Raising 'Rents (as in paRents) a show about caring for an aging parent or adult Zack Demopoulos

Host Zack Demopoulos recently attended a ComForCare national conference and had the opportunity to speak with quite a few owners and operators  of ComForCare home care agencies from all over this continent.  He shares some great tips from these passionate providers that come from their experience of hiring many caregivers in these series.
 In this episode he interviews Renee Henriques, owner and operator of ComForCare in Toronto Canada.
 This show is sponsored by ComForCare, a national home care provider that will help you live your best life possible.
In previous Episode 26 and Episode 27   Zack discussed hiring home care to help you care for a family loved one so that they can continue to live at home independently and safely.  Home Care is Day 17 of the 30 Day Preparation Plan to care for an aging adult.  
Renee shares personal experience with caring for her father.
 
Zack:  That’s Renee Henriques.  She owns and operates a ComForCare home care agency in Toronto.  We are going to hear more from Renee in this final episode, episdoe 33, of the series Hiring a caregiver to help you care for your family loved one. 
 
Zack:  I asked Renee how did she know she was cut out for homecare?
 
Renee:  I have nursing background and have been through the home care experience twice.  There was no private home at the time and she could’ve used it and someone to have coached her along. 
Zack:  Let’s go back to the story about Renee’s father.  I asked her what did she learn from that experience. 
Renee:   Shares the story about how she handled her father who was confused wandering outside knocking on the doors of his neighbors.  She had to tell him that he had to move and that it was temporary.  She did it out of desperation.
 
Zack:  He was happier in the last five years of his life than he ever was.  That is a powerful story and brave of Renee to have made that decision and be honest enough to share that with us.  But you ask…what does that have to do with home care?  Who runs a home care agency is just as important as hiring that right caregiver.  With Renee at the helm of her home care operation and with all that personal raw experience,  you will get genuine and appropriate guidance that will steer you in the right direction of your caregiving journey.

Renee:   When I meet a family in the beginning of their caregiving journey, they usually do not know where to go and do not understand the system and since I have worked in the healthcare system for a long time I can add that value.  I know the person to sign up for assessment for Canada’s offering of free home care.  Alzheimer Society has great resources.
 
Zack:  What makes Renee unique is that she offers resources I do not usually hear from others or may not be top of mind, resources that are very valuable for you the caregiver. 
 
Renee:  I offer various caregiver support chat rooms that anyone can access regardless of where you are from.
 
Zack asks her why is this so important?

Renee:  This can help calm a caregiver down.  Better decision making.  It helps in situations where some people may not want care and there are ways to work through that.
 
Zack:  You see, hiring a caregiver is more than just placing someone in your home.  A good agency should be able to help you, like Renee is suggesting here, with things like dealing with mom or dad who may be very resistant to having a stranger in their house.  Speaking of a caregiver coming to your house, I asked Renee what should a family expect from an agency as far as what they should be providing in way of a qualified and skilled caregiver?

Renee:  Caregivers should be bonded, insured.  Agency should be credible in terms of required documentation.  Ongoing education for caregivers.  Ways for the family to get what they need like a schedule and is someone on call 24 hours a day.
 
Zack:  Renee is obviously very experienced.  I want

Host Zack Demopoulos recently attended a ComForCare national conference and had the opportunity to speak with quite a few owners and operators  of ComForCare home care agencies from all over this continent.  He shares some great tips from these passionate providers that come from their experience of hiring many caregivers in these series.
 In this episode he interviews Devon Williams, owner and operator of ComForCare in Danbury Connecticut.   
 This show is sponsored by ComForCare, a national home care provider that will help you live your best life possible.
In previous Episode 26 and Episode 27   Zack discussed hiring home care to help you care for a family loved one so that they can continue to live at home independently and safely.  Home Care is Day 17 of the 30 Day Preparation Plan to care for an aging adult.  
Devon shares that he initially didn’t have the appreciation for what families struggle through.
 
Devon shares how he got into homecare.
 
De`Zack—I don’t know about you but I am asking myself how does an Electrical Engineer all of a sudden become a home care provider.  I asked him that. He said he met with someone he respected and received their feedback that led him to make this important decision.
 
Devon shares that that someone sat down with him and told why he thought he would be a great home care provider.  It takes being  
 
Zack-how did you get more confident about what you do?
Devon-share that his eye opening experiences shaped his passion and confidence as a home care provider.
 
