We are dedicated to “growing our own experienced caregivers. Our industry struggles along with most other businesses these days. The very best caregivers are aging out of the workplace, taking their wisdom and experience with them.

So, we are focused on recruiting and retaining smart, caring new caregivers and mentoring them along the way in our values and practice expectations. As they grow in their skills, learn from more experienced staff and contribute more to their clients, increasing their value to our company as they grow with us.

Tasha is a bright caring and well-organized caregiver. Her clients, a very sick elderly gentlemen with later stage kidney disease and his charming wife, in early stages of dementia. Their needs are different, and they clearly adore each other. Tasha’s organizational skills are still being developed as she juggles her time to meet their varying needs. Candy, our recruiter staffing coordinator and Client support person brings wisdom and experience to her role and Tasha has been a wiling student. Her enthusiasm genuine and contagious.

I Just Turned 60, But I Still Feel 22 By Margaret Renkl

Ms. Renkl is a contributing Opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South.

NASHVILLE — I was already in college before I finally understood that my entire life had overlapped with second-wave feminism, a force that transformed American culture without so much as registering on a certain young woman in Alabama. All my life I had been stepping through open doors, it turned out, blithely unaware of the vision and sacrifice and passionate persistence of the women who had opened those doors for me.

Once I understood that, I also understood that I wouldn’t want to have landed on this planet a single moment earlier than I did.

A woman born in Lower Alabama in 1961 has little use for nostalgia. Go back to the “good old days” when women were limited to professions like education or nursing and little else? Back to a time when the opportunities available to Black and brown people, and to Black and brown women especially, were even more profoundly limited? No, thank you very much.

The only trouble with being born in 1961 is that in 2021 you will turn 60, something I did last week. It’s very strange to persist in feeling 22, even as every mirror — and every storefront window and polished elevator door — reveals the truth. Sixty is the point at which people must admit they are no longer middle-aged.

Lately it’s been dawning on me that I would not want to have been born even one minute later than 1961, either. Last week I mentioned this new thought to a friend, and her response was immediate, as though she’d already had it herself: “Because we won’t have to live through the cataclysm?”

On October 2, 2019, my husband Tom’s surprise birthday party was attended by 30 + family members, including the most special guests our grandchildren, Ryan 5 and Nora 3, who traveled from Canada with their parents Scott and Marissa to celebrate with us. Never did we imagine that we would not see them again until June of 2021, at the beach in Avalon NJ.

That joyful reunion, involving air and car travel, Covid testing, social distancing and careful planning was well worth the reward of having our favorite kids run to us with excited hugs, causing all of us to collapse with delight. Nearly two years absence is an eternity in the lives of young children. And the grandparents who adore them.

As 2019 ended, 2020 opened with an unprecedented worldwide infection, soon declared a pandemic. The main stream media stars and politicians hungry for press coverage competed for screen time, often spreading inaccurate information to a wary TV audience. A now confused, frightened population became compliant, not questioning the use of masks, gloves, distancing, closed schools and embracing isolation as a defense against disease.

There are some myths being hyped right now by the clueless media and by “certified virtual consultants” on social media. What the hell does that mean? Who certifies them—holograms?

We need to sort through the realities and the mythologies and make sound decisions with the truths at hand. Some of those decisions are tough, such as demanding vaccinations if one seeks to retain employment. (This worked well at United, but not at all at Southwest. They are both unionized airlines, so what’s the distinction?)

And you, yourself, can’t fall prey to the myths and false information, the fears and the fabrications. Help friends and family deal with empirical reality by doing so yourself.

If you can do that, 2022 will be a great year. ■

On October 22, we celebrated Angie Amegashi becoming a U.S.  citizen. This had been a long-term dream for Angie, a former caregiver for us, now a good friend. We consider Angie, her husband Ray and children Michelle and RJ as family.

Unbeknownst to me, this self-sufficient smart lady found excellent community resources to assist people in the citizenship process. Although it seemed daunting at first, Angie found a valuable resource at the LIBRARY!

I learned that Public libraries help ease the way for people new to the United States to participate fully in American society. Libraries serve as a gateway to citizenship, offering English language learning, training materials and resources on immigration and citizenship, and opportunities to connect with the local community.

Her” immigration helper” smoothed the way for her with coaching, test and interview prep, and completing the once daunting paperwork.  He was supportive, patient and helpful. At the LOCAL LIBRARY! This is a federally supported program staffed with professionals dedicated to easing the sometimes-difficult path to citizenship.

Kudos to all these wonderful people. To those reluctant to take this path, check with your local library TODAY !

And finally, CONGRATULATIONS TO ANGIE! Proud new citizen. Don’t forget to VOTE!. ■

We are privileged to have received referrals from and be able to coordinate care with many Assisted Living facilities, rehab facilities, and Medicare Home Care and Hospice agencies. Our growth is in large part due to the trust the staff in these organizations have put in our caregivers. We are likewise impressed with them and we are committed to referring to them on a regular basis