Personal Experience Inspires Successful Home Care Business
Julie Kollada had a nagging feeling that the last months of her mom's life could have gone better . . . for both of them.
The life-changing chain of events began in 2006 with a string of distressing phone calls from her mom. The television wasn't working. Then it was the stove . . . then the microwave. Yet, the truth was the appliances were fine; it was Julie's mom who wasn't. A diagnosis of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease meant that the once intelligent and independent woman would eventually require significant help with the simplest of daily tasks.
"A whole world emerged that I had never even been aware of before, and I found myself smack dab in the middle of it," recalled Julie, a working mom who felt frustrated and ill-equipped to also care for her mom. "I tried to get advice, but it was overwhelming." One hospital representative gave Julie a list of 200 home care companies. Julie picked the first one on the list, which turned out to be a mistake. "I thought I was hiring a true home care company, but it was actually only an agency that placed independent contractors." The agency couldn't find coverage for vacation days and took no responsibility for the quality of the caregivers they referred.
"I learned so much from my experience helping my mom, and I knew that I could personally do a better job of meeting the needs of those who needed care as well as those who care for them," said Julie. That belief-coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen-was the impetus that the North Shore native needed to open her own home care business, Open Arms Solutions, headquartered in Northbrook and serving Chicago in Cook and Lake Counties.
Inspired to Deliver Better Home Care
"The whole journey inspired me," Julie said. "I was confident that I could run a good business with my experience, and I was motivated to do right by families; to provide personal, compassionate care while also easing the burden on loved ones."
After thoroughly researching the home care industry and working with a health care consultant, Julie founded Open Arms Solutions and served her first client in 2009. The owner and president of Open Arms, Julie says her company has provided home care solutions for well over 500 families and has a staff of 140 and growing-most of whom are caregivers.
Real Solutions for Real Families
What differentiates Open Arms from the pack of home care providers is, first and foremost, it is a licensed, full-service, home care company. Unlike a placement agency or hiring privately, Open Arms screens, trains, manages and employs all of their bonded and insured caregivers and is able to provide back-up support as needed. In addition, Open Arms puts an emphasis on providing care for the whole family and specializes in caring for clients who have some form of dementia or memory loss.
"We pride ourselves on providing a comprehensive solution and communicating to the entire family, whether it is a spouse, sibling, child or children," Julie said. Open Arms care coordinators touch base with the key contacts for each client once a week. "Family needs change quickly and often. We make sure that our caregivers are delivering the care that is needed and wanted at all times."
Becoming an Alzheimer's Whisperer
Due to her personal experience and because dementia tends to play a role in many clients' care needs, Julie launched Embrace by Open Arms, which features a new approach to providing life-enriching care that is custom-tailored to each client's personal preferences and needs. Open Arms caregivers receive advanced training based on the research and teaching of Verna Benner Carson, PhD, a renowned expert in the field. Nationally known for her work on the unique needs of the Alzheimer's patient, Dr. Carson is the author of eight books and over 80 published articles on psychiatric, dementia and spiritual issues in healthcare.
Keeping in step with Julie's mission to pave a smoother path than her own for family caregivers, Open Arms is offering Dr. Carson's program "Becoming an Alzheimer's Whisperer: A Loving and Gentle Approach to Manage Challenging Behaviors," free of charge for professional and family caregivers. Those who attend will find a better, loving approach to managing difficult behaviors and creating a more mutually fulfilling care-giving and care-receiving relationship.
Programs will be held Wednesday, June 24, at 5 p.m. at Weinberg Community for Senior Living, 1551 Lake Cook Road, in Deerfield and on Thursday, June 25, at 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at North Shore Place, 1000 Sunset Ridge Road, in Northbrook. The program is offered at no charge to professional (1.5 CEU credits for nurses and social workers) and family caregivers, however please RSVP to events@openarmssolutions.com or 847-272-4997 by June 19.
For more information please visit OpenArmsSolutions.com.