Raynuel arrived at just the right time for his Home Instead® client.
The 97-year-old client had seen a number of Care Professionals come and go before Raynuel was sent to the client in July 2023. “A lot of Care Pros had tried to work with him before I went. I am the only one who has consistently stayed. We bonded and have a good relationship,” said Raynuel, who joined Kelly Hutchison’s award-winning Home Instead franchise in Itasca, Illinois, in May 2023.
Raynuel described his client, Mr. C., as a “very good man.” For four days a week, Raynuel serves as a live-in Care Pro for Mr. C. The widower lives alone. He has a daughter and a son who lead busy lives.
It cannot be discounted as a coincidence that Mr. C.’s health has improved since Raynuel came to assist him. “He’s a tough man,” Raynuel said, “but he had been very sick when I arrived. He was weak from a UTI. We changed a few things, including his meals. His primary challenge simply is ‘old age.’ He is blind in one eye, and I help him with personal care, but I generally am happy with how he is doing. He had his bad days and his good days, but we all do.”
The client “has a clear mind,” and can walk with a cane. “As a result,” Raynuel said, “I try to get him out as much as possible. He enjoys going with me on grocery-shopping trips. We play cards almost every day for a couple of hours. It is an Italian card game called Scopa. He talks about earlier days, when he was young and working. As a widower, he misses his wife. He talks about her.”
Raynuel’s successful experiences with Mr. C. have not gone unnoticed. He was honored as Itasca’s Care Pro of the Month for June. Home Instead Human Resources Manager Alina Merrill said Raynuel displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of “Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.” Without a doubt, Raynuel’s compassion and empathy perfectly fit Home Instead’s motto, “To us, it’s personal.”
Raynuel was not new to professional caregiving when he joined Home Instead 14 months ago. The Filipino native had worked as a caregiver for 11 years in Israel with the same client. “I had planned to come to the United States, and Home Instead sponsored me for this job,” Raynuel explained. “In Israel, I worked with a 53-year-old man who had cerebral palsy. I still keep in contact with him as we talk every day on the phone. I do miss him, but this is a good place for me at this time in my life. I am able to send support to my family in the Philippines.”
Sadly, Raynuel’s anticipated life plans changed abruptly two months ago when his wife passed away with a heart attack in the Philippines. “She had had no symptoms of heart problems. It came as a shock. I was hoping she and my son could come join me. Maybe in two years, my son can come here. We still have to work out the details,” Raynuel said.
Nothing has changed about Raynuel’s focus on helping his client and working for Home Instead.
“Maybe I will be working for Home Instead a good long time,” he said. “That is my hope.”
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/205
