Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Cecilia A. had a close-up view of a fairy tale marriage that had withstood the test of time and was still going strong for a 98-year-old husband and his 88-year-old wife. The Army veteran was Cecilia’s first client when she started with Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning Home Instead franchise in Itasca, Illinois, a year ago.
Effusive in describing her client, Cecilia recalled: “Every day when I prepared his breakfast, he told his wife, ‘I love you.’ He was so in love with her. She liked his attention and would say, ‘I love you, too.’ I worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekends, and I’d venture to say he told his wife ‘I love you’ at least a hundred times during the two months I was assisting him.”
Cecilia added: “He was so nice and respectful. He never complained. He was a sweet guy. His sister came on weekends, and they played dominoes. He had such a good personality and was sharp. I have learned a lot from my clients. I want to get to know my clients.”
After joining Home Instead on June 4, 2024, as a second job, Cecilia is available to work weeknights and weekends, and when she is called for fill-in shifts that occur outside her medical clinic job’s weekday hours. With Home Instead, Cecilia shines. Training Coordinator Jackie Washburn announced Cecilia was honored as the franchise’s Care Pro of the Month for May.
Jackie said: “Cecilia is an absolute sweetheart. Although she has limited availability for Home Instead because of a full-time day job, she always somehow makes room for her beloved client, a beautiful centenarian who lives in the neighboring city. Cecilia prepares dinner for her client and tucks her into bed. Cecilia picks up shifts when she can and oftentimes saves the day. She is experienced and kind, and she is an absolute gem to have on our Care Pro team.”
Cecilia has been assisting her 101-year-old client “for a little over a year,” including Friday nights, Saturday mornings and some Sundays. “We bonded just as if I am part of the family. My client lives with her 75-year-old son and his wife. My client is very lucky to have a son and daughter-in-law who care so much for her. My client also has a great sister.”
Cecilia added: “My client is sharp – she remembers everything. As far as mobility goes, she uses a motorized scooter. Because of a medical challenge, I use a Hoyer lift to get her in and out of bed. I help with personal care in any way I can. Then there is companionship – we talk a lot, and I’ve gotten to know my client very well.”
Cecilia learned that her client was born in Iowa. Her dad died at age 45 when she was 3 or 4. “She lived on a farm and was around the animals. That is something she and I have in common, because I visited my grandparents’ farm in my native Philippines when school was not in session. I also was around farm animals and was on the farm when the harvest came. My client’s mother did all the work raising the family after her father died. When she was in first grade, they moved to Chicago and lived in an area near Midway Airport,” Cecilia said.
Like her client, Cecilia likes to share her personal stories. “I have been in America for 35 years.
In the Chicago area, I formerly worked as a hospital CNA. The job got harder and harder because they were often short of staff. After I talked it over with my husband, I quit and took a job at a medical clinic,” Cecilia said. “I missed the interaction with the hospital patients. After a while, I thought I could do my clinic job and work for Home Instead.
“I kept seeing a Home Instead car whenever I was driving. Then, I wrote down the Home Instead phone number after I saw the car and found the Home Instead website. At our office, I talked to Jackie, and she and the staff graciously waited for me to get off work from my regular job and then interviewed me. They told me they were flexible with the hours I could give them, and they hired me. It has been a good experience. The staff is kind and respectful.”
When asked about handling two jobs and how long she thought she could go on, Cecilia said: “Every day I pray and thank God for my job. My clients are my family. I want to keep going. I don’t like to take any days off when working for Home Instead. It’s all about the relationships. My client tells me: ‘Call me Grandma.’ She always asks where I go if I am not there on my customary days with her. To her, it’s personal – to me, it is, too.”
Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (847) 690-9825 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website at homeinstead.com/home-care/usa/il/elk-grove-village/205
