Category: !CAI

As the world faces a pandemic of historic proportions, home care and hospice workers represent some of the most critical workers in our lives today. With the increased need to protect our loved ones, families across the nation are turning to in-home care and hospice services. In what has proven to be a challenging year for many, our home care and hospice workers have always shown incredible resilience, bravery, and support.

Now is our chance to say thank you…

November is designated as Home Care & Hospice Month a time to celebrate the nurses, therapists, aides, and other home care and hospice workers in an effort to highlight the remarkable work they perform while caring for their charges. Playing a definitive role in our healthcare system, home care and hospice workers have become the unsung heroes that provide our loved ones with the care and support they need when they are at their most vulnerable.

Jessica White, an RN for Paradise Home Care, A Care Advantage, Inc company, is very passionate about Home Care and has been in their industry over 18 years. “Home care is not for everyone, but I have never seen myself doing anything but helping people in their home. I have been a home health clinician since 2002 initially as a Physical Therapist Assistant then, while working, I felt that I could help the patients even more by furthering my education and completing my nursing degree which I finished in 2007”.

LIVING TO CARE FOR OTHERS

Home care and hospice workers have the gift of adapting to each patient’s particular circumstances and the home environment. A patient’s home is essentially an extension of their personality. Home care and hospice workers know how to adapt the way they deliver information and provide a type of care that is as unique as the person who is receiving it.

“I have a passion for teaching and learning and this is very important as a home health care provider. I’ve actually had patients tell me that I’ve provided them with more information than their medical providers which makes my heart happy. The individualized approach we take in this type of care is something that is always appreciated by patients and clients” says Jessica.

They spend their lives caring for others, providing comfort and support in times in which it’s needed the most. Home care and hospice workers can help bed-ridden and mobility-impaired patients recover with dignity and, when necessary, can assist with tasks such as the following:

•          Personal Care

•          Meal Preparation

•          Bathing

•          Grooming

•          Dressing

•          Toileting and Incontinence Care

•          Medication Reminders

•          Accompaniment to Medical Appointments

•          Transportation, Shopping and Errands

‍Additionally, they serve as companions that help ward off the feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and much more by assisting their patients in the following areas:

•          Conversation and Company

•          Emotional Support

•          Engagement in Social and Outdoor Activities

•          Promoting Overall Health

In most cases, the caregiver’s presence becomes so important to their patients and their families that they also become something akin to a good friend or family member rather than a nurse or other type of home care aide.

In the case of skilled home health services, it is a very similar story.

Jessica White says, “There’s a lot that goes on in the background of an actual visit and I think it takes special people to manage their case load and schedule, complete documentation, make phone calls to doctors and family members while balancing that with life outside of work. There is often worrying about patients that are in “not the best situations” whether it’s the family dynamics, environment, financial difficulties or overall loneliness.

I have developed some wonderful relationships over the years, heard amazing stories, laughed, shed some tears, assisted in transition to hospice and Even some unexpected loss that has truly hurt my heart.”

SETTING THEIR LIFE TO THE SIDE

Home care and hospice workers stand out for one major reason, and that is the fact that they willingly set their personal lives aside in order to bring life and love to those who need them. To these heroes, the needs of their patients come before anything else. They understand the importance of the work they perform, and they know they can make a difference that can last a lifetime or longer. “Fun fact I’m dually licensed in the state of Virginia which I am proud to have accomplished and was able to do so with support of my family and friends while raising two children,” mentions Jessica.

This is what defines the caretakers at Care Advantage, Inc. Each one of our caregivers has the dream of building a career in home care. For many caregivers, nurses and therapists, working in home care or home health is a calling. This is just one of the reasons they put their heart and soul into providing the support their clients or patients need, and why they deserve to be celebrated during the month of November.

Jessica comments,

Yes it can be exhausting and there have been some frustrations along the way, but I like to think I’ve made a difference in a lot of lives and situations with goals being set and working together as a team! To me, there is nothing more rewarding than helping overcome obstacles, assisting with managing medical issues and patients remaining at home as we age in place.

