Time sure does fly! I can’t believe it’s been 8 years ago this month that I opened the doors of Visiting Angels. In August of 2002 I took a leap of faith and a huge passion for senior care and opened my Visiting Angels, private duty home care agency.

Anniversaries are always a time for reflection. They're time to look over the past and plan the future. Time to recognize all those who share the anniversary. No one can make a dream a reality without the help of others. This anniversary has literally been shared by hundreds, if not thousands of people. So today I am writing about how Visiting Angels came to be, the vision and values we carry, and the gratitude I have for the people involved.

In 2002 I had 25 years experience in senior care and advocacy, but little business experience. I was at a crossroads in my life leaving my job with the state of Michigan, and knowing that I had to work in senior care. I had a lot of experience in different aspects of care for the elderly but I often found frustration with the inability to provide the best care possible because of management, short staffing, or insurance companies. I worked in home health for a number of years and hated discharging patients that I knew would decline without us, just because Medicare or the insurance company said we had to.

I also found it very difficult to work for employer’s who didn’t have the same high standards of care I did. This is not to say that every company I worked for was bad, but many were substandard and cared about the bottom line over patient care. When you’re not in charge, or don’t direct the type of care provided, there is little you can do.

All of us can look back over our employment history and quickly think about the best and worst companies we worked for. I can easily say that my job as a hospice nurse for Individualized Hospice and Homecare was the best! From the founders and owners down through the ranks everyone had patient care as a priority. This is the one place I can say that absolutely everyone that worked there sincerely cared about the patients and each other. This was also the one and only job I sent a thank you note for hiring me. The company no longer exists as it was, but the standards, feelings, and example stayed with me. I am grateful to everyone I worked with and for at Individualized Hospice for showing me the best in care.

In 2002, when I started looking into opening a home care agency I knew I wanted a company like Individualized. I knew as long as I could direct the care, and hire individuals who had a special place in their hearts for the elderly I could have a company that truly cared about the people we served.

Some people wonder why, as a nurse, I opened a nonmedical franchise. There are two easy answers. One is I wanted to care for patients as long as they decided. Nonmedical care is not directed by insurance companies. Our clients and families decide how much and how long they want assistance. Although medical care is extremely important, nonmedical care is just as important in helping the elderly and disabled adults stay as independent as possible in their home of choice. I say home of choice because we assist our clients in private homes, long-term care facilities and assisted living facilities. We don’t have to discharge patients in need because an insurance company says so. Whether it's medical care or nonmedical care we have the ability to make a difference. The second reason for buying a franchise is the business aspect of things. Yes, I could have opened a non-franchise private home care company, but I am a nurse that loves seniors, not business. I had no reservations about providing the care; it was running the business that I thought I needed help with. I wanted to concentrate on care not on developing manuals, marketing materials, and all the other things a franchise provides.

I checked into several companies and found Visiting Angels to be the company that aligned the most with my values about care. The founder is a social worker named Jeffrey Johnson. He has a huge heart for the elderly. Jeffrey doesn’t care how many franchises he sells, he just wanted to duplicate a great care model so the elderly could access caring, respectable home care. Jeffrey started franchising in the late 90’s and is still as down to earth and caring as he was when he began.

Franchise ownership differs by company. All Visiting Angels offices are independently owned and operated. There are specifics we have to abide by as far as marketing or trademarks go, but most aspects of the day to day business are self directed. The corporate office offers guidance and recommended policies but most decisions are entirely up to the owners.

As I look back over the last 8 years, I am so very grateful to my staff who have provided countless hours of care, to hundreds of clients and families. Without the caring individuals who have been with me over the years I would not have had the ability to care for all the wonderful clients and families we have assisted. I am extremely grateful to have met and spent time with our clients, families, and compassionate, caring staff. This 8-year journey has allowed me to meet the most interesting and wonderful people.

Having a career that makes a difference in people’s lives is more rewarding than I can express. Getting a phone call from a family telling us how much they, and their family member, love their caregiver, and how happy they are with our service warms my heart. I have many stories in my heart, like our caregiver getting a client to speak after he hadn't spoken in months, or how much someone's mom has improved since we began care. There are no words that can describe what that means. Being able to help our clients remain as independent as possible, and relieve the stress family caregivers often experience is very gratifying. Every single time we can make a positive difference in someone’s life my heart smiles. I wish I had a photo of our staff’s faces every time we passed on a compliment from a family they served. The joy it brings them to know they are making a difference and appreciated is priceless!

