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“Jill, this is Brenda, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but
Olivia, your mom’s aide, didn’t show up this morning and we’ve
not found a replacement for her yet.”
I was livid, it was now 1:00 in the afternoon and I was just
being informed that my mother, unable to get out of bed without
assistance, was alone.
This was not the first time this home care company had failed to
fulfill their promises or to follow my directions and what made
it worse, it wasn’t the first agency that I had hired.
I live in Glendale Arizona, and mother lived in Cleveland Ohio.
Mother was adamant that she continue living in the home she and
dad shared, the same home my siblings and I were raised. As the
eldest daughter and the only one without a husband and children,
the responsibility of coordinating care fell on my shoulders.
The amount of stress I endured during the last five years of
mother’s life is indescribable. I continued to hire the ‘wrong’
home care service, I continued to enlist the services of
handyman and lawn care services that fell quite short of their
promises and I even subjected mother to an unscrupulous
so-called financial planner.
I did all the right things. I checked references, held lengthy
interviews, wrote out my instructions to the letter so that
there was no confusion, I checked the Better Business Bureau and
even went so far as to request letters of recommendations of
clients from these elder care providers.
Mom passed away while I was home for Christmas in 2000. She died
at home, something she truly wanted when her time had come. Now,
five years later, I have met the most wonderful woman and my
first question to her was, “Where were you when I needed you?”
I hope that I won’t need the services offered by Senior Approved
Services any time soon, but if you are the designated family
caregiver or perhaps the senior in need, you must know about
this ingenious concept of a service.
Senior Approved Services was founded by Barbara Mascio who
wanted a method to actively advocate for the right of all
seniors to receive excellent care and to most importantly remain
safe in the receiving of that care. Seniors and family
caregivers access this invaluable service at no charge.
Barbara helps families avoid less than desirable services, and
she does this by directing seniors towards businesses that have
a proven track record of quality care. Proven, by the very first
consumer-driven survey process developed for the elder care
industry. As she puts it, “The seniors currently using a service
are the ones that endorse a business, who better to attest to
quality care than the senior clients?”
I wondered how receptive the business community might be to a
survey of their clients. As it turns out, business owners are as
excited about this service as the families are that use Senior
Approved Services.
Barbara and I chatted for well over an hour and if you would
like the full reprint of my entire interview, please feel free
to contact me at jillcauthor@yahoo.com
Barbara is very modest; she has created a unique service that
not only serves those in need of services, but offers the
business community great advantages.
Jeff Porter of The SCOOTER Store says, “The SCOOTER Store is
excited about our affiliation with Senior Approved Services. We
believe the Senior Approved certification will reassure seniors
and their caregivers that they can put their trust in The
SCOOTER Store as America's leading provider of power mobility”
Paul Stone, owner of a general cleaning and handyman service
says, “We are so proud to be Certified as a Senior Approved
Service. Putting this on our brochures, business cards and other
advertisement pieces has clearly, without a doubt, increased our
client base. Barbara is right; seniors need services but are
afraid or confused about which one to call.”
Michael Stowe the Administrator of Life Care Home Health
Services Corporation, says, “In the short time we have worked
together with Senior Approved Services, I have been impressed
with the comprehensiveness of service referrals, the personal
touch and the responsiveness to inquiries. Senior Approved
Services offers an extremely valuable service to seniors and
their families by connecting them with quality providers.”
Lorice S. Dakdduk, DCR of Sunrise Assisted Living of Rocky
River, says, “Barb and her company offer a unique service that
is unmatched in the industry. Her personalization follow through
and genuine concern makes this service top notch. Highly
recommend for professionals as a resource and for family members
not wanting to take this task on alone. With Senior Approved
Services you always have someone to count on.”
To read more endorsements from the elder care business
community, see www.qualityeldercare.com/seniors
If you live in the United States and believe as I do, that you
deserve to receive the best possible service from an elder care
service, please contact Senior Approved Services. The web site
is www.seniorsapprove.com The phone number is 216-883-3163.
About the author:
Jill Conner is a freelance writer and web content developer. She
can be reached via email at jillcauthor@yahoo.com
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