CELEBRATING ALL HOME CARE AND HOSPICE WORKERS

As the rest of the world steps back, our health care workers are rushing forward to dedicate their time to working with others. In a time of uncertainty, they remain strong. In a time of concern, they put others before themselves. Let us celebrate the effort they put into making our loved ones more comfortable while improving the quality of their lives by helping them regain their dignity and sense of well-being.

All of this and so much more is what turns home care and hospice workers into the unsung heroes that fill our communities with love and empathy, especially during these troubling times. The time has come to celebrate this noblest profession by recognizing the love and effort they put into making not only their patients’ lives better but also the lives of the families that have to live the experience at a more personal level.

To all of the home care and hospice workers sacrificing so much to save so many, words do not do enough justice – we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

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My key objective as an occupational therapist is to work with our clients and families towards achieving their personalized recovery and health goals; maximizing their independence and improving their safety and happiness during their daily living.

 Previously, I was working in a facility as an occupational therapist, however I felt as though I did not have a good work-life balance and decided to move care environments. Working with All About Care in the home health setting has allowed me the freedom to spend time with my family and also provide high quality care for my clients. We are allowed the freedom and flexibility to create our own schedules with our clients which is so important for that balance in life.

 This degree of flexibility is equally beneficial for our clients.  Every client has different needs and preferences, and our approach ensures their care is tailored to suit their needs. Some clients prefer to perform their ADL tasks in the morning, some the afternoon, for example. Clients also have physician appointments, dialysis, and other activities or tasks, so having that flexibility means we can accommodate their schedules.

 I also love the skilled home health setting because we really get to see the results of our hard work almost on a daily basis. Forming a strong bond and a mutual understanding with a patient in the early stages of a care plan is key. Regardless of the diagnosis, I always try to take the “we’re in this together mentality” from the get-go and that plays a big role in their recovery. The combination of our knowledge and expertise coupled with the patient’s dedication and hard work is what leads to positive outcomes.  

 If we have clients who have experienced frequent falls in the shower or during bed mobility, we are able to conduct very detailed and specific in-home assessments. The collection of this detailed information means that we can rollout individualized training programs that take the actual home layout and the patients habits into consideration. When you really start to think about it, it is amazing how “particular” we are from morning till night. For example, do you realize how many preferences you have in your typical day? How do you like to perform your bathing? In the tub or shower?  Do you prefer facing the water or facing away? sitting or standing? do you use one extremity to balance or steady yourself while performing bathing tasks with the other? The list can grow pretty quickly, but that is where we can help simplify the process and help the client and get them on a road to recovery that they are comfortable with.

 I started working at All About Care after I had my first child. He was born prematurely and had an extended Neonatal Intensive Care stay. A few months ago, I just had my second child who was born 10 weeks early, he also had an extended Neonatal Intensive Care stay. He has now a full team of physicians, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, and nurses working as a team providing his medical care. Again, the support from our leadership combined with the flexibility of working in an in-home care environment provides me and my family with an invaluable work-life balance.

 My advice for fellow mothers and fellow clinicians is to find a company that encourages doing what you love and spending time with your clients as well as spending time with your family. Having a balanced work-life schedule is imperative and being able to perform to the best of your ability when it comes to providing for our clients and providing for our families. I’m happy that I work for a company that allows time for our families as well as time to provide great treatment to our patients.

September is National Falls Prevention Month. The statistics regarding falls in those over the age of 65 are scary. Falls can often be responsible for the dreaded downhill spiral in the aging population, preventing many seniors from returning to Independent Living. Check out these Fall Prevention Tips so that the loved ones in your life can remain aging safely in the comfort of their care environment.

Regular Exercise to improve Strength and Balance – Use it or Lose it! Now more then ever we need to get our seniors moving again since our pandemic. This is a great time to reach out to your doctor for a refresher or start of Skilled Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy intervention.

