees and gave out prizes. “I did anything to encourage and motivate. Working with MHMR clients also taught me about ‘redirection.’ Redirection is essential, especially for clients suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety and other emotional maladies,” Mellanie explained.
Mellanie is motivated by helping anyone who is in need. “I absolutely love people. All my life, I’ve loved people. And people have always been drawn to me as well. People make me happy. And my goal is to make people happy and know they have someone who listens to their voices and will care for them to the absolute best of my abilities,” Mellanie said.
“I want to let my clients know they have someone who sees them as a friend and as a human being. Theirs thoughts and opinions matter to me. I believe in ‘KCC:’ kindness, caring and compassion. With KCC, the world could turn around and be what it once was long ago. My prayer is that one day it will.”
Home Instead’s Midland-Odessa franchise, owned by Lorena and William Shensky, has found a special place in Mellanie’s heart. “Honestly, all of the Home Instead staff is so wonderful. The staff always makes sure our clients are our primary priority, and they also put a high priority on us Care Pros,” Mellanie said.
“I worked as a caregiver for other companies years ago, but the kindness and compassion and care Home Instead offers is above and beyond that of any other company. We truly care about our clients, including our military veterans. I’ve never seen a company more committed to assisting our VA clients as Home Instead. My client is an Army veteran who fought in Vietnam. The same is true of our personal-care-needs clients. Home Instead also makes its employees feel valued. I cannot even begin to express how much the Care Pro of the Month honor means to me. Home Instead is A-plus.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (432) 689-4663 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
