Home Instead

✨ New Caregiver Chats Episode: Ashley Stevens, a gerontologist, licensed clinical social worker, and dementia educator, talks about what caregivers really need beyond basic self-care.

🎧 Tune in here: https://bit.ly/49LULxG

Watch This Connection Blossom 🌸

For Barbara, connection started with a shared love of flowers—talking about what they need, tending to them together, and finding joy in the little things. From laughter and jokes to meaningful weekly routines, those common interests grew into something deeper. It’s a reminder that the best care doesn’t just support—it connects.

Blossom through great care and shared interests.

Call us today.

Itasca, IL: (847) 690-9825
Fox Valley, IL: (630) 274-5050
Naperville, IL: (630) 637-3360

How to Get Paid to Change a Life (Including Yours)

Barbara formed a bond with her client, Jim, that feels like an entire lifetime of shared history. To Barbara, this isn’t just a job; it’s an extension of family, built on deep trust, shared stories, and genuine laughter right in the neighborhood. It proves that the best care happens when you bring both your expertise and your heart to the table.

Care professionally.
Connect personally.

Call us today.

Itasca, IL: (847) 690-9825
Fox Valley, IL: (630) 274-5050
Naperville, IL: (630) 637-3360

"You have to go with their pace of life, their level."

Kathryn Bolissian brings lived experience to her role as a Care Pro with Home Instead. As a mother of three, including her youngest daughter who lives with Angelman Syndrome, she knows what it means to navigate medical appointments, long nights, and the quiet responsibility of being someone’s steady advocate.

Clients value the calm she carries into their homes, whether she is preparing comforting homemade meals, creating routines that bring stability, or offering reassurance during uncertain moments. She shows up steady, patient, and ready to help.

Check out all of the 2025 Rising Care Pros of the Year stories here: https://bit.ly/46JGmR2

Charles has always loved learning—his home still filled with books, artifacts, and treasures from a life of exploration.

After a stroke, life changed. But with the support of his Care Pro, Valarie, the things he loves are still part of his days.

From reading together (even with a few laughs along the way) to gardening, cooking, and planning outings, their time is filled with connection and joy.

“We are here to accommodate them. They are not here to accommodate us.”

Because with the right care, life doesn’t stop—it continues with comfort, purpose, and moments that matter. 💚

Why Total Strangers Stopped Gretchen at the Supermarket

For Gretchen, grocery shopping with Amy isn’t just a regular errand—it’s an outing so full of laughter and light that even total strangers at the store have stopped to notice their glow. Amy has a unique way of keeping Gretchen’s spirit feeling incredibly youthful, proving that the right companionship makes you forget about age and focus entirely on the fun.

Bring back that youthful joy.

Call us today.

Itasca, IL: (847) 690-9825
Fox Valley, IL: (630) 274-5050
Naperville, IL: (630) 637-3360

Home Instead saved her from a Nursing Home

Gretchen loves the home she built and the protective neighbors who watch out for her, so when her daughters suggested moving, the stress was overwhelming. After choosing Homestead, she was able to stay right where her heart is—and her daughters couldn’t be happier. Now, her family has total peace of mind knowing she is safe, independent, and exactly where she wants to be.

Independence stays, worry goes.

Comment ❤️ if this story warms your heart!

Call us today.

Itasca, IL: (847) 690-9825
Fox Valley, IL: (630) 274-5050
Naperville, IL: (630) 637-3360

"I have a ministry of encouraging people."

Joy Karienye brings discipline and purpose to her work as a Care Pro. Before joining Home Instead, she was a professional marathon runner who competed in 23 countries and served as an Adidas ambassador, a routine of 4 a.m. runs that still centers her each day. After immigrating from Kenya, she felt called to caregiving and changed her name to Joy to reflect her mission to help others heal. That determination shows in her care, including helping a 98-year-old client regain strength after a serious injury and come off hospice. Joy helps clients rebuild confidence and connection one steady step at a time.

Meet all of the 2025 Rising Care Pros of the Year: https://bit.ly/46JGmR2

Home Instead Has Gretchen’s Entire Neighborhood Talking

When Gretchen began feeling closed in, her family stepped in to help her find a safe, supportive solution. Ever since she began care with Home Instead, the experience has been so wonderful that her neighbors now ask for Gretchen’s care by name. Give your family that same peace of mind.

Choose trusted care.

Call us today.

Itasca, IL: (847) 690-9825
Fox Valley, IL: (630) 274-5050
Naperville, IL: (630) 637-3360

“Be someone they can talk to. They need to be heard. They need to be loved.”

