Hi friends:

Most of you know that Caring Companions of Atlanta has had many touch-points with those living with dementia and their care. Our Geriatric Care Coordinator Lynn Ross has done many seminars on care techniques and I serve on the advisory Board for Amy’s place in Roswell.

Recently, the community outreach person from memorycare.com, Angela Williams, emailed me to share with what they are up to and see if I might include them in my BLOG posts. So, I went and took a look.

Memorycare.com is a privately-funded venture that “uses a dual approach of data-driven research and first-hand knowledge from aging experts, medical researchers, and its board of advisors to help caregivers and those living with dementia find the tools and resources they need to achieve the best possible quality of life, while maintaining cognitive function.” Their researchers then use a rigorous formula that identifies the best memory care facilities in a given area based on the following criteria:

Location (20%)

Availability and Involvement of Experts (30%)

Facility Features (30%)

Amenities (20%)

From there, one can see facilities in their area they deemed superior. I recognize all the names of the places in the Atlanta metro area.

It is worth a look to follow their link above and take a look if you have a loved on and are considering memory care. However, I always recommend using a placement company like Care Patrol of Metro Atlanta or Senior Living Specialists of Georgia rather than going it alone…their experience and insight can help a ton and save families from being inundated with solicitation calls.

Remember, to be a good caregiver, you need to take care of yourself! This is especially so for families living with dementia. Hang in there!

Adam

One thing I hear that is universal these days is that people are tired of COVID 19. I call it COVID fatigue and it comes and goes as we periodically try to come to terms with the strange place we occupy dealing with a pandemic. I continually say to myself that this too will pass, but the ripples of what the pandemic affects are very real and endlessly roll out like waves after one throws a rock in a still lake. It is hard to think of a single aspect of your lives that have not been influenced.

Home care, in general, is not usually something that someone “wants,” per say. Most people delay getting help as long as they can. It means they have lost at least some level of independence and it can be hard to allow a new person/personality into your personal space. As a result, people resist and delay getting it until the situation becomes need based and not a nicety.

So here comes COVID 19…as if people needed another reason to put off getting home care! But deciding to get home care amid a pandemic offers a new set of challenges…ripples, if you will.

The need for care does not simply evaporate because of a virus. The decision to seek home care is more complicated, however. The risks of having outsiders come into one’s home needs to be considered. What protocols does the home care company employ to keep clients’ safe? What routines do clients’ want that are personal to them that make them feel less vulnerable? What precautions will the caregiver(s) take to remain virus free?

Caregivers rely on their health to be able to earn a living. Unlike a person that telecommutes, a simple head cold can sideline a caregiver because they are in such close proximity to the people they assist. As a result, caregivers are pretty meticulous about hygiene and staying well. The last thing they want is to transmit an illness to a client that has a compromised immune system. If caregivers get sick, they proactively stay home and get well. However, since they do take personal hygiene seriously, they remain a pretty healthy population.

As a company, we provide both our clients and caregivers with all of the CDC guidelines on a regular basis. We sent all caregivers a high quality, washable mask and continually reinforce the need to wear gloves as appropriate with clients. We also tell our team to never go to work if they feel ill.

Our client base has reacted in a variety of ways to the pandemic…some have gone to extremes and have our caregiver change their entire outfit upon arrival. Some insist on gloves and face coverings at all times. Some have even cut back on the amount of coverage to reduce the number of people coming in/out of the home. Others have gone about business as usual with little change in routine.

Probably the biggest change about relying on home care is the need for not just a plan A and B, but also plan C. I wrote a BLOG entry on April 14th back explaining that in detail. The essence of what that means is that if plan A is us or a home care company…and plan B is a family caregiver, what is plan C? During a pandemic, a plan C is essential…if anyone in the client’s care ecosystem gets COVID, it means two weeks of self isolation and an inability to send in healthy persons.

For us, the phone has not stopped ringing, but it has slowed some. However, we are open for business and doing the right thing for each and every client we service. I am happy to report (knock on wood) that thus far, while COVID has affected us peripherally, it has not payed a visit to our clients or our direct team.

Stay well and if we can ever help, please do not hesitate to pick up the phone!

Adam

 

 

My last BLOG post showcased how we have adapted to working under these strange, new conditions.  Like most companies, we were shell-shocked when the whole pandemic thing hit and feared the crisis would set us back months (if not years). Since that was not an appealing option, we immediately started re-evaluating things. What has or will change…how can adjust to best address those changes?

