Searching for Answers

Searching for Answers

They sound worried, and maybe even frightened when residents of the Wheeling and Morgantown areas make their phone calls to Right at Home offices for the very first time.

Before dialing those digits, they have noticed something, maybe minor in nature, or perhaps an alarming difference in the behavior of a loved one. The callers do their best, each and every time, to explain the reasons for their concerns.

“When someone calls us here at Right at Home, they immediately begin explaining what they’ve noticed in a loved one of theirs,” explained Crystal Harris, Office Manager in Wheeling. “Sometimes it’s because a loved one had a fall and maybe that was very unusual for that loved one.

“After the caller explains their reasons for reaching out to us, I begin asking them a few questions so I can fully understand their situation because each case is different in several ways,” she continued. “But when they call looking for help, that first conversation is just that, a conversation about their loved one.”

Harris informs those callers about the thorough background screenings conducted with each applicant, the extensive caregiver training programs implemented by Right at Home, the bonded services offered, and pricing options families have to consider.

“Usually, the person on the other end of the phone is a concerned relative of some sort, like a child, a husband or a wife. Those phone calls can come from anyone in the family,” Harris said. “At times, even friends and neighbors will call us seeking information because of something they have noticed during their interactions with the individual.

“Those folks ask a lot of questions and I offer as many answers as I possibly can,” she explained. “It is truly a back-and-forth conversation about the signs, insurance, pricing, our many services, and also about the flexibility we offer to our families. I try to offer the callers as much information as I can, and then the next step would be an in-person conversation with the members of the family so everyone can get to know each other even better.”

Once the decision to move forward is made, scheduling caregivers is 100 percent up to the family members. Once per week? A few times? All-day, every day?

“I do let them know the biggest difference between Right at Home and other companies is that we truly treat them all as members of our families,” Harris said. “As far as who the caregiver is, well, that’s up to the families, too. It’s all about who the loved one takes to the most.

“We have clients who wish to give a family caregiver time off, so they call us for respite care. But we also have some clients who wish for our caregivers to be there 24 hours per day, seven days per week,” she reported. “We never leave the loved one unless someone else is there, either. Their care is the No. 1 priority, no matter what.”

Families, of course, just want to know their loved ones will be safe and sound.

“You can hear their concern in the voices every time,” Harries said. “They want to be assured that their mother or father is going to be treated with love and respect, and that’s part of our program with our caregivers. Love and respect are what it is all about with us.

“No one associated with Right at Home is getting rich doing what we do and that’s because what we do is from the heart,” she added. “We want to take care of people and that makes the family members feel better about the situation. Our caregivers do what they do because they want to care for people. It’s their passion and what they are all about.”

They are worried, and maybe even frightened when residents of the Wheeling and Morgantown areas make their phone calls to Right at Home offices for the very first time.

Before dialing those digits, they have noticed something, maybe minor in nature, or perhaps an alarming difference in the behavior of a loved one. The callers do their best, each and every time, to explain the reasons for their concerns.

“When someone calls us here at Right at Home, they immediately begin explaining what they’ve noticed in a loved one of theirs,” explained Crystal Harris, Office Manager in Wheeling. “Sometimes it’s because a loved one had a fall and maybe that was very unusual for that loved one.

“After the caller explains their reasons for reaching out to us, I begin asking them a few questions so I can fully understand their situation because each case is different in several ways,” she continued. “But when they call looking for help, that first conversation is just that, a conversation about their loved one.”

Harris informs those callers about the thorough background screenings conducted with each applicant, the extensive caregiver training programs implemented by Right at Home, the bonded services offered, and pricing options families have to consider.

“Usually, the person on the other end of the phone is a concerned relative of some sort, like a child, a husband or a wife. Those phone calls can come from anyone in the family,” Harris said. “At times, even friends and neighbors will call us seeking information because of something they have noticed during their interactions with the individual.

“Those folks ask a lot of questions and I offer as many answers as I possibly can,” she explained. “It is truly a back-and-forth conversation about the signs, insurance, pricing, our many services, and also about the flexibility we offer to our families. I try to offer the callers as much information as I can, and then the next step would be an in-person conversation with the members of the family so everyone can get to know each other even better.”

Once the decision to move forward is made, scheduling caregivers is 100 percent up to the family members. Once per week? A few times? All-day, every day?

“I do let them know the biggest difference between Right at Home and other companies is that we truly treat them all as members of our families,” Harris said. “As far as who the caregiver is, well, that’s up to the families, too. It’s all about who the loved one takes to the most.

“We have clients who wish to give a family caregiver time off, so they call us for respite care. But we also have some clients who wish for our caregivers to be there 24 hours per day, seven days per week,” she reported. “We never leave the loved one unless someone else is there, either. Their care is the No. 1 priority, no matter what.”

Families, of course, just want to know their loved ones will be safe and sound.

“You can hear their concern in the voices every time,” Harries said. “They want to be assured that their mother or father is going to be treated with love and respect, and that’s part of our program with our caregivers. Love and respect are what it is all about with us.

“No one associated with Right at Home is getting rich doing what we do and that’s because what we do is from the heart,” she added. “We want to take care of people and that makes the family members feel better about the situation. Our caregivers do what they do because they want to care for people. It’s their passion and what they are all about.”