What are Visible Acts of Caring?

When you were growing up, your parents showed you acts of caring. These were often selfless acts they performed that made you feel loved, cared for and safe. As your parents grow older and their everyday needs increase, it is they who may need help, and you who may be placed in their former role of providing care. You have every intention of being there for them, and may have already been the family caregiver for months or even years. You’ve taken on this role because that is what families do for each other.

We know this is not an easy task, and sometimes it can diminish a family’s overall wellbeing. Our guiding principle is to provide a professional version of this assistance so families can sustain their selfless support without feeling stretched to the limit of their endurance. We call this support, Visible Acts of Caring. We are employed by families who care enough to fulfill the needs of the whole Family not just their loved one.

Hiring for Home Care is Not Easy

Hiring a Caregiver is not like hiring a cleaning service or handyman; your desired outcome is all about personal interaction, ongoing communication, and a continual re-examination of your loved one’s needs and wants. Families are complex and entering your home as a caregiver requires a delicate mix of personal and professional attention. You don’t have to compromise emotional comfort in order to receive professional and competent care for your loved one.

What Does A Way to Stay Look for in a Caregiver?

For us it’s not about filling jobs. It is as personal for us as it is for you. If we don’t have the right Caregiver, we’ll find one or refer you to another agency.

Each A Way to Stay Caregiver is hired for the following characteristics:

• Gentleness and watchfulness
• Sensitivity to non-verbal needs
• Active listening
• Proactive problem solving
• Regard for personal boundaries
• Attentiveness to the care recipient’s right to be treated with dignity and respect

Our Caregivers are Our Life Blood

A Way to Stay hires people we would trust to care for our own family members. They are our eyes and ears in your home. Your A Way to Stay Care Manager and our Caregiver act as part of your family care team. We stay fully involved so as your family’s needs change, the care plan can be adjusted promptly. We provide professional development so our caregiver and care managers remain engaged and active learners and you continue to receive the best care available.

Employee Screening

We work hard to ensure we hire only professional, ethical and dependable caregivers. Our employment process involves pre-screenings, psychological assessments, applications, interviews, reference verifications, abuse registry checks, certification checks, motor vehicle record reviews, criminal background checks, random drug screenings, orientation, ongoing training and continuous monitoring by our Care Managers.

 Matching Clients with Caregivers

In order to build trusting relationships with our clients it is important that each client is attended by a caregiver who fits their needs. We carefully evaluate our caregivers’ skills, strengths and personality when matching them with clients, and continue to monitor the relationship to make certain it remains a good fit.    Our Caregiver Quality Assessment helps us create a match by providing us information on dependability, integrity, personality and cognitive abilities of each caregiver.

Accountability

Our caregivers are required to clock in-and-out through a monitored telephony system using the client’s home phone.