Zack-I asked Devon what makes him different from other home care providers.
Devon shares thorugh 10 years of experience he has become an information center.
 
Zack:  One thing Devon does that is very important is that he encourages you to meet with him before you make any decisions.
 
Devon advocates meeting in a sofa visit or a free consultation.
 
Zack:  What should a family be looking for?
Devon:  Clear communication and honest.
Zack:  What should a family do when they are caring for someone who is showing some cognitive impairment.
Devon:  Family members should seek professional advice from agencies and doctors.  Do not battle with them.  Refrain from using terms like “remember” or “dementia”  or “sundowning”.  Don’t be in denial.  Accept what is going on. 
 
This was Episode 32. Join us for Part 5, the final episode in this series talking about hiring a caregiver to help you care for a family loved one.  
 
Thank you for listening to the Raising ‘Rents podcast. If you have any questions or feedback, please go to our website www.raisingrents.com and click on the “Contact” tab.  Let us know about any topics you want covered.  You can also find the show notes and references to anything we talked about.  Until we talk again, remember that our parents raised us, the least we can do is help raise them. Talk to you later.
 
References:

Devon Williams
ComForCare Danbury CT
Phone: (203) 702-1181
Fax: (203) 702-4458
Address:
155 Main Street
Suite 201
Danbury, CT 06810
 
FACEBOOK

 
Sources used in this episode:
Intro/outro music: Arthaiz
Other music:   bensound-acousticbreeze bensound credit e7
Daughter Anastasia Demopoulos does the opening voice over
Website created and managed by Philip Golden

 
Host Zack Demopoulos recently attended a ComForCare national conference and had the opportunity to speak with quite a few owners and operators  of ComForCare home care agencies from all over this continent. He shares some great tips from these passionate providers that come from their experience of hiring many caregivers in these series.
 In this episode he interviews Alois and Wilbert Smith who own and operate a ComForCare home care agency in Saginaw Michigan.  
 This show is sponsored by ComForCare, a national home care provider that will help you live your best life possible. 
In previous Episode 26 and Episode 27   Zack discussed hiring home care to help you care for a family loved one so that they can continue to live at home independently and safely.  Home Care is Day 17 of the 30 Day Preparation Plan to care for an aging adult.   
Alois begins talking about how important honesty and trust is when hiring a caregiver and an agency.  
 
Integrity and trust are not the only values and experiences Alois and Wilbert bring into their agency. They have real experiences caring for many family members of their own.  Caregivers who have experience caring for their own family tend to be some of the best caregivers and home care providers I have come across. These experiences inspired Alois and Wilbert to start their own home care agency.  
 
Wilbert and Alois did not know about the home care industry and Alois found out through a SBA career coaching session when they conducted a personal background evaluation, they found they were a good match for this industry.  They have helped care for two grandfathers, three great grandmothers, and three grandmothers.  
Alois talks about Wilbert's mother who had end stage Alzheimers compounded with a UTI and then hospitalized and placed in a rehab refusing to eat and drink.
 
Fortunately Wilbert's mother had a directive which guided her children on how to handle situations like this.  
 
Alois share that a directive was in place that legally gave the children directions on how to handle decision on her behalf in case she couldn’t.  
 
Zack asks  Alois were there any signs that she saw back then or now after the fact that might help caregivers look for?  Alois shares how Wilbur’s mom was a meticulous recordkeeper used a notebook on a monthly basis and a calendar on a daily basis to keep records.
 
Zack asks Wilbert how does he think family members can find home care providers like them, people with family experience, but also care a lot about what they do. Wilbert suggests that you meet with a home care agency in person and you can determine if they really care by the way they communicate with you and take in what you are sharing with them.  
 
Wilbert says that eye to eye is the best way to interview a home care agency and caregiver, not over the phone.
 
Wibert says that the best question to start off an “eye to eye” conversation is “What do you do?”.  Are they meticulous about hiring caregivers, do they have a process that they expose the caregiver to make sure they meet their standards, they have a resemblance of integrity that though they are not there watching them, they are going to do the right thing.
 
Wilbert advises in order to avoid a crisis, be observant in the (care recipient’s) environment and look for things as simple as trip hazards to prevent falls.  
 
