Providing quality service to others is central to Assisting Hands Home Care, according to Vikki Hurley-Schubert, director of community relations and communications for Monmouth County, New Jersey. By Cindy Charette
Providing quality service to others is central to Assisting Hands Home Care, according to Vikki Hurley-Schubert, director of community relations and communications for Monmouth County, New Jersey. The franchise defines its service as helping people remain independent, safe and comfortable in their homes, while also having empathy and protecting clients’ dignity.
Community service is also an essential aspect of the job for franchise owner Gerry Patrizio and his staff. This is especially true when it comes to those dealing with food insecurity.
“As experts in senior care, we know how important good nutrition is to keeping seniors healthy, safe and happy at home,” said Patrizio. “No one should be dealing with food insecurity or malnutrition in their golden years. Imagine how much pride an older adult has to swallow to walk into the food pantry and ask for help.”
Hurley-Schubert explained that Patrizio’s office also raises funds for its local Alzheimer’s Association chapter, and employees participate in an annual walk.
“I’ve served on the Walk to End Alzheimer’s committee since I started my franchise,” said Patrizio. “We watch our families struggle as loved ones battle this terrible disease, and great strides have been made in finding effective treatments in recent years.”
Patrizio’s office runs multiple food drives, hosts volunteer nights at the food bank, hosts fundraising networking events and volunteers at a local soup kitchen.
“We also realized that many of our caregivers are living paycheck to paycheck, and they may need support at some point to feed their families,” added Patrizio.
Additionally, Patrizio and Hurley-Schubert recently completed in-depth ethics training to better serve individuals living in long-term care communities, where serious ethical issues can arise. In these cases, a specially trained committee can be called upon to provide an impartial, comprehensive assessment of the situation and offer non-binding recommendations to the individuals involved.
“One of our core values is to have empathy, and we define it as the understanding, being aware of and being sensitive to the feelings, thoughts and experiences of others,” said Patrizio. “Empathy drives our will to serve clients and the communities we work, live and play in.”
Cindy Charette