by North Oakland Caregivers | Apr 4, 2023 | Home Care Clarkston MI |
Our clients have been generous with sharing their opinions about North Oakland Caregivers’ services, and we have felt grateful for that. After all, clients’ reviews have been our best recommendation for years!
This time, however, we got curious about specifics. What do our clients’ reviews have in common and what do they highlight the most? To find this out, we put all of our clients’ reviews in a word cloud program and the result was striking! If you remember how word clouds work, they make the words used most frequently bigger, so that they stand out more. And these were the top three words we saw:
I. CARE
This word stands for what we do – we take care of our clients’ daily needs. However, it also reflects how we do it – with care. And, while “CARE” as the most used word in our clients’ reviews was rewarding by itself, it got even better. We noticed that the top descriptions paired with it were “WONDERFUL”, “PROFESSIONAL”, and “COMPASSIONATE”. And we think it speaks volumes about the quality of service we and our caregivers provide!
II. JASON
Speaking about the quality of service, we also noticed people mentioned “JASON” quite a bit. What a glowing endorsement of the dedication that our Vice-President, Jason Lambart, puts into his daily interactions with clients! Together with his team, he makes sure any clients’ issues are addressed immediately, and new clients receive individualized advice and a support program proposal. Jason’s level of commitment and reliability provide the reassurance our clients seek as they trust us with the well-being of their loved ones.
III. CAREGIVER & RECOMMEND
The next words people used most often in their reviews were “CAREGIVER” and “RECOMMEND”. These are two words, not one, but we mentioned them together for a couple of reasons. First, the same size of these words suggests that clients used them with similar frequency, so, they share our third position for this reason. Second, both the company and the caregivers serve our clients’ interests to the best of their ability, and it looks like our clients notice and recommend both, the company and their caregivers.
We feel grateful and humbled by this show of consistent appreciation 
And if you came here looking for clients’ reviews, we hope you feel reassured. If so, please give us a call and see for yourself whether our “CARE” that worked for many of our clients can work for your family, too!
by North Oakland Caregivers | Dec 24, 2022 | Company News, Home Care Clarkston MI |
In our busy days throughout the year, it is very easy to forget or to let time pass by, without appreciating all the things that made your life a little better that put a smile on your face. The holiday season traditionally helps us pause, observe and reflect. So, we thought it was a perfect occasion to share how caregiving touches lives – small acts of kindness bringing a big impact.
Our clients often give our caregivers the highest praise in their reviews. However, the little note below was different. It was sent directly to a caregiver from one of our clients showing her appreciation. We publish it with their permission:
“Hi, Vickie. Hope all is well. Sorry, it took so long to get back with you but “life” has been quite busy after my mom’s passing. (My brother and cousin were diagnosed with terminal cancer & uncle with dementia). I can not thank you enough for sharing in my mom’s transition. You are truly a blessing to your patients. I have been thinking about going into caregiving (for my family members) but not sure if I am able to handle such a delicate profession. You are amazing for what you do.“
We wholeheartedly agree – our caregivers are amazing at making difficult times easy, turning fear and stress into human connection, and making this world better overall.
Sending warm wishes this Holiday Season!
by North Oakland Caregivers | May 5, 2020 | Senior Home Care - What You Need to Know |
As our mom and dad age, living on their own becomes increasingly difficult. Yet, they might be doing anything they can to stay independent, even if it means letting go of the quality of life they are used to.
Their motivation is understandable – they probably do not want to become a “burden” for the family and have the family members facing pressure of finding time in their busy schedules to become their caregivers. Or – if the family support system is far away – they simply want to avoid having to go to a nursing home as this would mean a disruption of their lives they are so used to.
With home care services the stress for both the aging parents and the rest of the family can be avoided. The home care option might be the best solution for your seniors for many reasons. Here we will highlight the main three.
#1. THE SAFEST OPTION:
Why important: Staying at their own home is a sign to our seniors that they are still independent and doing well. Once they lose that, they are likely to lose this mental reassurance as well and feeling defeated might lead to prematurely feeling frail. Additionally, in the times of the pandemic and concerning news about nursing homes’ higher rates of COVID-19, it’s advisable to look at other options.
How can home care help: With a caregiver around, your mom or dad can stay in the comfort and familiarity of their own home safely, both with regards to their positive mental outlook and avoidance of unnecessary exposure to the virus in big groups. It goes without saying that our caregivers have to pass all the required health and safety procedures daily.
#2. DEDICATED ONE-ON-ONE CARE:
Why important: We all want to be treated the way we deserve. Without a dedicated caregiver it’s hard to juggle other responsibilities that a family member or a long-term care facility staff might have.
How can home care help: A dedicated caregiver’s level of care is the best – their client is their one and only responsibility. So, your mom or dad will be getting a reliable quality service every time that is immediate and fully focused on their needs. And the family will have peace of mind that their loved ones are taken care of.
#3. THE BEST REMEDY FOR LONELINESS:
Why important: Daily social interaction has been proven the key to longevity. So, even though feeling lonely might seem intangible, it needs to be taken as seriously as any medical diagnosis at an older age.
