Research shows that staying socially engaged can positively influence seniors’ physical and mental health
PARKSVILLE – A little bit of care goes a long way at the right time, where it’s needed.
D’Arcy Falkiner knows this very well, and the Registered Nurse has made this mandate of her Comfort Keepers franchise, which serves seniors in the mid-Vancouver Island area from Lantzville to Bowser, including Port Alberni.
“We want to bring joy back into our client’s lives,” she states. “People want to be at home. They love their homes, they’ve put all their time and energy and love into their homes and that’s where they want to stay. We’re bringing good quality care into their homes.”
“We’re a care company, and I’ve been caring for seniors for basically all my career,” she adds, adding she was Director of a senior’s facility in Qualicum Beach for many years. “I ran a great facility that provided wonderful care, and now I’ve transferred that into the community, as that’s where seniors want to age gracefully.”
Comfort Keepers’ features a wholistic approach to care.
“Care is about a relationship. . .it’s not just about a task,” she says. “Tasks become meaningless if there isn’t a relationship around it, and a person’s joy in life increases when they’re achieving these tasks with somebody they trust.
Comfort Keepers offers a number of in-home care services to seniors and adults
“Aging is a difficult time for people,” she adds. “There’s a lot of loss happening as people age, and bringing joy back into their life is what our aim is.”
Comfort Keepers offers a wide variety of ser-vices, including almost everything from companionship to personal care.
“Our team does shopping for people, light housework, does errands for our clients, takes them to their doctor, eye and hearing appointments, and gets them to exercise groups,” she explains. “For elderly people, often driving becomes a bit of an issue, so getting them to appointments is a lot of what we do.”
D’Arcy bought the Comfort Keepers central Vancouver Island franchise five years ago and has grown the business steadily each year. Today, she has a staff of over 50 in the field, and purposes to treat and pay them well.
Comfort Keepers make the day brighter for seniors and other adults by offering a variety of customized personal care services
“I think because I’m an RN and I have other Licensed Practical Nurses on staff, we watch our clients and our caregivers and follow up on all of them,” she says. “It’s not a ‘get the client and forget about it’ attitude, and we are consistently checking with our clients to ensure there is continual follow-up and if there are issues, we can quickly address and rectify them.
“Giving our caregivers a really good life experience gives me a really good workforce as well,” she says, adding some workers choose to work a minimum of three hours a week and some choose to work 40. “If they have what they want it works really well and I have happy caregivers.”
The Comfort Keepers emphasis matches her personal goals for care giving, and the services are very well received, particularly with families who have loved ones suffering memory loss, or Alzheimer’s.
“As baby boomers age, there is so much need in our community, and people don’t really know where to look for care and help,” she says. “That’s what we’re here for.”
By Mark MacDonald