Behind the scenes, or "how we do what we do":

As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail us.

Caregivers - how they are hired and what their qualifications are:

Lisa Wiseman, the President of Eldercare Home Health interviews all staff personally. Lisa determines who is hired.

Lisa has many years of experience hiring and managing staff, both at The Baycrest Center and Queen Elizabeth Hospital (now known as The Toronto Rehabilitation Center).

All applicants are interviewed on site, in our offices. All applicants have their references checked and credentials reviewed.

Most of our staff are prepared at the Personal Support Worker (PSW) level. Many of our staff are Nurses and Doctors in the countries from which they came.

Lisa looks for people who are genuinely interested in working with the elderly and have the qualifications to do so. She looks for individuals who are positive, confident and responsible and who understand the responsibilities associated with working with the elderly.

Because of our demanding hiring process only 10 - 15 % of applicants end up working with Eldercare Home Health on an ongoing basis.

Payroll, insurance, government remittances - we take care of it all:

Our staff is hired by us and is on the Eldercare Home Health Inc. payroll. We take care of all government remittances associated with being an employer. All our staff are covered by Workers Compensation. Our goal is to make having caregivers working with you and/or your family as worry free as possible.

24/7 RN supervision - what it means and how you benefit:

All our staff are supervised by a registered Nurse. The importance of RN supervision when working with elderly clients cannot be understated.

Our RNs have the knowledge and experience that comes from years of working with elderly clients. Our RNs understand medications (medication often has a significantly different affect on the elderly) and their assessment skills are specifically attuned to the often very different situations that the elderly find themselves in.

They know what is normal, what to expect, and what can be done. They know how to access the available resources within the health care system and how to communicate with other health care professionals to your advantage.

In addition to regular client contact, and RN is on call 24/7 to caregivers who may find a client's health status has changed suddenly. They're also available 24/7 to clients and their families for urgent matters.

An advocate working for you:

Because our Registered Nurses know what to expect, what you have a right to and how the health care system works we act as advocates for our clients. We work hard to ensure that our clients receive the best care possible.

Competitive rates:

We are very aware of the cost of hiring our service. There is no getting around the fact that it can be expensive, especially long term.

We do everything we can to ensure that our clients receive what we consider to be unmatched value for their care dollars.

1. We know you'll find our rates to be very competitive (click for rates) although it is our feeling that there really are no comparable services available in Toronto .
   
   
2. Unlike most other services, we provide an on-site, no-obligation assessment by a Registered Nurse. We know how difficult it is to decide on the best path when dealing with an unfamiliar situation. Especially when it's the health of a family member or spouse. You want to feel that you've made the most informed decision and that you're doing what's best.
   
   
3. There is an RN on call 24/7 (see above).
   
   
4. We look at the whole picture when arranging care. Yes, the client's health status is first and foremost, but what are the resources available to the client to help keep them on track? There are many, many questions and each client has their own specific needs:

• Does the client have a family member available to help tidy up at home and do the grocery shopping or will we need to take care of these things?
• Is there a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions (possibly outdated) and over the counter meds that needs to be reviewed by a pharmacist ?
• What about mobility aids? Would the client benefit from having them, who will arrange for them?
• Are there any unsafe conditions at home - a client who smokes in bed (unsafe in itself) and no smoke detectors, loose carpets, steep stairways etc.
• What kind of physio is possible, and has it been put in place?
• Who will be helping the client follow through on the physiotherapy regime and what happens if the client has a setback?
• What happens if the client falls at night and no-one is home?
• Is the Doctor involved up to date with respect to the latest medications and treatments for the client's condition? Often our RN's are more current than family physicians about the latest drugs and treatments for the elderly because they work with them every day.

5. We follow through - we make sure that what is
supposed to happen, happens.

When you work with Eldercare Home Health Inc. you're working with a company with a proven track record of providing care to the elderly.

A company that Social Workers and Discharge Planners turn to when they need care for their own families, and a company that is responsive to the ever changing needs of the elderly.

If at any time you have a question about any aspect of our service please feel free to contact us. We're here to help.

We answer to you:

What it all comes down to is that you have someone to talk to, someone who will act and someone you can trust. We take our responsibilities very seriously. We look forward to hearing from you.