• Regular Medication Review – by your Physician, Nurse Practitioner or Pharmacist. Medications can contribute to falls in adults and regular review and communication with your health care provider is essential. Older adults may also need assist taking their medications correctly due to memory and cognitive deficits.

• Home Safety Evaluations – thorough evaluation by experts, usually PT’s or OT’s, that go into your home to assess for modifications and equipment needs to enhance safety and reduce fall risk so that seniors can continue to age in place.

• Hire a Geriatric Care Manager – care managers provide valuable guidance and resources to help with the care of a loved one that can lead to decreased falls and decline. They are able to identify if a loved one can remain aging safely in place or may be better suited for a senior community and then assist with that transition.

• ‍Recruit Help – This can be from a family member, close friend or hired help in the home or a combination. They can provide assist to help with daily household tasks that present a fall risk, offer protection during transfers, ambulation, activities of daily living, can provide safety reminders, ensure proper medication management and can help a loved one attend regular physician appointments.

Jamie Vela is an experienced physical therapist and Home Care Specialist with our Capital City Nurses team. She has over 18 years of insight as a physical therapist in both facility and home healthcare landscapes. Jamie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Virginia Teach and a Master’s Degree is Physical Therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Follow our Pinterest Board for more tips on falls prevention.

Thank you to the Wicker and Wilde Morning Show for having our CEO, Tim Hanold, on to talk about the amazing career opportunities we have within our company.

Want to become a healthcare hero? Take our PCA Class to get started in your career in healthcare.

Already a healthcare hero? Check out our Careers page for the many openings we currently have in our growing care family.

Quarantine is not fun for anyone, but being stuck inside all day doesn’t have to be a drag! When you’re looking for something to do, whether it be while waiting for a grocery delivery, your caregiver preparing your meal or washing laundry – relax by catching up on the latest travel series and indulge in some nostalgia with a Cary Grant film.

One way you can access these programs is by subscribing to a “streaming” media service. Streaming means online, so you will need a fast internet connection. However, if you’re not looking to upgrade, some services do allow temporary or permanent downloading.

Let’s chat about some of your best streaming options to make the day more enjoyable and entertaining:

KANOPY

Kanopy is a great option if you have a library card because it means you already qualify for a Kanopy subscription, and it’s FREE! Kanopy prides itself on curating a high-quality catalog, making choosing between an Oscar-nominated film, documentary, or just a simple romantic comedy easy. The major drawback is that Kanopy only gives you 9 watch credits per month, which a dedicated movie-watcher can burn through in a week. Many titles on Kanopy aren’t available anywhere else, and since it’s free, it’s worth linking your library card to this service.

DISNEY+

This amazing collection of Disney productions features both modern and vintage entertainment. Watch contemporary classics like Avatar or Toy Story or indulge in some nostalgia with Snow White, The Parent Trap, or you can watch the whole Star Wars series. How cool was Carrie Fisher? Disney Plus also hosts educational content, including the entire catalog of National Geographic documentaries. One of the best featured films from National Geographic is called “Free Solo,” and details the expedition of a professional climber, Alex Honnold, who climbs 2,000 feet in Yosemite without rope or any climbing aid! If that’s not for you, you can virtually explore the world with their various other adventure documentaries that explore animals and different ecosystems. And because it’s Disney, you can rest assured that every title is family-friendly and free of graphic violence or other offensive material.

The service is also relatively affordable. Basic Disney+ only costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year. If you’re willing to pay a little extra ($12.99 a month), you can also get Hulu and ESPN+. ESPN+ is a great choice for sports fans, as you can stream live games as they happen. It also offers a wide selection of sports-related documentaries and analytical talk shows.