The biggest adjustment to our business really has been how we recruit caregivers. They are the core of our business and finding the best of the best is a relentless pursuit. Since COVID-19, we went all virtual in our recruiting. Time will tell if we transition back to our old ways…but the truth is, we are having pretty good success finding the hidden gems that see care as a calling.

We have made no secret of the fact that we think of our caregivers as our family. The truly great ones are invaluable to us and our clients. And we NEVER take that for granted.

Despite skidding a bit when the pandemic hit, we have rebounded nicely and have GREAT caregivers ready to go. If you need help or know of someone that does, give us a call. We are following all CDC guidelines and our caregivers are VERY careful about sanitation. After all, their livelihood is tied to it!

Adam

In this strange new world we live in virtually everyone (save those on the International Space Station) have had to adjust to be safe and productive. As a home care company, the need for care does not go away…so for us, at some level, it is business as usual.

Caregivers

When the crisis hit, we knew there would be fear and questions from our caregivers. “Am I an essential worker? What can I do to stay safe? Can I still go to the assisted living facility where I provide care?”, etc. So, we did our homework and launched a campaign to keep them informed. Regular emails with CDC guidelines, notices about who is or is not deemed essential. Gave them letter to carry with them in case they ever got stopped for being out while we were under stay-at-home orders. We communicate with them every week (we did that prior to COVID-19) and thank them for being part of the team.

We also knew that their jobs had become harder in many cases and that being in a client’s home might be stressful  for them and the client. So, we recently delivered care packages to the care givers…sanitizer, gloves, masks and goodies. We wanted to keep them safe and let them know we really appreciate them.

Clients

Like the caregivers, we anticipated questions from clients as well. We launched a similar communication platform for clients. CDC guidelines…what we were doing to keep our caregivers knowledgeable about “best practices,” etc. We had some clients that trimmed service…some asked for more hours. Like the caregivers, we constantly communicated with our clients.

Recruiting

Our recruiting had to be completely re-engineered No more live interviews or orientations. New platforms and techniques. Virtual delivery of paperwork and signatures. A new approach for a new world.

The Corporate Team

The corporate team meets at least once a week…but no longer in person. Rather, video conferencing has taken center stage. We still act as a team…poke fun and have fun, but the venue is dramatically different.

We are not alone in making adjustments…businesses everywhere are in the same boat. We are just thankful that our caregivers and clients have remained healthy. And, we are fulfilled to see people everywhere going out of their way to be considerate of others.

Amid this pandemic we remain “open for business!” So, if you know anyone that needs a little help to stay safely at home, don’t keep us a secret!

Adam

I am humbled to say that Caring Companions of Atlanta has some of the BEST caregivers in the industry. It is not by accident, however. Our team screens relentlessly and we go to great lengths to align clients and caregivers…not just provide warm bodies.

One of the best of the best caregivers we have had is named Cjay…since starting with us over a year ago, she has grown from providing great care to our client base to now working as an assistant manager and critical part of our management team. Wearing that hat Cjay commented on our weekly team meeting after two weeks of “stay at home” orders that we needed to do something for our caregivers. They are out there doing what they do under less than ideal circumstances. We settled on a care package.

Our first thought was food…or sweets to let them know how sweet they are to our clients. But after mulling it over, we settled on a package that really said we care. So, our offering to the team took the form of an insulated bag filled with stuff to help our caregivers keep their families healthy and (or course) some sweets too! Enclosed was the letter below as well.

“Dear treasured Caring Companions Caregiver:                                                 April 20, 2020

We wanted to send you a little something to keep you and your family as safe as possible during these strange times. We would be nothing without you guys and we are so thankful for not only the work you do, but the character you bring to our team.

Please use these items to keep you family healthy as you navigate daily life…this is not being provided for you to use at your client’s homes. You are, of course free to do so should that be what is best for you.

About a week ago, one of our team members came up with the idea of a care package for each of you. We thought about many, many things, but landed on this. An insulated bag for shopping, masks, sanitizer and some goodies. While it is a small token of our appreciation, it is very sincere.

We hope it is evident we really do respect and care about you guys. As always, feel free to reach out any time and ask question, give feedback or whatever. We have your back just like you have ours!

Stay safe, healthy and happy. We will get through this together!

The team at Caring Companions of Atlanta

Paul, Adam, Suzanne, Cjay, Lynn and Gail”

Thanks Caregivers for all you do. We would be NOTHING without you!

Adam