Health & Wellness Magazine Community Of Caring - Summer 2019 | Page 8

HOME
CARE AGENCY
Not Just Another Home Care Agency
“DO YOU think you’d be able to…?” It’s
a simple phrase, but one that embodies
how CareGivers has grown from a small
home support agency to a partnership of
organizations designed with a singular
focus - supporting our local communities
with world-class care, and homegrown
values.
We started off as most home support
agencies do; a person saw a need for
services and wanted to do something. In
our case, Joan Whelan, a well-known
educator and nurse, began CareGivers
with one or two management staff, a
phone, and a healthy dose of Cape Shore
work ethic. She knew from the very
beginning that the people we served
deserved our best, and as our reputation
grew people would come to us with
unique problems that others struggled to
solve.
Joan describes it like this: “We understood
early on that when someone asks us for
help, they might not fully understand
what it is they really need. We focused
on working with our clients to understand
their needs, their wants, and their
limitations. By listening, we learned;
and by learning, we could take on new
services.”
“The group of companies that now makes
up our ‘Community of Caring’ has really
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grown as a result of being part of our local
communities,” says Eleanor Traverse, an
employee from Placentia who has been
with the group over 25 years. “It allows
us to have a deep understanding of our
clients’ needs. When you’ve grown up as
friends and neighbours, you know what
someone likes and what they don’t- and if
they are a fan of country or prefer Paddy
Daly in the morning. It helps us know how
to help.”
Sometimes, people say “local” and mean
it as an excuse to offer a smaller scope
of services, or maybe allow a little too
much familiarity to drift into professional
services. We don’t think of being “local”
as an opportunity to do less but rather as
an opportunity to do more. Local means
you know the lay of the land and are
better able to navigate people from where
they are to where they want to be.
Do you think you’d be able to look after
my dad in his final days? Yes.
Do you think you’d be able to bring my
mom out to her hometown for their local
festival? Absolutely – we can make it
happen.
My husband has dementia. Can you help
him so I can take some time for myself
to get my hair done and get groceries? It
would be our pleasure.
Whether you’re looking after a loved one
from across town, or across the country,
you want someone who is dialed into
the local community and knows the
difference between Victoria, BC. and
Victoria, behind Carbonear. We know.
And as the first Home Support Agency
to be certified by Accreditation Canada
– and the only one to ever achieve
Exemplary Standing (twice!) - we also
know how to provide world-class care to
those who need it most.
We don’t just think we’re able to, we
know we can: that’s what makes us
different and that’s what makes us a
provider you can trust.
For more information on how CareGivers
can help you or someone you love –
everywhere on the island – call us at
1-855-432-7865 or visit our website at
www.caregiversnl.com
Download our comprehensive How
to Get Home Care guide on our
website. You’ll find it to be a helpful
resource if you are considering care
for someone you love.