HULU

Hulu boasts one of the largest streaming libraries currently available, and you can subscribe to it as a standalone service for $5.99 a month. If you’re looking for a large library of classics this may not be the one for you (although they do currently have Saturday Night Fever and Good Will Hunting available). However, they often have the best selection of new movies. Quentin Tarantino’s latest, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is available along with the latest Men in Black movie, Men in Black: International, Aquaman and so many more. They’re TV show selection is great for your reality TV show binge watchers, but definitely not for those looking to relax with a cooking or adventure documentary or program. The two big drawbacks are that even though you pay for the service, Hulu will still show ads, and it doesn’t have many exclusives; you can find most of their catalog on other services.

NETFLIX

Netflix, the pioneer in TV and movie streaming is still going strong. The company currently offers a basic streaming plan at $8.99 a month, which is a catch. They boast the largest number of exclusives, everything from award-winning Orange is the New Black to foreign shows like The Protector. And their DVD rental service is still going! They always have a great selection of classics from Grease to West Side Story. And if you’re feeling creative in the kitchen or missing the outdoors, Netflix has the best array of cooking, travel, and health and wellness shows to explore without leaving your house. Honestly, just the fact that they have Jeopardy makes it all worthwhile.

You can check out one ($7.99/month) or two ($11.99/month) DVDs at a time. Keep them as long as you like and take advantage of Netflix’s truly impressive DVD library.

AMAZON PRIME (Prime Video)

If you regularly have books or other necessities delivered to your home, consider subscribing to Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime offers customers free two-day delivery on certain products and a comprehensive library of free e-books that you can read on a Kindle or computer screen. And the movies! Amazon’s catalog includes older movies that don’t get much love anymore, such as Grace Kelly and Cary Grant’s “To Catch a Thief.” And many of Audrey Hepburn’s amazing movies: “Roman Holiday,” “Funny Face,” and “War and Peace.”

Luckily they have a lot of new shows as well that have turned out to be huge hits such as the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. All this for the steal of $9.99 a month.

HBO MAX

Long considered the final word in prestige TV, HBO has finally made its catalog available via streaming. They feature much of their own original programming, including shows like True Blood, Game of Thrones, or The Sopranos, and currently continues the trend with the newly released Lovecraft Country. They also have a significant catalog of documentaries, as well-made as their TV shows. The big drawback is that HBO Max is by far the most expensive service on this list, costing $14.99 per month. And most of their titles are newer; they do not host many older films. Lastly, HBO has a well-earned reputation for their racy programming – many of their shows feature profanity, nudity, and violence.

GOOGLE PAY / APPLE TV

Google Play and Apple TV are a bit different from the other services listed here. Rather than pay a monthly or yearly fee, you pay per title, and prices vary widely. A mid-range TV show might cost $2.99 per episode, while a popular new film might cost $12.99. You can purchase some TV shows by the episode or the season, with prices varying based on the number of episodes and how recently the show was released.

Google Play and Apple TV also offer a rental service for many of their movies. You can rent the movie for a fraction of the film’s cost, usually between $2.99 and $4.99. Once you rent a movie, you have 30 days to begin watching it. Once you start watching it, you have 72 hours until the movie gets returned – but you can watch it as often as you like within that time frame.

The drawback of this one is that if you watch a lot of movies or tv shows, it can get expensive. But once you purchase (not rent) a movie or show, you can download it and have it forever. Additionally, content that is often exclusive to one platform can be found and purchased here.

OTHERS

This list gives you only the biggest names. Other services, like CBS All Access or AT&T TV Now, often offer cheaper prices – but at the trade-off of a smaller catalog. But just in case they host a favorite or two of yours, they are worth looking into if you have the time.

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WHAT IS AN HCS?
There are many different elements involved when holding the role as a Home Care Specialist (HCS). Primarily we are the liaison between the in-home private duty care company and hospitals, rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, and many other healthcare services or accommodations. But we don’t stop there. We also work closely with any professional in the aging life care industry – elder law attorneys, care managers, and financial planners.

