Care Professional of the Month

Over the years, it has been a joy for Nancy Julin to gain new family members. They are her Home Instead^® clients. As relationships have developed, the twice-honor Care Professional of the Month has shared laughter and tears, and every other emotion.

“The client who sticks out in my mind the most is one who treated me like one of her children. We got along. We’d laugh a lot. With her sharp wit, she picked on her husband, and then she’d pick on me. I loved making her life easier,” said Nancy, who was honored as Care Pro of the Month in June at Home Instead of Victoria. Her first award came in May 2021.

For a Home Instead^® dementia client in Inez, Texas, Care Professional of the Month Michelle Bera is a VIP. That was confirmed after the client was hospitalized with pneumonia. She would not cooperate with her nurses, but when the client caught a glimpse of Michelle, her eyes lighted up and the nurses’ treatments were much easier to carry out. “She is like family,” Michelle said.

Ironically, the client struggles to remember Michelle’s name because of her dementia. But since Michelle began assisting the client in November 2022, their bonds have been unshakeable. Michelle’s client, who is in her late 70s, was in the hospital for a week and in a rehabilitation facility for another week before the goal of getting her back home was achieved. In addition to Michelle’s care six days a week, the family has a physical therapist coming to the home.

It was the 1980s. Sue Williams was in her 20s and working as a Texas hospital CNA. Any uncertainty about her life’s journey became crystal clear one day. “When I came upon a patient who was continually moaning from pain, a wave of empathy surged through my heart. I told God, ‘I’ll be your servant to try to help these people,’ ” said Sue, recalling Isaiah’s answer to God in Isaiah 6-8 (“Here am I! Send me.”).

“I’ve been a caregiver my entire life. I don’t think I know how to do anything else. I’ve worked in every professional caregiving setting there is. In addition to working as a hospital CNA for five years, I’ve worked in a skilled nursing home, assisted living and memory care, and as a private-duty caregiver,” Sue explained. “For 15 years, I was tied to one family – serving two people at different times – as a private-duty caregiver. I first took care of the family’s mother. After she died, I took care of her husband. I still remain connected to the family.”

Shelianna Bryan has experienced the emotional peaks and valleys of professional senior care during her 4½ years as a three-time Care Professional of the Month for Home Instead^® of Victoria, Texas. While each client is so different and stands out for one reason or another, one client in particular will live on forever in Shelianna’s memory.

“I’d like to highlight my late client, 89-year-old Ruth, who was called home to be with her Lord and Savior on May 16, 2023. She was a longtime client,” Shelianna said. “Honestly, I won’t sugarcoat it. I was devastated for myself, but even more for her family. During all of those years with Ruth, her only son and daughter-in-law, and Ruth’s brother – as well as her family friends – they all welcomed me as if I were one of their own. Going to work with Ruth was like going to my second home, and I had so much joy with all of them. I don’t regret a single second.”

Twice-honored Care Professional of the Month Anita Jackson has liked the idea of adding new clients if her schedule can accommodate it. She had never imagined gaining a new client in the unusual way she recently did. The new client was the wife of an existing client who has dementia. “They are my most interesting clients,” Anita said. “They are originally from an Asian country, and they have lived and traveled all over the world.”

During Thanksgiving week, the client’s wife, who at the time was not a Home Instead® client and has terminal cancer, was not feeling well. For two days, the couple’s home-health nurse and Anita urged her to go to the emergency room, but the client’s wife refused.

When you might possibly have had the grandest grandparents in the Lone Star State, it’s no surprise that your strong emotional attachment to elderly family members eventually led to a successful career in professional senior care. And Lauren Riley is among the best of the best, having been honored as Care Professional of the Month at Home Instead® of Victoria.

“Growing up,” Lauren explained, “I had the best grandparents a kid could ask for. They were my heart and my soul. My grandmother enjoyed making homemade jellies and knitting. Growing up, we’d always help her with jelly making. Since Grandmother did not drive, I got the opportunity to take her to the various establishments in town. I enjoyed those experiences very much. She said I had a talent for caregiving. She encouraged me to pursue a career in this field.”

