Ashton Finds Instant Success as a Care Pro
Since Ashton Iness started last March at Home Instead® of Midland-Odessa, she has gone from 0 to 60 in the world of professional senior care, and her rapid pace of learning and achieving hasn’t slowed. In fact, Ashton was honored as the Care Professional of the Month in November for the award-winning franchise owned by Lorena and William Shensky.
Assistant Administrator and Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Imelda Hawkins said: “Ashton’s eagerness to learn quickly made up for her lack of experience. She gained a wealth of knowledge by attending our paid training sessions that are provided to all of our Care Pros.”
Imelda added: “Today, Ashton is one of our most dependable, skilled and reliable Care Pros, thus making it an easy decision when it came time to honor our Care Pro of the Month for November. When Ashton is not caring for her beautiful children, you will find her deep in the books as she pursues her career. She hopes to be a CNA one day.”
Before Ashton joined Home Instead, she was working long hours as a waitress. “I began looking for something that was a little more flexible with my schedule because of my children, and I was about to start going to college,” Ashton explained.
When one of Ashton’s friends told her about Home Instead, Ashton decided to apply. “I was a little worried at first I wouldn’t be good at it until a Home Instead staff member brought up the fact that raising four children is considered a caregiving experience,” Ashton said. Imelda confirmed that family caregiving experience is considered an invaluable asset, whether it is child care or senior care.
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Ashton provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands for Home Instead clients. She offers personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. By expertly doing so, Ashton and her fellow Care Pros not only assist their clients, but help their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
To build on their knowledge and experience, Ashton and other Midland-Odessa Care Pros are offered the opportunity to increase their dementia-care skills by taking part in the Home Instead network’s one-of-a-kind training protocol. Home Instead’s Person-Centered Care Training for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias is recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association® for incorporating the evidence-based dementia-care practice recommendations in these topic areas: Alzheimer’s and dementia, person-centered care, assessment and care planning, activities of daily living, and behaviors and communication.
Focusing on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped Ashton achieve the Care Pro of the Month award. “Working for Home Instead is the best decision I’ve ever made because the Home Instead staff members are wonderfully flexible and because I have developed a bond with my client,” Ashton said. “My client loves to tell jokes and tell me stories about his life. I find his stories very interesting and never get tired of our conversations.”
Among the considerations for achieving Care Pro of the Month status, an employee has shown he or she has gone above and beyond the call of duty, Imelda pointed out. Empathy and compassion are taken into account for the award, as well as skill and wisdom for dealing with challenging situations. Ashton embodies Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.” She is someone who is exceptional at her work with any client. Imelda added: “Thank you, Ashton, for all that you do to enrich the lives of our seniors!”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (432) 689-4663 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
