It's the relationships formed between clients and customers that has Rebecca McCarthy coming back to work smiling each day.
McCarthy and husband Kyle opened Right at Home, a franchise location, in July last year. McCarthy oversees the day-to-day operations as the director of the business, located at 3190 Bella Vista Way, across from Lake Bella Vista.
The two met in Dallas after McCarthy moved from a small town in Oklahoma. They began a family and then moved to Kansas City in order to allow their children to spend more time with Kyle McCarthy's mother.
"His mother is such a June Cleaver. It's heartbreaking what happened to her," Rebecca McCarthy said, tearing up.
McCarthy's fun-loving mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. During the first year, she began to show signs such as repeated conversations. Doctors overlooked it at first, blaming it on the loss of her husband of 50 years just prior to that, but then the diagnosis came.
"Watching her go through the progression of the disease, seeing the person she was and the person she became, was heartbreaking," McCarthy said, adding her mother-in-law was not able to stay at home after the disease progressed.
She has taken that experience and turned it into a way to help others remain in their homes as long as possible.
"When you do that type of work, you live it," she said of caregiving. "I get to put someone to work and keep someone at home."
Based in Omaha, Right at Home offered a professional structure like none other, McCarthy said. The initial and continuing training provided remains helpful months after the business has been open.
The company is not in the business of skilled nursing, but provides day-to-day companionship, respite care, home and hygiene care and physical assistance.
"We're not necessarily doing things for you; we're helping to get things done," she said.
Each caregiver hired through the company goes through an extensive orientation, plus a screening process, background check and reference validation. The company uses a system that attempts to match caregivers with clients based on personality traits, interests and hobbies.
Caregiving is not a typical 8-to-5 job, McCarthy said. It's more like volunteering with a paycheck.
Caregivers are required under a new law to complete a 40-hour certification training. McCarthy and her care coordinator have been through the training with the Schmieding Center to prepare.
"There's no way you can know too much when you work in health care," McCarthy said.
Clients can call for assistance 24 hours a day, McCarthy said, even for simple things like a ride to a lunch date. A car has been outfitted for transportation. The car was chosen for its rating on ease for the elderly to get in and out. It's not a shuttle service, McCarthy said, but rather a "caregiver for a day" setup.
For more information or to set up a customized care plan, call Right at Home at 479-855-6000.
General News on 04/23/2014