Desperation Becomes Inspiration
The senior care industry has many options of care for the elderly population. There are assisted living, group homes, memory care units, skilled nursing, and in-home care. Most are aware of the many years of the courts as the media have shown us just how broken the group elderly care system is. Everyone knows the age-old reputation still stands although in prettier packages, in that as the larger assisted living nursing homes “conglomerates got, the more difficult it became for them to control quality”.
Therefore, when anyone first begins working in elderly care, they have two choices to make: The first choice is to go along with the old unchanged “park and die facilities” low quality care, by showing up each day and putting in their time and ignoring the inabilities of needed change, or the second choice is to try and help fix the overly populated per facility system by seeing, recognizing and acknowledging the problems and then coming up with plans and solutions to change the way seniors are usually cared for. Most opt for the first version of choices because such a long-standing problem seems undaunting. Deena saw the problems, and inspired by the Eden Alternative, dreamed of fixing the broken senior care industry and worked until she succeeded.
A Firm Foundation
Let me tell you about Deena, owner and co-founder of Amy’s Eden Senior Care, and how she came to a point where she felt the “calling” to work in the senior care industry. Deena raised 5 wonderful and successful children, lovingly helped the foster care system by taking the most at risk and difficult to care for children by taking specialized training through a renowned accredited organization to help these at-risk children to be able to function and succeed in society. After her children and others were raised, she went through a bout of empty nest syndrome. Having tried several career choices without finding the happiness that brought her the joy she missed while raising children, studying homemaking, and running side businesses, she knew her calling was helping people, so she went back to school to become a Registered Nurse and took a position as a caregiver.
She soon realized that this was what she had been missing! Everything she knew she loved was remembered while caring for 9 elderly seniors in a group setting. She loved everything about it. She was cooking yummy home-cooked meals, reminiscing with her new elderly friends, listening intently about their lives, learning how to grow old, and playing whatever games they loved together.
Change Is Hard
Deena realized she had dreams of her own and started working on getting her Administers license for long-term care. After completing school, her first position as an Administer was at an 80-bed facility; this was the point in her early career where she saw firsthand that the larger group settings for seniors’ is sadly broken. For too many, when seniors’ individual apartment doors close, and mobility or memory loss, which is inevitable for almost all, she noticed that they feel imprisoned, neglected, and isolated. Deena’s findings of the hidden loneliness and depression left her completely heartbroken. As the new Administrator, she took the necessary steps to try and fix the problems at her appointed long-term care facility.
However, Deena was met with resistance and was told she could not hire more caregivers. It was not profitable to do so. She knew that she could not sit in her office and be a part of a company that would not or could not change for the benefit of the elderly population, so she patiently fought back and tried to implement the changes needed to care for seniors in a loving, focused, and including manner. That company did not know that finally letting her go was the fuel she needed to take on the industry problems herself, and she slowly started changing it, one house at a time. Deena knew there had to be a way to care for the elderly that eliminates solitary and frustrating feelings as age and decline creep closer. What is needed is for vetted, trained, and caring caregivers to be readily available without call buttons, overly busy schedules, or too many others to watch over.
Time To Rebuild
Deena found this was the solution to this industry-wide century long Senior Care problem and the answer to prayers and dreams. In 2013, Deena proceeded with a plan to open several smaller senior living homes in upscale neighborhoods in Carson City. These homes were unique and were set up with a care plan to care for 2 to 3 residents per home. Once she put this plan into motion, it did not take long for word to get out, and her care homes, called Amy’s Eden Senior Care, quickly grew to 9 Senior Care homes in Reno and Carson City by 2023. “I didn’t know anything like this existed”! ….was said to her repeatedly as the elderly flocked to her homes where caregivers were no longer overburdened, had time to provide unrushed personal care, and were always in near proximity to them to help prevent anxiety.
Under these ideal circumstances she and others watched the miraculous transformation. All this is in Deena’s Senior Care Homes, which are licensed equally as large assisted living facilities combined with consistent experiences. Deena has always known and experienced that after 3 to 4 residents, or 20 to 30 residents, one caregiver cannot optimally care for the elderly. Even menus and home cooked meals can be customized to the wants, needs, and desires where they can be in a real home-like setting with a friend and companion in the caregiver that allows them to feel spoiled and respected in their final years. Deena has another saying, “They are my kids, and I love them as if they are my own family. Dreams of liberating and honoring the elderly have finally come true!” Please schedule a tour and see firsthand how Deena is changing the industry one house at a time.
Bruce Hocker, CEO of Amy’s Eden Senior Care