Milagros Fernandez’s life has been shaped by courage and care. After leaving Cuba at 19 and building a new life in the United States, she discovered her calling in caregiving, first in a nursing home, then at home with her own mother for eight years after a stroke.

That experience continues to guide her. Milagros cares for every client the way she cared for her mom, with patience, dignity, and a wholehearted presence. Families describe her as a blessing, someone who brings comfort in both the quiet moments and times of crisis, often adding thoughtful touches like homemade flan to make a house feel more like home.

For Milagros, the greatest reward is simple: knowing she’s made someone feel seen, supported, and loved. It’s this deep compassion that makes her care unforgettable.

Discover more inspiring stories from the 2025 Rising Care Pros of the Year: https://bit.ly/46JGmR2

You don’t have to stop living after a stroke, especially not as a caregiver.

“It’s a very lonely existence… but you don’t have to isolate. You just need to find a purpose each day.”

Caregiver Chats host Dr. Lakelyn is joined by Lana Wilhelm, who shares what it really looks like to go from nurse to full-time caregiver overnight—and the emotional reality that follows. From uncertainty and guilt to resilience and purpose, her story is a reminder that caregiver support isn’t optional—it’s essential.

If you’re caring for someone after a stroke, you are not alone. There is a community that understands and wants to support you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: Life After a Stroke: Supporting the Caregiver wherever you get your podcasts. https://bit.ly/4d2wmVz

"Every single person is special for me. Everyone has something to tell you."

Margarita Arreola has been caring for older adults since 1995, first supporting a husband and then choosing to continue caring for his wife after he passed. That decision shaped the way she works to this day. Since joining Home Instead in 2022, she has become the steady presence families rely on, especially in hospice and complex cases.

Margarita reads moods quickly and responds with quiet, physical reassurance, calming anxious mornings, warming cold hands, and celebrating small wins like a client standing on their own for a few extra seconds. This level of care is exactly why Home Instead recognized her as one of 10 Care Pros of the Year.

Check out more inspiring stories from the 2025 Rising Care Pros of the Year: https://bit.ly/46JGmR2

"I just love being around people... When they're happy, then I am happy."

Darla Amlong joined Home Instead in 2022 after moving back to West Point to be closer to her aging mother and seeing firsthand how much it matters to have the right support at home. When one client wanted to spend a weekend with her daughter, Darla drove 181 miles round-trip to make it happen, turning the long drive into a weekend adventure. She has created hands-on tools to help clients overcome frustration and surprised farming families with practical harvest care packages. Darla looks for what will make the day lighter, easier, or more meaningful, and then she does it.

This level of care is exactly why Home Instead recognized her as one of 10 Care Pros of the Year.

Check out all of the 2025 Rising Care Pros of the Year stories here: https://bit.ly/46JGmR2

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and caregivers, this message is for you. 💚 In this clip, Dr. Lakelyn reminds us that your well-being matters just as much as the care you give. Take a breath. You’re not alone, and you deserve support too.

🎧 Tune into Caregiver Chats wherever you get your podcasts to join our community and find helpful resources for navigating care.

Caregiving has a way of bringing up life’s biggest questions.

In this episode of Caregiver Chats, Dr. Lakelyn welcomes back caregiving expert and author Dr. Aaron Blight for a more personal conversation about spirituality and faith in caregiving. If you remember his first appearance, you know how thoughtful his perspective is. This time, the focus turns to how caregivers find meaning, strength, and grounding during some of the hardest moments of life.

Caregiving often includes seasons of decline, uncertainty, and end of life. For many people, those experiences open the door to deeper reflection or a renewed sense of spirituality, no matter what they believe.

Together, they talk about:
• How spirituality can support caregivers across different belief systems
• The connection between meaning and resilience in caregiving
• Simple daily practices that can help sustain your spirit

If you have ever felt stretched emotionally or searched for something to hold onto during caregiving, this conversation will resonate.

🎧 Watch the full episode:
Apple: https://bit.ly/3QDDrnW
YouTube: https://bit.ly/4eeOaPo
Spotify: https://bit.ly/4n34cOK

“The first year I was with him, his gerontologist actually tested him and saw an improvement in his cognitive scores.”

Barb McGee joined Home Instead in 2020 and quickly became known for her thoughtful, deeply personalized dementia care. She prepares for each visit with intention, creating activities that help clients reconnect with who they have always been. For one former biology professor, that meant picking up a paintbrush.

Whether sitting beside someone at end of life or stepping in to support her team, Barb brings a steady presence and genuine connection to every home. This level of care is exactly why Home Instead recognized her as one of 10 Care Pros of the Year.

Check out more inspiring stories from the 2025 Rising Care Pros of the Year: https://bit.ly/46JGmR2