Clients Shower Honoree Gladis With Compliments, Love
On that unforgettable day, Home Instead® Care Professional of the Month Gladis Acosta’s huge heart melted. As Gladis entered her client’s home, the client exclaimed: “I always look forward to Wednesday because it’s the day when I get to see you.”
It was a “Hallmark Moment” for Gladis, who said, “That meant a lot to me.” The client’s words rivaled another memorable day. “My favorite moment happened when I arrived at a home and the client’s eyes opened, and she welcomed me,” Gladis said.
In general, Gladis added: “For every client, I want to be there for them, whether it is something such as watching a softball game with them or doing the chores they can no longer do.”
Just five months ago, Gladis joined Home Instead of Midland-Odessa, an award-winning franchise owned by Lorena and William Shensky. In June 2025, Gladis was honored as the office’s Care Pro of the Month in an announcement made by Engagement and Training Coordinator Rozephyr Jean. “Gladis displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of ‘Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart,’ ” Rozephyr said.
When Gladis found Home Instead, she had been looking for a part-time job with flexible scheduling because she always had been a stay-at-home mom. Gladis explained: “It was hard for me to leave my kids and my house.”
Gladis also knew she was more than up to the task as a senior-care professional. Home Instead of Midland-Odessa is one of the Lone Star State’s outstanding Home Instead franchises, a member of the world’s largest home-care network and the most advanced care platform. Overall, there are more than 100,000 Care Pros across 13 countries, meeting the growing needs of millions of older adults and their families worldwide.
“Years ago,” Gladis recalled, “my grandfather had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, and that’s when the idea of professional caregiving started for me. First, I just started driving him to his doctors’ appointments. It was a long journey, but I was with him all the time. That was when I knew I loved to be there when somebody needed me. I just love this job, if I can call it a ‘job.’ ”
In addition to her strong companionship skills, Gladis provides safety assurance, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and transportation and errands. Gladis offers personal assistance with eating, grooming, dressing, bathing, incontinence care, cognitive impairment, hospice support and mobility. By expertly doing so, Gladis not only assists her clients, but helps their families eliminate worry, reduce stress and re-establish personal freedom.
To build on their knowledge and experience, Gladis and other Midland-Odessa Care Pros are offered the opportunity to increase their dementia-care skills by taking part in the Home Instead network’s one-of-a-kind training protocol. Home Instead’s Person-Centered Care Training for Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias is recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association® for incorporating the evidence-based dementia-care practice recommendations in these topic areas: Alzheimer’s and dementia, person-centered care, assessment and care planning, activities of daily living, and behaviors and communication.
Focusing on Home Instead’s training, processes and procedures of successful caregiving helped Gladis achieve the Care Pro of the Month award. But Gladis is also a natural at the job, instinctive with lots of common sense and wisdom, which are qualities that can’t be taught.
“All of my life, I knew I needed to be there when somebody needed something. I love to give love and attention, and make life easier for everyone with whom I come in contact. In this case, as I am working for Home Instead, I want to be there for the clients. I’ve told them, ‘I’m the energy you may no longer have; I’m the one who handles light housekeeping when you can’t. In fact, I can do whatever you need – just let me know. I know I was born for this job,” she said.
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (432) 689-4663 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
