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.
“I was looking to move on from another agency because of a loss of clients. There had been multiple client deaths, and the hours were becoming scarce. I happened to find Home Instead only because my mom looked into different companies for us. We were both senior-care professionals, and we came as ‘a package deal.’ When I walked into the Home Instead office, I was still on the edge about changing companies. But Maegan greeted me with a bright smile. Before I knew it, Maegan had roped me into signing paperwork to work for Home Instead,” Beverlyann recalled.
Maegan also remembered that day nearly four years ago, but from a different perspective. It was an unusually busy day, and Maegan was searching for paperwork to complete the State of Texas franchise license renewal. When Rebecca and Beverlyann arrived, Maegan thought, “I don’t have time for this right now. I’ll give them an application and send them out.”
But Maegan quickly changed course, recalling: “These smiling women, with the kindest loving eyes, looked at me as I rounded the corner. Then, a little voice in my mind said, ‘Make the time.’ As I took them to my office, that little voice told me, ‘You’re going to like what they have to say.’ Stories of their experiences, lives and love, and their compassion for this line of work radiated like songs. At the time, the interview probably was the longest, most fulfilling one I’d conducted. I knew I could not let these ‘walk-in wonders’ leave without hiring them.”
Rebecca went on to be named Care Pro of the Month four months later and then moved to the franchise’s office in a manager’s position. But Beverlyann, who had also dreamed of a law enforcement career, stayed only a month with Home Instead before moving on to become a Correctional Officer for the State of Texas, where she stayed for two years. “Then,” Beverlyann explained, “an incident within the prison had me calling the Home Instead office and asking for my job back. I previously had left on good terms, and they accepted me back with open arms. I’ve been back with Home Instead since May 26, 2021.”
Senior care is second nature to Beverlyann. “I started young, volunteering with the activities director at the nursing home where my mom was working when I was about 8 years old. I loved every minute of learning how to play dominoes with the lady residents and listening to their stories. They taught me a lot about what I could expect with life. I volunteered to play the French horn for them when I was in the band. After I graduated, I still visited with my Great Dane, Murdock, as a therapy dog,” Beverlyann said.
“I started with professional caregiving when I was 19, and I fell in love with the job. My first client was 103, but she could get up and take off down the hall with her walker before I could even figure out she had moved. All the while, she still taking care of paperwork for a business, including renting out properties in Port Lavaca.”
Beverlyann added: “I went to every client to whom I could be sent because I wanted to gain experience in every aspect. No person or circumstances were too big or small. My favorite part of every client’s house is where the photos are on the wall or bookcase. The photos tell a story no book ever could convey. They show the good and the bad times, and the full lives everybody lives but may not remember.”
With Home Instead, Beverlyann said: “I love my current client. She keeps me on my toes, and we have our challenges sometimes, but I would work any day or time of the week for her. I love when she tells me her stories, and it doesn’t matter if I’ve already heard them a hundred times previously. I still tell her ‘no’ every time she asks if she’s told me a certain story. After my reply, a light in her eyes comes on as she becomes animated while telling me about her life, It is the greatest satisfaction of my job and makes every moment worth being in her home.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (361) 433-0330 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
