Care Professional of the Month Elizabeth “Liz” Collins put her past five months’ whirlwind of activities in perspective when she said, “God put me here, starting with the interview with Margi. It was meant to be.” When Liz said “here,” she was referring to gaining employment with owner Greg Gomez-Mira’s award-winning Home Instead® franchise that serves Houston, including the area encompassing Bellaire, Missouri City, Pearland, Stafford, Sugar Land and other cities.
“I had been sitting at home, just wanting to do something. I know about the medical field because I had spent 15 years as a physical therapy assistant. My family caregiving experience with seniors included my late father-in-law, who had Alzheimer’s. I found Home Instead online. One thing led to the next, Margi emailed me, and I conducted a phone interview with her,” said Liz, referring to Home Instead Recruitment and Human Resource Manager Margi Kenny. “I also had put in applications with other companies, but Home Instead felt right.”
Liz joined Home Instead in March 2023, and God’s timing aligned Liz with a couple who were first-time Home Instead clients and needed the skills that Liz possessed. The husband had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about four years earlier, and Liz had worked with Parkinson’s patients as a physical therapy assistant.
“At the start, I visited with them with a Home Instead staff member also present. When we got done talking, his wife said, ‘When can you start? We need you now,’ ” Liz recalled. “The bonding was immediate. We’re in synch. On the first day, I got busy and figured out a routine that works for them. I am still figuring out variations of the basic routine.”
“My client is positive despite his Parkinson’s. He’s a very smart guy whose brain sometimes can’t communicate well with his legs, so some frustration is normal. He’s on a walker. He and I don’t sit down and watch TV during my shift. We’re busy. I try to keep his body in motion. He likes my chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, so I invite him to help me make them, which is another form of activity,” Liz said.
“The physical therapist sees him Tuesdays and Thursdays. His physical therapist and I work on his gait. Speaking in a positive manner, our words are: ‘Try not to drag your foot. Walk heel to toe.’ I am there to help him and cheer him on. I interact with him and work out with him to encourage him to keep it up. I count with him, showing him the right way. That’s my job. PT is about 30 to 45 minutes. He takes laps in the house when it is too hot to go outside. He is nervous when he’s going through doorways. I say, ‘Remember, heel to toe.’ ”
Liz and her client play a word game, too. “Scrabble keeps his mind active. Since he’s a sharp guy, he beats me on the big words. I keep the count, and it is fun,” Liz said.
While guidance and safety are important, Liz doesn’t want her client to feel as though she is constantly hovering over him. “It is so important that seniors have as much independence as possible. I let him make decisions. Where would he like to go for outings? I take him shopping, to Walmart or to the Dollar Store,” Liz said.
By also handling light housekeeping, meal preparation and such things as medication reminders, Liz tries to make things easy for both the client and his wife, whose son and his family live in the area. “The client’s wife, a minister and Sunday school teacher, also is on her church’s board and is writing a book. She works hard and has an office. By having a Care Pro’s assistance, she has the time and freedom to do these things. She recently had to go on a retreat. Their son stayed with him at night when she was gone,” Liz said. “His wife hugs me all the time. It is a good situation.”
Pointing to Liz’s success and just several reasons for her Care Pro of the Month honor, Home Instead Scheduling Coordinator Jessica Williams said: “Liz displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of ‘Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.’ She turned a once-every-third-month client into a weekly client. Of course, everyone on the staff knows that her charm and skills won over one of our Parkinson’s clients as well as his entire family. They call and compliment Liz all the time and remark that she has been such a joy.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (713) 774-2215 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