The Home Instead^® client couldn’t help thinking about the future. He already was lamenting what lies ahead in two years when twice-honored Home Instead^® Care Professional of the Month Frances Pena retires after having assisted him since Nov. 15, 2021. The client’s challenges are far different from most of the other clients’ situations. He’s in his 40s, and he is a paraplegic as a result of a car accident. The client joked with Frances by saying, “I think I’m screwed when you retire. For one thing, I need someone to cook for me like you do.”

Frances replied, “Two years are a way off. Everything will be fine. Let’s just enjoy the present time.” Frances smiled when she revealed she had her doubts about being able to care for the client when franchise co-owner Dillon Rice first proposed the assignment a little more than two years ago. Dillon, however, wasn’t asking a newbie to enter the situation. Frances’s Care Pro longevity with Home Instead^® of Victoria, Texas, is unmatched. She joined Home Instead on Nov. 19, 2014, and was first honored as Care Pro of the Month in June 2015. She recently matched that honor.

Epifania Moreno thought of herself as somewhat of a novice in the professional caregiving field when she joined Home Instead^® of Victoria, Texas, on March 31, 2023, as a Care Professional. The truth is, Epifania had entered the caregiving field at age 13 when her brother was born three months prematurely. He is autistic and has epilepsy.  

“I have helped with my brother’s care since his birth. He needed a heart monitor after he was born, and feeding him was a challenge. In effect, I raised him from the time he was 5 years old. My sister also helps. He is 28 years old now,” explained Epifania, who also helped her late father until he passed away five years ago. “I helped with his medical appointments and other care situations. He had started forgetting things, so his memory had become an issue.”

You could hear the pride in Care Professional of the Month Edna Garcia’s voice as she talked about her most personal caregiving experiences. But there also was a tinge of sadness. It was clear that Edna had been honored to receive the opportunity to serve as a family caregiver for mother and grandmother. But … both are now gone. Now she takes care of Home Instead clients as if they are her family.

Family caregiving for her grandmother took place when Edna was 11 or 12 years old. “My grandmother was a diabetic amputee. When I helped with her care, there was plenty to do at times,” said Edna, who agreed with the notion that her family caregiving experience set her on a path toward professional senior care. “I worked at several different facilities since my high school graduation.”

Five years and two months after Victoria Labian was first honored as a Care Professional of the Month at Home Instead^® of Victoria, Texas, she has been recognized again, Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey announced. Victoria is still a highly esteemed senior-care professional, but she also has taken on double duty as a family caregiver.

 “A lot has changed for me since Home Instead selected me as its Care Pro of the Month in July 2018,” said Victoria, who first worked for the award-winning Home Instead franchise from July 2015 to April 2021 before leaving. Victoria returned in 2022. “I have moved back in with parents to help care for them, and in turn they help me care for my daughter, who is 8 years old.”

Victoria added: “We learned that my daughter has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and possibly autism spectrum disorder (ASD), so that has been challenging. She is making progress, but there have been lots of appointments and communication with doctors, therapists and teachers. I am committed to helping my daughter achieve as much independence as possible, and to have the best life possible. We continue to take day trips, weekend trips and a few vacations, exploring the world and making memories.”

The award-winning Home Instead^® franchise in Victoria, Texas, indeed was fortunate a little more than two years ago when Alice Ross contacted the office about applying for a Care Professional position. She was an experienced caregiving star who wanted to join their strong team. Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey, who invited Alice to begin work with Home Instead on June 22, 2021, announced in August 2023 that Alice had been honored as a Care Pro of the Month.

Alice had worked as a professional in the medical and health-care field for more than 45 years. Alice, a veteran at patient care and medical testing, worked for hospitals, a cardiologist, internal medicine doctors and nursing homes. Before inquiring about Home Instead, Alice had worked in a local hospital’s urology department for five years. But as a result of having back-to-back major surgeries, she decided to retire for health reasons. Alice’s retirement didn’t last long.

