Making the Decision to Bring in a Home Care Provider

My name is Amy Rosen, and I have been with Aunt Ann's Home Care since 2005 as the Administrative Assistant/Receptionist. This is my personal experience with home care.

When my mother’s health was failing, the biggest decision my sister and I had to make was whether or not to bring in an outside caregiver. Mom had started missing doses of her daily medication, sleeping all day, forgetting what day it was, cooking the same thing day after day, refusing to shower, and the list goes on. These were the first signs we needed help.

I needed to convince my sister that hiring a caregiver wasn’t an admission of failure. Knowing our limits and seeking help when we needed it showed we were capable of making a loving decision, not only for ourselves, but our beloved mom. Caring for an ailing family member is an act of love: it's fulfilling and rewarding, but it can also be costly, exhausting and very time consuming. My sister was getting overwhelmed, angry and feeling depressed. This was the second sign it was time to get outside help.

Deciding the proper kind and amount of help my mother needed and knowing where and whom to call was a challenge. Finding just any home care agency is easy, but finding the right one is definitely the biggest challenge, especially since my mom lived 300 miles away from the Bay Area. Being an Aunt Ann's employee was a big help. I knew that if I couldn’t get the answers I needed, all I would have to do is call Aunt Ann's Homecare and they would guide me in the right direction. Being 300 miles away was never a problem.

In choosing an agency in my mom's area, I was never afraid of asking lots of questions and questioning the agency’s reputation. The process starts with the willingness to seek help, having an open mind, keeping notes, and having good communication with the caregiver and agency. Most important, we included my mother in the decision making process. Being able to help choose her own caregiver gave her a sense of independence. It wasn’t easy at first; she was not happy. But within 2 weeks Mom would look forward to seeing her. This was the time to increase the hours, for our ultimate goal was to make sure mom was comfortable, safe, and most of all happy.

Mom's happiness made for a much better relationship between her and the family. Like the old saying goes, "When Mama's happy, everybody’s happy." I was able to be my mom’s primary caregiver for the last 5 weeks of her life, and because I hadn’t been stressed and overwhelmed, it was very easy to take care of her. My mom only had a caregiver for 3 months before she passed away. She passed peacefully and happy knowing that I would someday see her in the morning.

And to think all it took was making the decision of bringing in an outside caregiver....
 

Labels: care at home, caregiver, eldercare, home care, home health care, senior care, seniors

posted @ 4:06 PM
1 Comments. Click to leave a comment.
Links to this post

Why Choose Aunt Ann’s Home Care?

Aunt Ann’s Home Care is the best available source of eldercare service at home. I can state that without hesitation because I have been with the company since September 1995, and it is my job to see that it is true!

My name is Vicki Paul, and I am the Executive Director of Aunt Ann’s Home Care. I work for Aunt Ann’s granddaughter, Denise Collins, and pride myself in carrying on the family tradition of caring started in 1958 by Ann Collins. I love to come to work everyday and take great care that my staff and I provide exceptional service to all those we touch. I have been in home health care in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1982. I love being a resource for anyone who needs assistance in finding care at home. I am also the long distant care manager of my mother in North Carolina who has Alzheimer’s disease.

My home care office staff has a cumulative 75 plus years of experience. Let me introduce you to them...

Anna Fong is the newbie on the team. It's funny how we met. Both volunteering for the American Cancer Society, we carpooled to an event. By the time the event was complete, I had offered her a job. She had retired early from the IT industry and was looking for a more rewarding career (a perfect fit for Aunt Ann’s Home Care). She is very outgoing and a true caring soul, having been involved with caring for both her parents. She makes the perfect Community Liaison.

My staffing manager, Gwen Chambers, has been with me here since September 1996. She knows everything there is to know about the provision of home health care. She has a passion for our caregivers and family members. She is a respected expert in the industry. Answering calls on the week-end is Margaret Walsh-Bogan, distinguishable by her lovely Irish accent. She joined Aunt Ann’s in September 1997. Completing our staffing department is Debbie Chow, new to Aunt Ann’s but not to the staffing industry.

Amy Rosen is the cheery voice that you hear when you telephone us. She has a long history in hospital work and has been an Aunt Ann’s team member since October 2005. Having recently been instrumental in the provision of care for her mother in Fresno, she also brings first hand experience.

Rounding out our team is the accounting department, directed by Beth Terry, our CFO. She joined us in July 1999, having worked previously as a consultant. (Once you experience working with Aunt Ann’s you are destined to continue.) She also has experience with family members needing care, however her real passion is saving the world from plastic waste!! (More to come in a future post). At her right hand is Jo Anne Montoya, our bookkeeper, who joined us in January 2002. She comes to us from Pizza & Pipes. Remember them? My kids had great birthday parties at the Serramonte site. The pipe organ was huge; pizza was good, too.

Thank you for reading our first blog post. Future posts will be provided by the exceptional team introduced above. Our joy in providing the care that enables your loved ones to spend their elder years safely in their homes is immeasurable. A fabulous place to work,

“AUNT ANN’S HOME CARE PUTS PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT!”
 

Labels: eldercare, home care, home health care

posted @ 3:36 PM
0 Comments. Click to leave a comment.
Links to this post