Something her Home Instead® client had was truly infectious for Care Professional Kira Lindsay. Kira caught his “Rummikub Bug,” and now the two-time Care Pro of the Month loves the number pattern board game that uses tiles instead of cards. Kira later passed “the bug” to her mother and grandmother.
Kira said, “On Wednesdays, I help a man who is obsessed with Rummikub, which is a simple game, but it’s one that also is exciting. He taught me how to play, and now I’m a fierce competitor. I love the game so much that I told my mom about it, and she bought it for my birthday. She also bought herself a Rummikub game, and now she plays it every day with my grandma, literally every day, over and over. Since my grandma’s stroke, she had been worse at board games. But with Rummikub, she often wins! It’s a tiny miracle.”
Kira laughed when she revealed that she had to spend her entire vacation in California playing Rummikub because her mom “is obsessed.” Kira added: “Every time I see my Rummikub-loving client, he has forgotten that he spread the Rummikub bug to my family. So, I tell him again, and his face lights up. So many little pieces of joy have been passed on from my clients.”
Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Brenda Munro pointed out that Kira has spread her infectious joy among her clients and the office staff since joining Home Instead of Louisville, Colorado, owner Michael Lammers’ award-winning franchise that serves northwest Adams County as well as Boulder and Broomfield Counties.
“Kira is just a ray of sunshine and brings joy wherever she goes,” Brenda said. “She’s also an excellent singer and sang Christmas carols at our office Care Pro Christmas party. She’s now doing side gigs, singing at some of the senior living communities. She has worked for us since April 2021, and we are so blessed to have her on our team.”
Brenda’s announcement that Kira had been chosen as the franchise’s February Care Pro of the Month marked the second time Kira had been honored. She also was the Care Pro of the Month in January 2022, less than nine months after she had joined Home Instead. Kira always has had a heart for seniors. When she was a salesperson for a major cell-phone company, she spent as much time as she could teaching seniors the basics of cell-phone use. No one else in her store had the patience for things like that. But Kira recalled, “I absolutely loved it.”
Kira added: “I’d spend an hour – or three – genuinely helping someone, getting to know them, without trying to persuade them to buy something or rushing them. I never wanted to think about my paycheck while trying to help another person. There is so much more value to me, in making someone smile, or providing a much-needed hug.”
Ultimately, Kira decided she was in the wrong field. “After I realized I hated sales,” she said, “I quit my job and took a few months to figure out what I really wanted to do.”
Any discussion of Kira’s work-career journey is worth the introspective review that Kira provided. “After spending years trying to fit myself into different jobs, I realized I needed to find a job that would fit me. I took a few months off from working to research and thought about what I really wanted in a career. I eventually landed on caregiving,” she said, pointing to Home Instead. I loved the idea of being endlessly there for someone – no rushing, no talking about money, just helping another beautiful human being enjoy his or her day and feel more loved.”
Kira began running an art business in 2013. It was her full-time job for a few years, one she described as “a total whirlwind.” Kira admitted: “I really missed being around people. I got a food-service job, then moved on to the cell-phone sales position.”
Not surprisingly, Kira said: “In every job I’ve had, my interactions with customers and co-workers have been the most joyous parts of my day. I’d have so much fun chatting with people, I’d tend to ‘hold up the line’ wherever I worked.”
For many reasons, caregiving was not totally unfamiliar territory for Kira. She had spent a few months caring for her mother as she was going through chemotherapy when Kira was in high school. She also spent years taking care of her ex-fiancé, who suffered from severe depression. “I learned so much about letting others express themselves and their pain without any judgment or trying to change them. I learned the value of just being there, listening and appreciating that person for everything wonderful about them,” she said.
Depression, Kira said, manifests itself in many ways: personal-care issues, panic attacks, a lack of energy and malnourishment. “Mental health is as important to me as physical health, and I really enjoy using all of my little strategies I’ve learned to help someone relax and feel taken care of,” said Kira said, who has helped seniors in many ways because of her past experiences. “I chose Home Instead because they seemed to be supportive toward their employees. I have always wanted to feel as though the people with whom I work are a second family, and that’s exactly what I got with Home Instead.”
All Home Instead Caregivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (720) 890-0184 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