As an HCS, I try to be a resource to my clients and their families covering a wide range of care needs. For more about our in-home care services click here

‍I typically consult with clients and families on care options. Care Advantage offers specialized programs targeting different needs—from hourly to 24/7 care, a 7-day live-in caregiver program, or private duty skilled nursing for high acuity patients. But in the background, there is a whole team of experienced care services professionals who support the client through the onboarding process and help to make each client experience a positive one.

DAY TO DAY
Every day starts with a strong plan. Time management is the key to a successful day because on a busy day anything can happen. Some days I’m answering back to back calls from social workers and case managers. Other days, I’m focusing on our email messaging about a new program. The variety and pace of the day keeps me on my toes.
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‍IT’S GOOD TO TALK
‍The best way our team supports each other is through clear communication. The attention to detail regarding each case determines its success. We can take any curveball thrown at us because we have a constant line of communication and having each other’s backs. Dare I say, over communication?

One person I’m talking with regularly is my amazing staffer, Ivonne. She’s in charge of caregiver availability, schedules, and match-making clients. With every client, there are core questions that must be answered. With all the moving parts, I try not to let any questions go unanswered. As she says, “tie it up with a bow”.

‍ADAPTING DURING COVID
‍Before COVID, you would see me driving around in my Jeep, slinging brochures and handing out business cards. In March 2020, with concern for the safety of our team and clients, Care Advantage made the smart decision to have our care family work remotely when possible. For me and other HCS’s it took a few weeks to adjust not seeing everyone in person, missing the hugs and smiling faces. On the bright side, the new circumstances offered new opportunities. Was I working from a card table and a plastic chair? Yes. Was I talking to my clients in my fuzzy slippers? Perhaps. But like I said, you have to see the bright side.

Care Advantage was an early adopter to providing COVID+ care by establishing a COVID Task Force. The task force includes a nurse accompanying the caregiver on day one of a client’s care. Safety is our top priority. Protocol requires multiple health screenings prior to care starting (from both a client and caregiver touchpoint), understanding the home environment, and offering COVID-19 testing.

I feel so lucky to have an experienced and supportive team around me and I am very proud to serve those, in the safest place possible, each and every day.

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Teaching a 78-year-old woman how to infuse IV medications for her cognitively impaired son with endocarditis.

Finding a vein in the middle of the night for a 6-year-old boy with osteomyelitis.

Managing the wounds of a sprightly 100-year-old woman so full of life and wisdom.

These are just a few of the patients (and moments) Pamela remembers in her career as a nurse; a career that has taken her from the front lines of health care to life as a consultant and then on to her role as the Chief Operating Officer of Care Advantage, Inc.

“Being a nurse has been the foundation of my career, no matter the role or responsibility, I have always placed the patient at the center of everything I do.  Ensuring our patients have a great experience and achieving the best possible outcome is job number one for our skilled team.  Focusing on patient centered goals and getting the patients and caregivers involved in the care is where the magic happens.  When patients establish goals that they want to achieve, they work harder to achieve those goals so they can quickly get back to their prior level of function and regain their independence.”

‍THE EVOLUTION OF HOME CARE

The skilled care division at Care Advantage covers close to a three-hundred-mile radius serving patients across the state of Virginia. The three branch offices consist of All About Care, Paradise Home Care (both in Richmond, VA) and Virginia Home Health and Hospice which is based in Rural Retreat, VA. All three locations offer state of the art clinical programs designed around helping the elderly population who experience acute or chronic, health conditions. These programs and the clinical care we provide, serve to help our patients regain their independence and age in place. Home is where all patients want to be. Patients actually do better in their own home environment and recover more quickly than they do in hospitals or any other inpatient facility providing care.

