Care Professional of the Month Jean Ringwalt has been soaring since joining Home Instead® of Boulder, Broomfield and northwest Adams Counties about a year ago. “Soaring” is an appropriate metaphor because Jean previously had enjoyed a successful 10-year career as a corporate pilot and also taught aviation basics to young students in Kenya.
Using a different turn of a phrase, Home Instead Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator Brenda Munro said: “Jean started with a bang at our Home Instead franchise, and she has been successful with each and every client. Jean is dependable, having never missed a shift and having never been late, and she often gets compliments from clients and their family members.”
In addition to praising Jean’s skillful and compassionate work with Home Instead’s clients, Brenda also pointed out Jean’s unique résumé. Brenda said, “I remember thinking, ‘What an interesting background Jean has had! It spans from being a pilot to working with autistic children while using equine therapy to several instructional stints in Africa.”
Jean described her life’s journey that has led her to owner Michael Lammers’ award-winning Home Instead franchise in Louisville, Colorado. Jean grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, where her father was a highly successful businessman. Jean grew to love horses because her family had boarded a few of them. Friendships with older adults were comfortable because of Jean’s family dynamic. “My parents were much older when I was born – my mother was 45 years old, and my dad was 55. In their later years, I ended up taking care of them to a certain extent. That was a taste of senior care, and I felt comfortable as a family caregiver,” Jean said.
After high school graduation, Jean left Omaha and lived in Minnesota, Oregon, California and Colorado. She learned to fly in Portland, Oregon, when she was 20. “I was working there and accidentally entered the aviation field,” Jean recalled. “As a corporate pilot, I flew other peoples’ and business’s planes. I worked twice as hard to prove I was as good as male pilots. Another fulfilling experience occurred when I taught aviation as part of the African Schools of Kenya (ASK) program. The students were like sponges soaking up the knowledge.”
Jean’s compassion blossomed when she combined her love for horses with her empathy for autistic and other special-needs children in what is called “hippotherapy.” She explained: “I was actively involved with hippotherapy for 20 to 25 years.”
Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational and speech therapy that utilizes the gait and movement of a horse to provide motor and sensory input. It is based on improvement of neurologic functions and sensory processes, and it is used for patients with physical and mental disorders. Autism hippotherapy has been shown to improve balance, strength and motor coordination. It also can be effective in promoting language, sensory regulation as well as improving social skills as students often form an emotional bond with the horses they ride.
Jean said, “In the entire caregiving realm, no matter the age, I’ve had some amazing experiences. Senior care definitely has provided highlights in terms of fulfillment. In a way, it felt like a natural jump from hippotherapy to senior care. You’re putting your heart and soul into doing something that will make life better for someone.”
Home Instead moves Jean around to various assignments, and she sometimes lands with a few of the same clients. Several of those clients have imprinted heavily on her heart. For example, she has been helping a 65-year-old paraplegic client off and on for six months. “He has shown signs of improvement and is amazing. He is one of my favorites because he’s got a positive attitude and jokes around. His wife, who was a nurse, is adorable,” Jean said.
Referring to another client, “Ms. S.,” Jean said: “I adore her. She is a sweetheart. If I had met her outside the caregiving realm, I know I’d be her friend. We clicked. She is so nice and so polite.”
Jean took another client to a sports bar to watch the Super Bowl. “I’ve been with him since I started with Home Instead. He is a big sports fan, and he is a good person. Cognitively, he is declining rapidly and is becoming more closed off. He knows I am one of the people who help him but maybe doesn’t remember my name anymore. I identify myself when I arrive.”
Jean underscored her respect, awe and empathy for all seniors. “First of all, I want to say I learned a lot from my elderly parents. Thinking of seniors as a group, I am fascinated by their stories and the histories surrounding their lives. They are interesting, and I am intrigued by listening to them. The downside to senior care is losing them. Dementia erodes cognitive function, and it is sad to watch a decline. I have been sad because I was not able to find out more about some of the clients before dementia took away their memories. I always honor them in the best way possible while keeping them safe.”
Jean’s first professional senior-care experience has been a good one. “I found Home Instead online and researched them. I learned from that process that Home Instead has a good reputation. From the point of Brenda interviewing me to now, I have loved everyone on the staff, and they are incredibly nice. I knew I was a good fit for the job and with the company.”
All Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (720) 890-0184 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead, visit our website.
