I was In Your Shoes - Our Director of Client Satisfaction's Story
I WAS IN YOUR SHOES!!!
Let me tell you my story….
My name is Ellen and I am the Director of Client Satisfaction for Right at Home of Central New Jersey, as well as the person who posts our social media information. I’ve been honored to work for Beth Sholom, Owner/Executive Director of Right at Home of Central New Jersey for 7 years, 4 with her in person in New Jersey and the last 3 years remotely from my new location on the other side of the country. My goal in my work is to make sure that every client is getting the care they need and that both the client and their family members are not just satisfied but happy with the service that we are providing. I do that because I believe in the guiding principle that Beth has established for her business: “we care for your family as we would care for our own”. Beth’s goal is to exceed our client and their family members expectations every day!
I know that’s true because I have been where you are! Before I was blessed to work for Right at Home of Central New Jersey, I was a client.
About 10 years ago my dad who was a relatively healthy 83 year old got dizzy one day, went to the hospital and tests revealed a myriad of conditions that were intimidating. A lifetime of smoking had finally caught up to him. After his initial stay in the hospital, he was so weak that he needed to go to a rehab facility to get his strength back and be able to walk on his own again.
A few weeks into his long stay, the social worker approached us and said that in planning his discharge they strongly recommended that we get in-home care for him. My mother insisted she could do it but I knew that as someone in her 70s, she wouldn’t physically be able to manage a lot of the care my dad would need. We asked the social worker to recommend some homecare companies to us and they gave us several candidates. One of them was Right at Home of Central New Jersey.
We met Beth Sholom and it is with no sense of exaggeration that I tell you that my mother and I knew immediately that she was the person we wanted to work with. She spent a long time with us learning about my dad by asking great questions, sharing her personal history of being an advocate for seniors since her early days of being an elder care attorney, and telling us how she would find my dad the best caregiver and make sure he was cared for the way she would want her own dad cared for. Choosing Right at Home of Central New Jersey was the easiest and best decision we made for my dad’s care.
Several years later, after my dad had passed away and my son had moved across the country to go to college, I was now an empty nester with too much time on her hands. When I saw a job posting for Right at Home of Central New Jersey, I sent Beth a note and said “I don’t know if you remember me but . . . “. She did remember me (she remembers everyone, actually, which is one of her great gifts) and hired me to work for the company. And after hiring me when my mom needed some short-term care at home after a hospitalization, Beth once again took charge and made sure everything was in place when my Mom returned home.
Whenever a potential client or their family member would call the office to ask about care, I would tell them a short version of my story to reassure them. I’d say “I’ve been on your side of the call. I’ve been where you are. I know how difficult it can be to trust the care of your loved one to someone else. I did it and let me tell you why when I say that Right at Home of Central New Jersey is a great company, it’s because I’ve been both a client and an employee”. People seemed to find my story reassuring and could (I hope) tell how sincere and heartfelt and passionate I was about making sure that their loved one received the same great care that my dad did.
And now besides working remotely for Right at Home of Central New Jersey, I have become my mother’s full-time caregiver. It is because of what I’ve learned from Beth over the years, how I’ve seen her treat people, knowing that I can call to ask her advice or just cry on her shoulder, and listening to the suggestions she makes to help me make my mother’s life as rich and fulfilling as possible that I know I am giving the gift of care to my mother just as she (and my dad) cared for my sisters and me when we were growing up.
I’ve been where you are. I have faced the challenges and hard decisions you’re facing. I’ve had to ask the tough questions about care. I’ve had to place my trust in the hands of someone I didn’t really know and truly believe they will take the best possible care of my family member.
Please know that when you call Right at Home of Central New Jersey or recommend us to someone, we take that responsibility very seriously because we’ve been in your shoes. This is my story, but many of our team have been in your shoes, including Beth, the owner of our company. You can trust Right at Home of Central New Jersey. I did and it changed my father’s life, my mother’s life and my life, all for the better.
If we can help you or your family member at any time or if you have any questions about home health care and how it could benefit your loved ones, please contact us at 732-967-0900 or beth@rahcentral.com. We are available 24/7 to assist you in any way we can.
Ellen Burke, Director of Client Satisfaction for Right at Home of Central New Jersey