Caregiving is in Cayla Green’s blood. She discovered that at an early age, when she became a family caregiver. “As far back as I can remember, caring for relatives and visiting them has been part of a daily routine,” said Cayla, who joined Home Instead^® of Victoria, Texas, on Feb. 1, 2021, and recently was honored as one of the franchise’s Care Professionals of the Month.

Cayla’s family caregiving journey is an intriguing one, and it’s easy to see how her compassionate ways with seniors in her family set her on a course toward Home Instead, an award-winning franchise in Victoria County owned by Dillon Rice and Pietro Jordao.

Cayla’s great-grandmother lived alone, and her great-grandmother’s sister was in a nursing home. Cayla and her family divided their extra time between the two grand ladies. For Cayla’s great-grandmother, the caregiving included grocery shopping, housecleaning, meal preparation, medication reminders and recording blood-sugar levels. In addition, Cayla and her family members posted daily reminders in large print for her great-grandmother’s failing eyesight.

Nearing the end of the second year of her second stint with Home Instead^® of Victoria, Beverlyann Stracener was selected as the franchise’s Care Professional of the Month for May. The honor meant a lot, and Beverlyann wanted to thank someone for making it possible: Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey.

“If it wasn’t for Maegan’s greeting and bright personality, I would have not started with the company in the first place. I have Maegan to thank for my return, too. I am where I am meant to be,” said Beverlyann, who recounted her first meeting with Maegan on a hot July day in 2019 when Beverlyann and her mother Rebecca showed up at the Home Instead office without an appointment. 

Long ago, Corlissa Edwards’ mother proclaimed: “Corlissa has a heart as big as Texas.” Fast-forward to last fall. Ever since Oct. 20, 2022, Corlissa’s clients at the Home Instead^® of Victoria have learned the mother’s proclamation was right on the money. Home Instead Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey affirmed those words by announcing Corlissa had been honored as the award-winning franchise’s Care Professional of the Month.

“I’ve been doing this kind of work my entire life. My first clients were my grandparents and one of my aunts. I began helping my grandparents when I was fresh out of high school. It was only fitting because I am my ‘grandparents’ baby.’ They were like parents,” Corlissa recalled.

Sue Baines has a stellar track record with two Home Instead^® franchises during the past 10 years. She was chosen as the June 2017 Care Professional of the Month with Home Instead of Corpus Christi, Texas. Sue moved back home to Victoria, Texas, where Recruiting and Retention Coordinator Maegan Coldewey honored Sue twice as Care Pro of the Month, in May 2019 and in April 2023. In all, Sue has been a senior-care professional for more than 31 years.

Sue never discusses her career without bringing up her great-grandmother.

“This is a labor of love, a journey I really have embraced. I tell everyone my great-grandmother raised me and has been at the center of what I do. She is the greatest and sweetest woman I’ve ever known. She taught me everything I know. She showed me my cooking and baking skills,” Sue explained.

Home Instead^® Care Professional of the Month Mary Grahmann always says a prayer before leaving her car after arriving at a client’s home. Mary wants to make sure she is focused and at her very best when she steps in the client’s door. Mary said, “I ask God to help me bring joy, comfort and whatever else is needed for that client at that particular time.”

When Mary arrived one day to help her 92-year-old client, Mary had a feeling something wasn’t right because she could not enter the house even though she had a key, and her client wasn’t answering her doorbell. It was quite a contrast from just about any other day with the client. “When I began working with her last September, she was vibrant and would be fully dressed and looking beautiful by 7:30 each morning when I arrived,” Mary said. “She was ready to go as many places as we could. The priority was buying treats for her cats and dogs, shopping and going to breakfast or lunch. We spent lots of time laughing together, and I spent time listening to her when things weren’t going so well too.”