Alois:  Being observant is critical.  We could have intervened earlier with Wilbur’s mom if we had seen how about her notebook taking had gotten.
 
Wilbert:  You need to have another family member with you because they may see something you missed.
 
This was Episode 31. Join us as we continue the series for the next episode where we continue talking about hiring a caregiver to help you care for a family loved one.  
 
Thank you for listening to the Raising ‘Rents podcast. If you have any questions or feedback, please go t

Host Zack Demopoulos recently attended a ComForCare national conference and had the opportunity to speak with quite a few owners and operators  of ComForCare home care agencies from all over this continent. He shares some great tips from these passionate providers that come from their experience of hiring many caregivers in these series.
 
In this episode he interviews Su Madan, owner and operator of a ComForCare home care agency in Canton, Massachusetts..  
 
This show is sponsored by ComForCare, a national home care provider that will help you live your best life possible.  https://comforcare.com/
 
In previous Episode 26 and Episode 27   Zack discussed hiring home care to help you care for a family loved one so that they can continue to live at home independently and safely.  Home Care is Day 17 of the 30 Day Preparation Plan to care for an aging adult.   
Su shares with Zack about her family and how it shaped who she is today.
Su took care of her grandfather who lived up to 99 years old in India.  She knew the right step in home health to take when she came to this country from India.
 
Su refers to her home care providing experience as getting an extra family member to help out when someone is unable to be there.
 
She emphasises before placing someone in your own home for caregiving, make sure person coming into your home has been vetted and has insurance.  For example workers compensation in case they get injured on the job. They need to be fully screened. And they need to be compassionate.
 
Su shares that you will know if someone has compassion or not by the way they greet you, shake your hand, look into your eyes and smile.  
 
Su stresses that you should do your due diligence with an agency--check their referral sources, do they do do anything for their community besides their services, speak to some of their current clients, and check with the Council of Aging for how good their reputation may be.  
 
Su best advice for family caregivers is to be proactive and try to help mom and/or dad avoid that fall is very important.
 
She also warns about caregiver burnout which Zack has seen many times with the families over the past years.
 
This was Episode 30. Join us as we continue the series for the next episode where we continue talking about hiring a caregiver to help you care for a family loved one.  
 
Thank you for listening to the Raising ‘Rents podcast. If you have any questions or feedback, please go to our website www.raisingrents.com and click on the “Contact” tab.  Let us know about any topics you want covered. You can also find the show notes and references to anything we talked about. Until we talk again, remember that our parents raised us, the least we can do is help raise them. Talk to you later.
 
References:
 
Council of Aging

Su and Summit Madan
ComForCare
Phone: (781) 821-2800
Fax: (617) 356-8294
Address:
399 Neponset St, Suite 208
Canton, MA 02021



Sources used in this episode:
Intro/outro music: Arthaiz
Other music:   bensound-acousticbreeze bensound credit e7
Daughter Anastasia Demopoulos does the opening voice over
Website created and managed by Philip Golden
 

 
Host Zack Demopoulos recently attended a ComForCare national conference and had the opportunity to speak with quite a few owners and operators  of ComForCare home care agencies from all over this continent. He shares some great tips from these passionate providers that come from their experience of hiring many caregivers in these series. 
 
In this episode he interviews Tom Bolonder, owner and operator of a ComForCare home care agency in Annapolis Maryland right on Chesapeake Bay.   
 
This show is sponsored by ComForCare, a national home care provider that will help you live your best life possible.  https://comforcare.com/
 
In previous Episode 26 and Episode 27   Zack discussed hiring home care to help you care for a family loved one so that they can continue to live at home independently and safely.  Home Care is Day 17 of the 30 Day Preparation Plan to care for an aging adult.   
 
Tom share:
 what they do as a home care provider. The right agency has to be hiring the right caregivers.   Gives an example of a client and what his caregiver does for them.   Caregivers are usually referred by other caregivers.  A good agency will treat them well, invest in training,  have a mentor program Tom and his wife hire for heart, like the Chic Fil A model.   Talks about the importance of doing reference checks on that caregiver with clients they have cared for in the past.  How to hire for heart: Sit down and talk with them, you can tell when you sit down and talk with them, genuine care. Have they taken care of their own family?  Volunteered?  
 Tom shared questions you should be asking a home care agency in hiring a caregiver for their family loved one:
What are the minimum hours?       Will it be the same caregiver for all shifts?   What kind of training do the caregivers go through?   How do you vet your caregivers?   What is the cost?   Can you get references?   Do they drive to appointments?  Do they cook?   How often will you report back to us?  
Thank you for joining us for Episode 29.  Join us for the next episode where we continue our series on hiring a caregiver to help you care for a family loved one.  
 
