When I decided to start my own business, I specifically wanted to be in home care. I saw the market opportunity and the positive demographics, and most importantly, I saw a true need in my community. I saw the chance to provide the kind of support people need and deserve as they face a recovery or live with a chronic condition.
I discovered home care when my mother was ready to be discharged from the hospital following a long stay. I called the CCAC – the government-funded care organization – and when they came to do my mother’s assessment, we were dissatisfied with the amount of care they could provide; it was not enough for what she needed. That’s when we were told about private home care. Over the next 10 years, as my mother and father needed care, we learned there are many ways to help people that go above and beyond what government health care can provide. This made me want to provide services so other adult children, like me, aren’t on their own.
My caregiver agency does more than help people keep living in their homes; we are a resource for clients. There is enough stress just caring for someone that the thought of having to do more research can be very overwhelming. We want people to call us and be able to get some answers to help them get going in the right direction with focused support. We can do the work ahead of time and refer people to the best options, doing the work for them. This lets them meet with a few select choices at the start, instead of looking at a phone book or searching for names on the Internet and not knowing where to begin.
Now, my goal is to get the message out to my community. Families simply do not know the extent of services we can offer to help them. Most people do not think about home care or other home-based support in the health care arena until they face a crisis or a challenge like a loved one being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. My goals are to let people know there is support available in their community and to continually strive to provide the best care possible. I want families in my community to understand that a well-chosen home care provider and a good care team can give them an incredible amount of peace of mind – knowing that their loved one is well cared for and their loved one also has influence and control over their care plan. Our clients have the ability to influence what happens each day and that is very empowering for them.
Helping people navigate through the senior care industry is highly rewarding. After my successful career in finance, I saw this as not only another business opportunity, but as a way to give back to the community around me. Home care allows me to help people directly. The stories you might hear about people struggling as they try to manage a disease or chronic condition – they’re real and they are in need of support.
Someone interested in this industry will need to bring every skill they possess together to develop a sound company. You need to hire the best people and have the persistence to execute at the highest standard every day. But if you’re willing to do that, then you get to enjoy the sense of accomplishment every day of doing a great job and helping people.
