After a long career on Wall Street, Joseph Heinlein decided last year it was time for a change. He felt “empty” in his job. He wanted to help people.
“I did a lot of research, a lot of digging. Over the months I slowly looked at lots of different possibilities. I thought of going back to school to be a doctor. I wanted to do something every day where I could help and wanted to run my own business.”
At the same time he was exploring his possibilities, the movement for the elderly to age in place was gaining steam.
He discovered Synergy HomeCare, a company that started in Arizona eight years ago and is now a franchisor with 125 offices throughout the U.S.
Heinlein said there was a franchise in Manhattan, but when that office started getting calls from potential clients in Westchester, the company decided that the time was ripe for an office north of New York City.
So he started looking at the demographics of Westchester and met the person who runs Synergy”™s Manhattan office. “He said there was a huge demand in Westchester for these services.”
Heinlein said Synergy fit the bill for him because it provides nonmedical home care ”“ companionship, personal care and homemaking help.
“I didn”™t want to get into too many different types of services. I don”™t have a background in skilled nursing and the learning curve would have been too long.”
The office opened July 9 in Hastings with about 20 or 30 clients who signed up through the Manhattan office. Synergy serves clients of all ages, but Heinlein said most are elderly.
Right now, he is working on the first item on his to-do list ”“ hiring caregivers. He has 15, but wants to expand to 50.
“My employees are all W-4 employees, not independent contractors. So clients don”™t need to worry about unemployment or workers”™ comp. He said the hiring process is pretty rigorous. “They all have to be CPR and first-aid certified and have a current TB (tuberculosis) skin test. We go through their previous employment, their references and do a national background check. Everyone takes three-plus hours of pre-orientation training and has to pass exams. They have to learn infection control and safety issues.”
To match the client with the appropriate caregiver, Heinlein visits clients at home to get a feel for what their needs are. He says a lot of the people who do this kind of work tend to be health care providers coming in, either home health aides, certified nursing assistants, or personal care assistants.
They don”™t necessarily do their work at someone”™s home. “We will also go into a rehab center if a client is there after surgery, for example, if the family can”™t get there as often as they”™d like but they want someone the person feels comfortable with, we can go in. We can spend a few hours a day (three is the minimum) just keeping someone company. We could also be in an independent living or assisted living facility. For people with Alzheimer”™s or other forms of dementia, memory care is available. “These are people who have typically worked in a nursing home or an assisted living facility where there is an Alzheimer”™s or dementia section,” said Heinlein.
It doesn”™t end there. “We can also call to check on someone if the family wants,” he said.
And caregivers who are not Synergy employees can also take advantage of its services. “We do continuing education for caregivers. A family caregiver can get online training, at no charge, just by contacting Synergy,” he said. It”™s online information on caregiving topics that is available to anyone.
Heinlein has put out the call for help. “We need to fill shifts around the clock. We”™re taking applications and conducting interviews.”
