Breanna Ashby spends each day assisting others. She clocks into work, checks her appointments and then heads out to care for her clients. She might be helping an elderly person in getting dressed or taking their medications.
She might be doing the dishes and cleaning the room. She could just be taking her client to their doctor’s appointment. No job is too big or too small for Breanna who is a caregiver for Right at Home, an in-home care and assistance company in Chattanooga.
“It makes me feel great,” she said. “I love being a caregiver. It’s not just a job, it's a true calling for me. I've always been a caregiver for my family and others. It just seems right. It brings so much joy to my life and to my family's life to be able to do something and make a change in people's lives. It puts a smile on someone’s face, that is my job is well done. That’s more than any money can buy.”
Today is National Caregivers Day. It’s a day to recognize and honor folks like Breanna who have devoted their time caring for others.
Caregiving is the main reason Bryan Hensley, and his business partner Ryan Naegele opened Right at Home with offices in Chattanooga, Cleveland and Maryville, Tn.
“We do anything from one hour of care, maybe somebody just needing assistance taking a bath, or just check-in with someone to give their family peace of mind, all the way up to 24 /7 care,” Bryan said.
He said his entire staff has been celebrating their employees this whole week leading up today.
“Our caregivers are amazing,” he said. “We've always had this vision of serving caregivers. When we opened Right at Home, a big part of our focus was treating caregivers right. Giving a simple thank you, making sure that they're recognized, making sure that we're creating a work environment so that they can have a professional career and do what they're passionate about because that should be celebrated. Many caregivers are treated more like a commodity than the angels they are.”
He said they recognize the important work caregivers provide to people during vulnerable times in their lives. Caregivers also help reduce the burden placed on family members.
“It is hard work,” Bryan said. “It is physically hard, it is mentally hard, emotionally hard, so anything we can do to help is what we try to do for them. “We're also helping the family members with our caregivers,” Bryan said. “It can be a big drain on their time, their energy, their money, their resources. But someone like Breanna walks in can help knock off some of those things from the list allowing family members to just be family members at that point and not a caregiver. We’re trying to help balance things out for them.”
“It's nice to be part of a company and a community that truly cares for the work that you do,” Breanna said. “Coming into this company, I had strong feeling that we were going to be doing big things, and it's turned out that way which makes you feel good.”
Breanna said there are times when the job is difficult.
“Especially with someone who has dementia,” she said. “You never know what their day-to-day is going to be. If they're having a rougher day, it's kind of draining, but overall, it's a rewarding job and it's just amazing to be able to make a difference.”
Right at Home Director of Care Services Mycheal Newsom said they spent the week meeting with all their caregivers to make sure they realized how much they meant to them and the community.
“We have around the clock care,” she said. “So, somebody’s always working, and we want to make sure everybody feels appreciated and celebrated.”
Mycheal said caregivers are out in the community and making a difference and building relationships with the people they assist. She said an important aspect of the work they do at Right at Home is to find the right caregiver for each client.
“First we are going to look at the overall care plan and what the client needs and match a caregiver based on their experience,” she said. “A lot of our caregivers have prior experience whether working with family members or facilities. We look at the tasks needed. We look at their availability. The location, pet preferences, smoking preferences, and then also personality. If a client wants someone who's talkative, bubbly, who's going to be engaged, then we're going to find a caregiver that meets that personality match. A lot of our caregivers are very good at being flexible too.”She said once they find a caregiver that matches well with the client, they try and keep them matched together so they can establish a bond and ease their care.
Right At Home offers a variety of care services.
“We work with the elderly, disabled, veterans,” Bryan said. “Some of our clients are short -term clients. They've had a knee replacement. They've had a hip replacement. They're going home, but they need, you know, a little bit of extra help while they're going through the recovery process.”
Bryan said his caregivers can also assist nursing staff or hospice care providers should the client require a higher level of care.
“We provide home care, and we work alongside home health, hospice, physical therapists, and doctor’s offices. We see it as a partnership. We’ve worked in assisted living communities with individuals who may need a little bit higher level of care, some one-on-one hands on that we can provide that their community isn’t able to.”
Having the caregiver work alongside other health professionals enhances the clients’ comfort level and well-being.
“And our office, we focus primarily on private pay, so, we're not jumping through insurance,” he said.
“We also work with VA clients and their spouses who can receive home care services which is something a lot of veterans don't know about. We can help them get those benefits through the paperwork process.”
Right at Home Chattanooga provides in-home care services in the following areas: Chattanooga, Hixson, Lookout Mountain, Lupton City, North Chattanooga, North River, Red Bank, and Signal Mountain. Their free in-home consultation will help them create a customized care plan to help your family.
If you know a caregiver, honor them today and thank them for the services they provide to those in need.
If you’re in need of a caregiver visit Right at Home’s website at rightathome.net/chattanooga