Over the last 8 years there have been some incredible relationships formed. Many of our clients and/or families stay in contact long after service has ended. We value relationships at Visiting Angels. Without a good relationship, home care doesn’t work. Relationships are formed throughout our organization, between clients, families, caregiver’s and administrative staff. We also establish relationships with other individuals and companies involved in our client’s care. We believe in working as a team with all parties involved for the best possible care and outcome for our client.

Every single client starts out by knowing myself or my very special assistant director, Cindy Guindon. Most clients know us both. Rarely do clients or patients know the owner of the company they receive service from. This has been a priority with me from Day 1. When service is directed from the owner down, how can we provide the best if we don’t even know our client’s? We also believe our client’s need to have a face to put with a name when they call us. We want our client’s and families to feel comfortable calling us for any reason. My nursing background and Cindy's experience in senior health allows us to provide much more than our specific services. We consider all aspects of the client and family caregiver's quality of life and educate, offer resources, and referrals that will improve their situation.

I almost always make the initial home visit. Being chronically ill, there are times I am unable, but if my health allows me to visit, I am there. If I am unable to make the first visit, Cindy makes the visit. Our second visit to introduce the caregiver(s), for the client and family to approve, prior to the start of service, is generally made by Cindy. This gives us both the opportunity to meet the client and family, and them to meet and know us. This is where the relationship is established. Our process relieves the fear the elderly and their families so often have when they are inviting strangers into their home. Losing independence and asking for help is very difficult. We understand that no one really wants care. Whatever we can do to make it more comfortable and easy for the client, we will do.

We find it an honor to be chosen as the company that will tend to the needs of our client’s and families. We are very grateful to the hundreds of families that have entrusted us with their care needs.

The last 8 years has been a definite learning process. Many changes have been made and many more will come. Every day we strive to provide the best care we can. We are not perfect, and no company is, but every day we aim to be better. Our core values are to provide care that we would want our own family members to receive. We value respectful, dignified, compassionate, reliable, and trustworthy care that comes from a place of integrity and empathy. We truly want our clients to feel like they are being visited by angels. We want to make care and assistance comforting in a time when losing independence is devastating. We aim to increase, or at a minimum, maintain independence. We support family caregivers and do what we can to relieve stress, and help provide the best quality of life possible for all involved.

I am grateful to the discharge planners, social workers, nurses, physicians, therapists and everyone who has referred to Visiting Angels. Your belief and trust in us is humbling. Thank you to all who have spoken highly of us, passed along a compliment or written a thank you note. These are the things that remind us why we do what we do when we have a tough day, or are feeling fatigued.

Thank you to my Senior Service Expert group of professional business owners and representatives who also believe educating people in our community is worth volunteering their time and effort, to offer seminars, free of charge. Without naming everyone in particular I have to especially thank Theresa Likert, the owner of Oxygen Plus, for seeing my vision and helping me establish this group of ethical, caring, and dedicated women.

I will never be able to thank my assistant director, Cindy, enough, for uncompromising dedication to our clients' care, our staff and the agency. I don't know what I would do without her! Her compassionate and kind heart, her determination, work ethic and attitude are amazing and I am truly grateful. I am also grateful to AnnArbor.com, the Alzheimer’s Reading Room, Great Places Inc., The National Senior Living Provider’s Network, and Wellsphere, for recognizing my passion for senior care and inviting me to write on senior care and issues affecting the elderly and family caregiver’s. Giving me the opportunity to share more than 30 years of knowledge and experience in senior care and advocacy allows me to help more people than I would’ve ever dreamed.

It's hard not to go on and on thanking all the people who have been there with me and for me over the last 8 years. Lastly I have to thank my family who encouraged me and beared with me when I worked too many hours, or got frustrated over a problem.

Although my husband has only been with me 2 years out of the last 8, I am extremely grateful for his belief in my work, his support, his understanding and encouragement. The one who on a daily basis picks me up when I'm down, kicks me in the butt when I need it and shares my work with pride. The one I can count on to share my joyful moments, and lean on in the trying moments. It takes a special person to understand this work and how much a part of my life it is.

The knowledge and experience I have gained is useless unless I use it to the best of my ability, and others benefit. I feel extremely privileged to be able to help educate and advocate for the elderly and family caregiver’s.

As we begin our ninth year, I can say without a doubt that I made a very good decision in August 2002. Not only have we been able to help people in our community, but also our lives have been significantly enhanced because of it.

My staff and I look forward to continuing our journey of making a difference in the lives of our clients and families, and those we will meet and assist in the future. We thank you for your trust and allowing us to be part of your lives. We are sincerely grateful!

To contact Angil Tarach-Ritchey with questions or comments, e-mail visitingangelswc@comcast.net or call Visiting Angels at 734-929-9201.