“I have seen a major transition in home healthcare over the span of my career,” Pamela said. “When I first became a nurse, the focus of health care was institutional, primarily hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. There was very little knowledge of, or respect for, the home health industry three decades ago. I believe this to be true primarily because healthcare providers knew very little about providing care in the home setting or the outcomes that were achieved. In the mid to late 90’s, the majority of care being provided was managing and teaching chronic illnesses like diabetes, CHF and COPD, performing/teaching wound care and managing oral medications.  While those are still skills that we provide today, the level of care has really been elevated in the home setting. Today, we care for tracheostomy or ventilation dependent patients; we manage pleurx draining systems and wound vacs, which is a vacuum assisted closure system used to heal major wounds; we also infuse all types of medications through an intravenous line as well as care for patients on the same day they’ve had joint replacement surgery. So, not only are we providing more complex care than ever before, the cost of providing this care is less than 3% of the total US health care expenditures which was $3.65 trillion in 2018 according to the latest CMS analysis.”

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CARE

After working many years as a consultant, Pamela’s interest in joining the Care Advantage team grew, more so after discovering that the company was founded by a local nurse, Debbie Johnston. Pamela knew, with a nurse leading the company, that the patient would have to be the core of their focus which resonated well with her guiding principle…

“Care for the patient first and everything else will fall into place.”

“As it turned out, Debbie Johnston’s philosophy for Care Advantage, did, in fact, mirror mine and joining this team has proven to be a great decision,” she said. “Debbie has been caring for patients in Virginia for nearly 30 years and being able to continue her legacy was an honor that I was proud to have.”  

At Care Advantage, we take great pride in meeting the needs of our patients and my teams focus on every aspect of the patient; we take a holistic approach to care as so many times,  it’s not the physical component that presents a roadblock to achieving goals but more times than not, it’s the financial, psychological or spiritual need that must first be addressed in order to achieve the overall goal.   The Holistic care approach always delivers the best care and the best possible outcome for our patients.

CARE DURING THE PANDEMIC

“These are definitely not ordinary times for healthcare providers,” Pamela said, acknowledging the crisis of COVID-19.  “Knowing the volume of patients and clients that we had to care for when this pandemic hit, we knew we had to move quickly to develop new policies, procedures and protocols that would enable us to continue caring for our patients and clients.”  

“We quickly created our physician-led COVID-19 Response Team that was comprised of the most highly skilled and seasoned professionals we had who helped us prepare for what we knew was coming.  We developed training in-services and refresher courses along with online education and simulation drills to ensure that our staff were prepared, equipped and ready to care for our patients all the while protecting themselves as they cared for patients on the front line.  Initially, we all had a fear of the unknown, not understanding this virus.  It did not take us very long to realize that this was what we were trained for…to care for patients in need, COVID-19 positive or not.  This was our chosen field and together, we rose to the occasion and met the challenge head on.  We continued educating our clinical teams on Infection control, cross-contamination prevention, proper donning and doffing of personal protective equipment, this was an ongoing event across the company.  We quickly moved to secure ample amounts of PPE ensuring the continued safety of employees and patients. It brings a level of comfort knowing that our employees are prepared and protected with every visit they make.”  

“I’m incredibly proud of my teams and our organization. We pulled together and faced this pandemic as one collective, adaptable, caregiving team.”

This sense of readiness is part of Care Advantage’s mission of service. Whether it’s for a patient in need, a middle-of-the-night emergency or an innovative solution to a one-of-a-kind problem, Pamela and her teams are on the front lines caring for patients all across the state of Virginia.

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Tina Bell, Vice President of Sales for Care Advantage in-home care services, says, “I look forward to coming to work every day and feel so fortunate to be able to say that. Tina’s background is international; born in London, raised in New Zealand and having lived in Australia, she has had multiple life and career experiences. “I have had the opportunity to live in many beautiful places. From my across-the-pond family to my blended bunch here, I enjoy time with all of them.”

Her career in the hospitality industry in the United States was going strong when a friend suggested she might want a change. When she looked at a job with Care Advantage, she says she found something she had not experienced before. “I was able to fully experience using my heart as well as my head in my job.”

