Co-owner John Hilsher is a champion for in-home care in Austin. His passion and mastery of customer service has reached the guru level. His extensive collection of tools and 1970's era home secured his position as the staff handyman as well. Away from work he can be found playing a never ending game of tug-of-war with his dogs and is anxiously awaiting his first child with his lovely wife.
There is No Place Like Home
There are so many options to consider when it comes to long term care, and each person's needs play a key role in the final selection of a caregiver or service provider. I wanted to share with you my family's personal experience with this process.
In 1994, my mother Nancy became a registered nurse and started working in the home health industry. As many of you may know, home health provides in-home, skilled nursing to a patient for a specific time depending on the patient's diagnosis. Medicare may cover these services, and usually a doctor's referral is required. After a few years, Nancy decided to open an assisted living facility in her hometown, and called it Rose Hill. She was the owner/administrator and staff RN for 11 years at the 16 bed home. During this time, Nancy was able to connect with her residents on a much deeper level than was possible with home health, and I have seen books full of thank you cards and letters that she received from her residents and their families over the years.
I have two sisters, Anna and Jennifer, and both of them worked at Rose Hill with my mother. Both have found their calling in caring for the needs of others.
But this story is really about my grandmother and the choices Nancy made for her care. My grandparents only lived a couple of miles from Rose Hill where my mom and sisters worked. Every day after preparing lunch for all the residents, my sister would take two plates over to my grandparent's house. This was essentially "meals on wheels" for them. She would go in to check on them and chat while they ate their lunch. They were still very independent at this time, but enjoyed the assistance and daily visit.
Both of my grandparents' health was gradually getting worse. This put more and more stress on my mother as she tried to help her parents cope with the changes they were experiencing. They hired a yard service to keep the lawn in shape, and eventually sold their cars. Family members helped them with shopping, doctor appointments and any travel or errands. As they got physically weaker, they started to fall more. The first step my mother took was to get them both a walker and to remove all the rugs and other tripping hazards around the house. Modifications to the house itself also became necessary. These included putting in a ramp and installing grip bars in the bathrooms. With these adjustments, my grandparents remained fairly independent.
When my grandfather passed away, nobody was hurt more than his wife of 66 years. This was a dramatic life-changing event, and it took its toll on my grandmother's health. In turn, my grandmother also required more and more of my mother's attention. My grandmother was now routinely falling and hurting herself. Sometimes my grandmother would call 911 or a neighbor, but sometimes she would just lay there until someone came by and checked on her.
Not long after my grandfather passed away, Nancy decided to transition my grandmother to live at Rose Hill. That way, Nancy could continue working and take care of my grandmother at the same time. This seemed like a perfect solution. After all, my grandmother's daughter and her granddaughters all worked there AND my grandmother's sister was also living there at the time. She would have both friends and family around her at all times.
Well, my grandmother stayed at Rose Hill for at least two weeks before returning home. The familiar surroundings of her home were filled with memories of her beloved husband and she was just not ready to let go and leave. Nancy started searching for help and found a wonderful Caregiver to come to her mother's house and assist her.
The aging process slowly erodes the control a person has over their life. As the mind remembers the way things were, the body is there to counter with encumbrances and changes. No matter how excellent the care and attention may be at an assisted living center, it may not be the best solution. We know from our experience with our grandmother that the familiar surroundings of home can have a dramatic and positive impact on a person's state of mind and wellbeing.
This is why Anna and I started Care At Home.
John
In 1994, my mother Nancy became a registered nurse and started working in the home health industry. As many of you may know, home health provides in-home, skilled nursing to a patient for a specific time depending on the patient's diagnosis. Medicare may cover these services, and usually a doctor's referral is required. After a few years, Nancy decided to open an assisted living facility in her hometown, and called it Rose Hill. She was the owner/administrator and staff RN for 11 years at the 16 bed home. During this time, Nancy was able to connect with her residents on a much deeper level than was possible with home health, and I have seen books full of thank you cards and letters that she received from her residents and their families over the years.
I have two sisters, Anna and Jennifer, and both of them worked at Rose Hill with my mother. Both have found their calling in caring for the needs of others.
But this story is really about my grandmother and the choices Nancy made for her care. My grandparents only lived a couple of miles from Rose Hill where my mom and sisters worked. Every day after preparing lunch for all the residents, my sister would take two plates over to my grandparent's house. This was essentially "meals on wheels" for them. She would go in to check on them and chat while they ate their lunch. They were still very independent at this time, but enjoyed the assistance and daily visit.
Both of my grandparents' health was gradually getting worse. This put more and more stress on my mother as she tried to help her parents cope with the changes they were experiencing. They hired a yard service to keep the lawn in shape, and eventually sold their cars. Family members helped them with shopping, doctor appointments and any travel or errands. As they got physically weaker, they started to fall more. The first step my mother took was to get them both a walker and to remove all the rugs and other tripping hazards around the house. Modifications to the house itself also became necessary. These included putting in a ramp and installing grip bars in the bathrooms. With these adjustments, my grandparents remained fairly independent.
When my grandfather passed away, nobody was hurt more than his wife of 66 years. This was a dramatic life-changing event, and it took its toll on my grandmother's health. In turn, my grandmother also required more and more of my mother's attention. My grandmother was now routinely falling and hurting herself. Sometimes my grandmother would call 911 or a neighbor, but sometimes she would just lay there until someone came by and checked on her.
Not long after my grandfather passed away, Nancy decided to transition my grandmother to live at Rose Hill. That way, Nancy could continue working and take care of my grandmother at the same time. This seemed like a perfect solution. After all, my grandmother's daughter and her granddaughters all worked there AND my grandmother's sister was also living there at the time. She would have both friends and family around her at all times.
Well, my grandmother stayed at Rose Hill for at least two weeks before returning home. The familiar surroundings of her home were filled with memories of her beloved husband and she was just not ready to let go and leave. Nancy started searching for help and found a wonderful Caregiver to come to her mother's house and assist her.
The aging process slowly erodes the control a person has over their life. As the mind remembers the way things were, the body is there to counter with encumbrances and changes. No matter how excellent the care and attention may be at an assisted living center, it may not be the best solution. We know from our experience with our grandmother that the familiar surroundings of home can have a dramatic and positive impact on a person's state of mind and wellbeing.
This is why Anna and I started Care At Home.
John