Home Care Team in Waterloo, ON

Working with seniors is something that was instilled upon me from a young age by my mother. When my mother was a volunteer visitor I would occasionally join her on her visits to see Katarina when I was about 8 years old. Katarina was Russian and spoke only a little bit of English. I still remember that Katarina would be in absolute amazement when I would put the straw in my drinking box – she had never seen anything like it and I would show her how it worked! In sharing the same passion with my mother, I continued on during my high school years volunteering at a Long Term Care facility & volunteer visiting also. Later in life when my grandmother was in Long Term Care, just over an hour away, I regularly went to visit her with my three children until she passed away in 2010. Seeing the enjoyment that she would get watching the children run around and engage her was priceless and truly memorable. Being the owner of Kitchener Waterloo's Home Instead Senior Care allows me to work at my passion and sincerely feel like I am making a difference in a senior's life. I am honored to have the privilege to provide services to our clients and it is something I take very personally.

​Greg, father to Liam and Ava, and husband to Shelley, is well known in the field of home care, but his roots have simple beginnings as his earliest recollections of senior activism refer to a time when his mom was involved with charities like Meals on Wheels and encouraged him and his siblings to do the same. Today, his sits on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Home Care Association, has strong ties to the Alzheimer Society and focusses the efforts of the Kitchener Waterloo office on philanthropy, public education and community outreach. He is an author of the book Trusted Transitions, was presented the Advocacy Award by Home Instead Corporate for his tireless efforts, and will drive Home Instead Kitchener Waterloo to exceed the expectations of seniors and their families, by striving for service excellence.

“I was fortunate to have spent the majority of my childhood with all four grandparents. The advantages of having them nearby and learning valuable lessons such as, the power of integrity, importance of education and persistence of hard work, undoubtedly had a positive influence throughout every aspect of my life. They repeatedly advised, aging is a blessing and to live each day to the fullest. They were named, ‘The Greatest Generation’ for good reason”.

Tom’s natural aptitude for leadership has earned him an impressive track record of operational success as a change management & strategic leadership professional. From building and overhauling operational programs to driving cultural business transformation initiatives through his hands-on approach to leadership, Tom fosters a culture of collaboration, empowerment, accountability, employee engagement and customer satisfaction supported by his People, Process, Customer leadership philosophy. He states; “Joining the Home Instead team has been the highlight of my professional career. The opportunity to work with a team of dedicated, caring and focused individuals while being able to make each & every customer interaction a personal experience fills my heart with gratitude. Helping the seniors in our community and at the same, playing a vital part in changing the face of aging is an experience I can only describe as incredible”. Tom has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Liverpool and prior to joining Home Instead, successfully held various operational positions for both national and internationally recognized brands. Through a combination of client focused strategies, an overall determination for excellence whilst Tom’s strong track record developing high performance teams are key focus areas to ensure Home Instead continues to enhance the quality of life for seniors and their families.

As a child, my grandmother and I would visit seniors’ homes and make deliveries for Meals on Wheels. Giving back to the senior community was so inspiring that in my teens I volunteered at a hospital visiting with seniors who had no one else to visit with them. I have always wanted to help people. On the road to this opportunity, which allows me to support seniors and their family caregivers, I ventured into the management field where I developed the skills to be a strong leader. I am a good listener, calm, empathetic and treat everyone with respect. As the General Manager of Home Instead Kitchener-Waterloo I will use these skills to inspire my Team to create new bench marks of success by building trust, taking the lead and sharing our heart. As a mom, I also intend to continue the legacy passed down by my own grandmother by showing my daughter by example, how compassion and community activism can change the face of aging.

My passion for working with seniors began at a very young age when my father would take my 3 siblings and I to the local senior care home every Christmas Eve with a box of white wine and box of red wine for the residents to enjoy with their Christmas dinner. While there my father encouraged us to walk around and talk to the seniors, particularly the ones without any other visitors. I have very fond memories of doing this every year with my brother and sisters before growing up and understanding the impact that would have made. Born and raised in Scotland, Jo graduated from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, with a BSc Honours in Psychology. Her career since has predominately been in the social and community sector working with seniors and vulnerable populations in home care services in Scotland and Australia. Having completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Social Impact at the University of Western Australia, Jo is looking forward to completing the Master's of Business Administration and continuing to create a positive social impact in the communities in which she lives. Outside of work, Jo is a busy mum to 3 young children and enjoys being active and having fun outdoors.

Mehak is a recent graduate of Wilfrid Laurier’s B.Sc. Biology Program. While attending school she dedicated her time to working in the service industry, which included within the health care industry. She has a passion for helping others and especially in ensuring seniors have care. In the role of Service Coordinator, she is available to address the needs of family caregivers, supports seniors in the community of Kitchener-Waterloo and to ensure that there is compatibility between CAREGivers and clients. Outside of work, Mehak enjoys spending time with family, friends, and experiencing new places.

I graduated class of 2019, from Wilfred Laurier University with Honours B.A. in Criminology and Human Rights and Human Diversity. In 2018, I graduated from Conestoga College from the Human Resource Management grad certificate program. My passion for helping seniors began 20 years ago. My Mom has been a Personal Support Worker for over 20 years and I recall spending time in nursing homes with residents and remember how excited and happy they were to always see me. I hope to give back to the senior community of Kitchener Waterloo, by hiring only the best CAREGivers in the community, that reflect the compatibility needs of those who are likely to be my friends, family and neighbours. Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, baking, scrapbooking, and spending quality times with friends and family.

 

I started working with Home Instead Senior Care in November 2004 as a CAREGiver. I joined the office team in July 2006. At first it was difficult, as the move resulted in giving up my longstanding clients and the relationships we had developed. However, working in the office allows me to help our CAREGivers build new and meaningful client relationships of their own. Also, I now have exposure to all of our clients and their families and I continue to enjoy building relationships with them.  In addition to general office management, I provide support to all of our other team members as required. Prior to working with Home Instead, I worked as a dental office manager in Oakville. I am a mother to three amazing young adults. To me, it’s all about family and being there for one another.

I am a Registered Nurse, Financial Literacy Campaigner, and a volunteer with the school and community Hub. Being married to Gavin and having 2 daughters, Victoria and Alexandra, has made my life busy, exciting, and eventful. I joined HISC in January 2019 after stumbling across the office from an Uber delivery. I immediately felt the welcoming and warmth of the environment. I started as a CAREGiver and am now helping in the office as an On-Call Coordinator. Working both aspects of clinical and administrative is not new to me. My passion is to help people maintain their health and preserve their wealth. HISC is all about community and I am glad to be a part of this team!

​As the Enterprise Administration Manager, Ramona recognizes the importance and value of providing high-quality services to our CAREGivers, our office employees and our clients. Her extensive experience as office manager and her background in accounting are serving her in managing the payroll, accounting, client invoicing and all other day to day office challenges here at Home Instead. Ramona loves multi-tasking and helping people. She is very excited to be part of the Home Instead Senior Care team because she gets to do what she loves. In her spare time, Ramona likes to get outside and spend time with her family.