She took the leap and that job put her in direct contact with people who were in the process of being discharged from hospitals, rehab settings and desperately wanted to be back at home. She says, “I can’t explain how great it felt to be holding the hand of a ninety-year old woman who said, ‘Thank you for helping me get back home.” I was able to make that happen for her and others, utilizing Care Advantage’s experienced in-home care staff.

That caregiving team includes young nursing students, experienced caregivers as well as older caregivers who can truly empathize with older clients. An important part of her job was to pair the right caregivers with clients. Finding the set of personality, skills, experience and understanding that a specific client required and matching them with the right care giver requires sensitivity and truly listening to clients and family members. Tina always took great care in getting those matches right.

She found purpose and satisfaction in helping these people get home and stay home safely. She shares that it’s wonderful to listen to a person share how important their home is to them and then be able to make it happen successfully.

Care Advantage is the largest privately-owned home care company in Virginia with offices all over the state. In the last twenty-four months it has continued that growth by adding Capital City Nurses and Coastal Home Care to expand its services into Washington DC, Maryland and Delaware.

As Care Advantage continued to grow, Tina’s role expanded to management. She became the hirer, teacher and inspirer of new sales representatives statewide. She now manages 14 home care specialists whose job it is to make Care Advantage’s services known to those hospital and rehab personnel who make discharge plans for patients returning home as well as patients and family members who need those services.

In an average day, Tina might be driving across the state to various offices, participating in company meetings, interviewing possible new home care specialists, offering support services, providing advice and training to any one of the fourteen home care specialists she manages, troubleshooting various problems and providing inspiration to them all. “I see the company as a true family.”

She says, “I identify new potential home care specialists, hire them and teach them what I know from having done their job myself. Training is about a two or three-week process. The most important advice I can give them is to lean on your peers, learn from their experience. It’s so rewarding, I am proud of our culture and our reputation.” She feels strongly that Care Advantage is bound by values of compassion, attitude, respect and excellence. “This eager, knowledgeable and kind team seeks to educate their communities on the services we provide, and the many programs and initiatives we offer ensure those services meet the needs of our clients.”

On a personal level, Tina is very much an outdoors girl. Weekends might find her camping with her husband and her English Black Lab, “Moseley.” She says she is an “adventurer by heart” who enjoys traveling, fly fishing, hiking, cooking, writing, vegetable gardening, and campsite relaxing in many of Virginia’s beautiful state parks.

She suggests that others may want to look at this field for their career. “I feel good at the end of the day. It is a sales job, but also about compassion and caring, giving people the information and help they need to lead their lives as they want to. I have grown so much in this role; I now have an all-encompassing view of home health care and its value to individuals and the community.”

Tina feels even more proud to have helped her team navigate through the recent tumultuous waters known as COVID-19, which threw the sales team headfirst into unchartered territory – work-from-home. “Literally overnight we had to change the way we do everything, and guide a high-energy, driven, outside field team to their home offices and kitchen tables, to work.

Thanks to an incredibly strong clinical team, leadership support, and a marketing department that is second to none, the sales team was able to quickly adapt to a virtual setting and continue to deliver consistent messages electronically. Almost immediately, the team was setting up ZOOM meetings, creating video messaging, and educating their customers on our ability to care for COVID positive patients with stringent, safe policies. “We have continued to serve not just well, but impeccably so. We continue to outdo our competition, and to stay top of mind for those who trust us. We are incredibly proud to have stayed together and strong throughout all of this. It will serve as a constant reminder to Discharge Planners and others, that WE are the organization to turn to.

We can provide a safe solution for those wishing to heal in their own environment. We can provide that peace of mind.”

“Bio-psycho-social, what ???”

Thank you to Wicker in the Morning with Jeff Wicker and Rebecca Wilde for hosting your “Front Line Friend” our, CEO Tim Hanold on your radio show! Listen to find out how you can get started in a career in healthcare and how the Care Advantage Family of companies can support you in your personal career goals!

Also, find out the definition of “Biopsychosocial!”

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