Home Instead senior care provider staff said need for workers has ‘never been better’

DeKALB - Home Instead, an in-home senior care provider, hosted a hiring event this week in its DeKalb office and said the demand for in-home caregivers has never been higher.

“We provide care in the home,” said Rob Mondi, President of Home Instead in DeKalb. “We hire caregivers and train them, we match them up with personalties and interests, [and] they get one-on-one care and service.”

DeKalb, Ogle, Lee and parts of Kane County are serviced by Home Instead, staff said during hte hiring event Tuesday.

The territory covers Route 47 west past Dixon, Oregon and Bryon, and the provider goes as far south as Sandwich and north into Hinckley.

Mark Clark is a Home Instead caregiver who said he has been working in the industry for more than 15 years.

“I am pretty much versed in everything we do here,” he said Tuesday.

Clark is one of the caregivers who works the overnight shift from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

“We have experienced tremendous growth,” Mondi said. “More and more families are opting to keep the parents home. The demand has never been better for a caregiver.”

Tuesday was the first hiring event that the company has held but staff said it plans to host more in the future as the demand for caregivers amid the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow.

“We will do in-person interviews and then call some back right away for jobs,” Mondi said. “We have plenty of shifts and a waiting list of clients.”

Most of the shifts being offered are for primarily along the lines of companionship, meal preparation, transportation and light housekeeping.

Those shifts are broken down into four different six-hour days Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., noon to 6 p.m. or 4 to 10 p.m., Mondi said.

The company does offer overnight shifts but said it is for the more experienced workers who have been around the industry for an extended period of time.

Mondi highlighted the wide range of experience applicants can have and still be a key asset to its team of caregivers.

“We have CNAs, entry level, [and] we have people who un-retire themselves,” he said. “They like to get out there and grab a four-hour shift.

“There is really no limit to who can get the job or work here.”