After spending 24 years at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, registered nurse and Lake Orion resident Sandra Stewart gave up her daily commute so she could operate Visiting Angels, offering seniors help at home.
‘I had a strong desire to take care of people,? Stewart said of her initial desire to go into nursing. She earned her nursing degree at St. Clair Community College in Port Huron. She began thinking about going into home care after her mother’s battle with cancer.
‘My mother had cancer and she needed someone to take care of her at home while (Stewart and her siblings) were working,? she said. ‘She died four years ago.?
Stewart convinced her husband leaving her job at Beaumont would be the right thing to do, and six months ago opened a Visiting Angels franchise from her home. Visiting Angels currently has over 180 national franchises.
‘I went on the web and researched non-medical home care agencies,? Stewart said. ‘I liked the name (Visiting Angels) and their philosophy.?
Vising Angels? believes in developing a relationship with the client and to be proactive in their care. Stewart said she communicates with her clients on a weekly basis, often more.
‘It’s very personalized,? she said. ‘Caregivers need 1-3 years of experience. They are not new at this.?
The nature of the business is not medical care, but instead Stewart visits with clients and helps them with housework, errands and other chores.
‘One of my clients is 90 years old, she needs someone to come in and help her with her laundry,? said Stewart. ‘We do light housework, errands, transportation. With also do assistance with bathing and ambulation.
‘All they need sometimes is a companion, someone to talk to,? she said. ‘We don’t do any medical care, but we do medication reminders. We can’t actually touch a pill.?
Stewart said this kind of home care is becoming very popular, and will become even more so in the near future, with the senior population growing.
‘It is going to peek sometime around 2010,? she said. ‘I find being a nurse is more helpful (in the business)…When (a client) tells me they have a condition, I know exactly what they’re talking about.
‘The elderly is the fastest growing segment of the American population. At the same time, working families have less time to spend caring for their aging parents, which has created a real crisis in America,? Stewart said.
About 5 to 10 percent of Visiting Angels franchise owners are former nurses, Stewart said.
‘They are the people who’ve taken care of 20-30 patients, and get burned out,? she said. ‘They love working one-on-one. They spoil (the clients).?
Stewart said she has developed close friendships with her clients.
‘If they die while (the home caregiver) is on the case, people take it very seriously,? she said.
Stewart loves the work and said her phone rings more and more every day.
‘I have a 3-hour minimum, but it can be up to a live-in situation,? she said. ‘Each case is customized for their needs.
‘As a nurse, I feel very privileged to be able to have this kind of impact on the quality of life of my clients,? said Stewart.
‘Our job is to lessen their burden, and provide their families with peace of mind, and a way to let Mom or Dad continue to live in the home they have grown to love over the years,’she said.
Visiting Angels can be found online at www.visitingangels.com, and reached by email at visitingangelsss@yahoo.com.
Stewart’s Visiting Angels office in Lake Orion can be reached at 693-6567.