Thank you for listening to the Raising ‘Rents podcast. If you have any questions or feedback, please go to our website www.raisingrents.com and click on the “Contact” tab.  Let us know about any topics you want covered.  You can also find the show notes and references to anything we talked about.  Until we talk again, remember that our parents raised us, the least we can do is help raise them. Talk to you later.
 
References:
 
Tom and Sue Bolander
ComForCare
Phone: (443) 906-6282
Fax: (443) 906-6284
Address:
846 Ritchie Hwy, Suite L-2
Severna Park, MD 21146
 
FACEBOOK PAGE
 
Sources used in this episode:
 
Intro/outro music: Arthaiz
Other music:   bensound-acousticbreeze bensound credit e7
Daughter Anastasia Demopoulos does the opening voice over
Website created and managed by Philip Golden

Host Zack Demopoulos launches his 30 day preparation plan to care for an aging adult.  He continues with Day 17 where he talks about
hiring a professional caregiver.  Specifically how to choose a home care agency, what to look out for, what to ask, and how to protect your family. 
In Part 2 we will cover questions that you should ask a home care agency before you hire them, what the next steps are after you have identified the right home agency for your parent or parents, the different type of options for shifts including 24/7 or live in’s, how to protect your family when aides visit their home, what home care costs, and the pro’s and con’s of hiring a caregiver privately. 
 
This show is sponsored by ComForCare, a national home care provider that will help you live your best life possible.  https://comforcare.com/
 
This is Part 2 of Day 17 of the 30 Day Preparation Plan to care for an aging parent.  The Prep Plan is all about helping you the family caregiver provide your loved one with the best comfortable safest and efficient caring environment in which they can grow old in.
 
The topic we continue with today is one option for long term care which is home care.
 
If you have not had a chance to listen to Days 1 through 16, please go back to Season 1 and check out these episodes.  Also in Season 1 we introduce the 9 beginner steps in raising your parents.  http://raisingparentspodcast.com/page/5/
 
We also discussed on the Day 14 Episode how your parents can age in place—what to consider so that they can live at home independently as they get older in a safe environment and with dignity.  Be sure to check that show out to if you haven’t already.     http://raisingparentspodcast.com/episode-023-day-14-what-is-aging-in-place-for-mom-dad/
 
So now you have done your initial research and you have a few home care agencies that you want to ask questions.  Here are a list of example questions you should be asking a home care agency you are considering to hire: 
What type of agency are they? Are the aides their employees that is they are W2’s and all appropriate taxes are taken out by them or are they more of a placement agency and the aides are independent contractors that is they are 1099’s.  Typically an agency will appear to be much less expensive but what might be happening is that they are just placing aides in your home and you are considered the employer making you responsible for things like employee taxes, social security, and workers compensation. Are they licensed, insured and bonded? Most states require these.  I would not put anyone in my house if they weren’t. Will they provide you references. And if you get them, call them!  Ask for an actual client and another one that is a family member the agency assisted in caring for their loved one. What are the office hours? What happens after hours?  When they tell you they are 24/7, clarify what that means.  VOicemail?  On call service?  And I would go as far as testing them.  Okay don’t call them 3 in the morning but I would definitely call them after hours to see the response rate and availability. Is there a nurse on staff? What do they do?  Look for things like create the care plan, supervise the aides, monitor the care the aides are providing, assess your family member and do reassessments through out the year to keep the care plan up to date.  The care plan, by the way, should be written, a copy left in the house, and the aide or aides use it to review what is expected of them in caring for your parent. Are the aides certified or licensed? How do they get certified?  What is your hiring process when you hire an aide.  What is your training program?  What is your follow up once you place an aide in your parents home.  Do they make unannounced visits?  When can you expect these? What are the costs? Is there a charge for the nurse?  Additional costs beyond the hourly rate?  IS there a night or week