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If you are serious about being in the homecare industry, rather than simply doing it instead of selling insurance, you learn a lot about the issues facing your clients and their families. There is a wide range of such issues, from falls that lead to hip replacements to heart conditions to Parkinsons and many others.
Two major conditions facing too many of our clients are dementia (including Alzheimer's) and MS. We were delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor and participate in major events this year with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (the Home Smart Home Expo) and the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk. Both events were huge successes in terms of raising the awareness of the community and even serviced providers. These associations and others focused on different issues face huge challenges, but also raise great expectations.
With every client that we support, we are always looking at the total plan of care, the "pie" of needs, of which our homecare is one slice. Without the proper plan of care partners, whether that's the Alzheimer's Association or emergency alert systems or fiduciaries or living space designers, our homecare will not succeed.
We salute the more than 70 members of our Bright Lights team for the Memory Walk, and every other volunteer and association helping to create great expectations for the future.
On September 14, 2009, a concurrent resolution was passed by Congress, on the topic of homecare. We have posted the text and document on our Web site. There are a number of excellent data points in the resolution, as well as a very positive recognition of "caregiving as a profession."
I don't usually care much for quoting dictionary definitions, but this one calls for it, in my view. Dictionary.com says that a profession is "a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science".
At Support For Home, we believe that our Home Care Aides are, indeed professionals. Over 75% of our employees are certified -- Certified Nurse Assistants, Certified Home Health Aides or Licensed Vocational Nurses. Others are certified as Direct Support Professionals. These are not agency designations -- although some agencies will try to fake it, with similar titles. These are actual State of California certifications. Even our folks who have nto yet achieved certification are truly professional, in terms of knowledge and attitude, or we would not hire them.
The bottom line is that a professional caregiver is a person with character, dignity, passion and knowledge, all of which are applied within a structured, disciplined plan of care, to ensure the highest possible quality of life for the clients they serve. These caregivers deserve respect and support, from us and from our clients. They are the heart and soul of Support For Home. Any homecare agency that does not feel that way and treat their Home Care Aides that way needs to find another business to pursue.
Bert and Siew Pheng, Support For Home
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