By B.C. Manion
When 83-year-old Shirley Stemler had a total hip replacement, she knew she’d need some extra help during her recovery.
She turned to Home Instead Senior Care East Pasco for help.
The private company, based in Wesley Chapel, provides various services aimed at helping people remain in their homes, instead of going to a healthcare facility.
Stemler, who lives in Dade City, was delighted to have that option.
“I was very, very pleased,” she said. “The fact that I could come home and not have to go somewhere else when I left the hospital was important to me.”
She turned to the service to help her with practical matters.
“I had them come basically for the mornings,” she said. They helped her with sponge baths, cleaning chores and preparing meals.
“One gal, M.J., when she finished helping me she went into the kitchen, cleaned my cupboards, my refrigerator – stuff I hadn’t done. I was in a lot of pain for the two months before I had surgery. She really went above and beyond.”
Stemler only used the service for five or six days, but she was pleased she could go home immediately from the hospital.
“The good thing is, you’re home. I like my own home. I’m more comfortable in my own surroundings,” said Stemler, while sitting in her home, surrounded by artwork and photographs on the wall and other personal mementoes.
Michele and Lynelle Bonneville are co-owners of Home Instead Senior Care East Pasco, which is based at 29149 Chapel Park Drive in Wesley Chapel.
The company’s service area is bounded by US 41 on the west and by county lines on the east, north and south. Another franchise office Home Instead Senior Care West Pasco, is owned by Joy and Howard Cook, and serves people living in Pasco County west of US 41.
Michele said her business service ranges from as little as one day a week for three hours to 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The rates vary. In general, the rate ranges from $17.75 an hour for a homemaker companion to $200 for a 12-hour shift.
Michele, a former nurse practitioner and pharmaceutical sales representative, said she had retired from those professions and was looking for something new.
She attended a franchise expo in Miami where she found out about Home Instead and knew immediately it was the niche for her.
As America’s population ages, these kinds of services will become increasingly important, Michele said.
About 5.3 million Americans were afflicted by Alzheimer’s, according to 2010 statistics compiled by the Alzheimer’s Association. Michele said she was drawn to the franchise because of its solid track record and reputation but was also attracted by its mission.
“It’s like a calling, because I do want to change the face of aging,” Michele said.
In addition to her medical background, she also has a degree in anthropology.
“I have been around the world, and I have seen other cultures,” she said.
She understands why extended families are so important in helping a society to function, she said. “But it (the extended family) is fractured in our society.”
The majority of her clients are people between the ages of 45 and 65 who are the children of seniors and who live far away, Michele said.
They know their parents need care, but they are not here to provide it, she said.
“We provide peace of mind. I provide updates, little progress reports. Lots of times it’s good news and sometimes it’s with concerns, ‘Well, we see this happening, maybe we should think about this.’”
In some cases, her staff can provide an alert that can lead to an earlier diagnosis and intervention, Michele said.
“We have one client, I see signs of dementia, but she’s never been diagnosed with it and she’s not on medication.
“I had a talk with her daughter, and she’s now going to ask her physician to work her mom up.”
As people age, their memory can fade.
“We lose our sense of time,” Michele said. “It becomes hard to discern different days of the week and times of the day. The biggest impact it has is on their medication regimen.
“Either they don’t take their medications or some days they will double or triple up, and it ends up in a hospital admission.”
Home Instead Senior Care East Pasco County provides medication reminders.
“We do focus on the client. We don’t go in and do the tasks, like make the meals for them. If we can, we keep the client engaged as much as possible. ‘Come, help me fix lunch.’ ‘Come help me fix dinner.’
“We’ll snap beans together or fold laundry together,” she said.
If the client can’t perform a household task, her staff will do it for them.
“We will clean, do the laundry for them, strip the beds. They don’t have the strength to strip the beds or vacuum sometimes.”
They’ll transport clients to doctor’s appointments and go in with them to see the doctor, taking notes to pass along to family members.
“Sometimes there is clutter in the house, there are papers everywhere. We may sit down and help them get them organized or work with a family member to get them organized.”
Soon, the company will be launching an Alzheimer’s program.
There’s a huge need to help caregivers learn how to cope with that, she said. “We will be offering family training for the community for free,” she said.
Michele has hired about 25 part-time employees to serve her company’s clients. Each of those employees has undergone a background check and a motor vehicle records check. They also undergo a drug and alcohol screening and are subject to random tests.
The company provides training for its staff, Michele said.
She has identified the most important qualities she looks for in a prospective employee.
“They have to have a caring heart and they have to be reliable and dependable,” Michele said.
Home Instead Senior Care
East Pasco: (813) 991-7524
West Pasco: (727) 845-5819