How can home care help: A one-on-one interaction with a dedicated caregiver is one of the key reasons home care is becoming so popular. The senior and the caregiver develop a bond that provides a variety of positive emotions, from a simple pleasure of human interaction to joy and anticipation of seeing the other person to do things together, things that your mom or dad would not do on their own.
We think these three reasons of why home care might be the best option for seniors in your life are good food for thought for the families that are still looking into different options. If you are one of them, please give us a call, and we will be happy to share with you how it might work for your loved ones.
by North Oakland Caregivers | Jul 19, 2018 | Senior Home Care - What You Need to Know |
We at North Oakland Caregivers have been providing senior home care for 26 years, and during this time we have seen a lot of difficult situations families went through when time had come for them to decide how to care for their loved one. However, we know that many of those situations could have been avoided if the families knew what to expect. Here we describe 3 common mistakes we see over and over in our practice and suggest ideas how to avoid them.
#1 Siblings disagree
This afflicts at least 50% of our cases. When one sibling makes a unilateral decision with regards to their mom or dad’s home care, the rest often cannot agree and gain a consensus on how, when or where mom or dad should be taken care of. This becomes a classic case of “paralysis by analysis” – meaning nothing gets decided or important decisions get delayed. The person who suffers most in this situation is the very person who the family wanted to help – not only their care is being delayed, they also often feel guilty and upset believing they were the cause for siblings’ disagreement.
Solution: Involve everyone in the discussion before making any further steps. When everyone starts together, there is more free will and openness allowed in the discussion, and it’s easier to get the whole family on the same page. This will make the senior home care experience for your mom or dad comforting, not upsetting.
#2 Mom or dad don’t want a “stranger” in the house
This is the most common reason the families decide NOT to get senior home care for their elderly member. Not because the family does not want it – they want and need care, and everyone is on board. Except mom or dad. They are hesitant about letting someone into their house that they don’t know. They don’t understand how it will all work. They simply do not want to change anything. This is understandable.
Solution: Small steps are always less intimidating. Start the process of getting help for your loved one by starting early and on a limited basis if possible. North Oakland Caregivers starts out each case with a “Meet and Greet” with the family, the caregiver and a member of our management team, in the client’s home. This has been a great way for clients to start the process of familiarity. We often recommend, where possible, that a caregiver start out 1 or 2 days a week, so the client can gain a comfort level before more days need to be added. When this process is followed, inevitably the client ends up looking forward to each and every visit, and adding more days or hours becomes seamless.
#3 Family delays asking for help until an “event” occurs
This is a common mistake because it is very hard to see small changes as your loved one’s health starts to give. Still, simply having a heightened awareness of how your loved one is feeling, moving, or tending to activities of daily living may go a long way. You may notice a diminished ability or difficulties in accomplishing what used to be commonly performed tasks. Moreover, you may see forgetfulness. It may seem just an odd situation to you at the time.
Solution: Don’t wait until you have to face a much more serious accident. Make a phone call to discuss your situation. We at North Oakland Caregivers understand you are facing an unfamiliar issue, and you do not need to go through it alone. We offer an informative meeting to help you become aware of many available options and always strive to find a solution for your specific situation. The key is to come up with an early plan to provide care, so that everyone stays ahead of any and all possibilities.
by North Oakland Caregivers | Jan 21, 2018 | Home Care and Healthy Aging, Home Care Clarkston MI |
Many families are entering the New Year with resolutions on their mind. It just seems easier to create a new habit, make a big change for the better, reinvent yourself at the beginning of a new year! So many people will use January as an inspiration to start something significant, something that will make a lasting impact on their lives. But this may also be the right time to make a lasting impact on the life of your elderly family member. We mean making a step towards planning for the future of your older mom or dad who may need assistance in their activities of daily living.
The idea may feel daunting at the beginning, like many changes do. We know some seniors may not be immediately open to the idea of having a caregiver coming into their home to help them. Great long-term benefits can be overshadowed by a perceived fear of loss of independence or a temporary anxiety of having a “stranger” in the house. Seniors can respond with resistance in many different ways. Frankly, family members might have their own concerns about how this new arrangement might work.
We understand. Every change requires an adjustment. Our experience has shown that slowly easing into this new “caregiver” scenario is often all it takes to relieve the concerns of starting a home care routine for your senior loved one. Maybe having a caregiver come into their home once or twice a week just to give them an idea of what it’s all about might help alleviate their anxiety. Maybe one 8 hour day a week will do the trick. Maybe 4 hours a day, 2-3 days a week will help set a comfort level. The key is starting small and adjusting to what the future needs will be.
Having a senior home care provider that is flexible enough to allow time to find the perfect routine for your senior loved one is a great solution. North Oakland Caregivers at Clarkston, MI, has been doing it for 26 years. We are waiting for your call. Are you ready to make the first step towards the New Year’s resolution that will make a lasting impact on the future of your family?
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