by James Coburn
Staff Writer
Care Plus Home Care is a non-medical private duty home service.
“We take care of seniors in the comfort of their own home as an alternative to an institution setting,” said Kristi Brewer-Campbell, owner and director of Care Plus Home Care, located at 9828 N.E. 23rd Street, Oklahoma City.
“We can go for up to 24 hours a day,” Campbell said. “And a lot of seniors we actually live with 24/7 because they can’t be left alone.”
Care Plus Home Care offers as little as four hours per visit with personal care assistance, companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders and help with bathing and hygiene.
Care Plus Home Care does not offer nursing care, but if a client has that need they can complement a nursing agency assisting at the home.
Certified home health aides are hired along with certified nurse aides as part of a large staff to provide service to clients.
“We do a lot of respite care for caregivers,” Campbell said. “Let’s say a wife is taking care of her husband and she just needs a break – they’ll hire us to come and give some respite. So that can be a really huge help to families because it can be a really stressful thing to do.”
The staff at Care Plus Home Care must have a passion for caregiving, she continued. They are hard workers who want more than a paycheck out of life. Dependability is vital in the home care industry, Campbell said.
“We have to have someone who is dependable and doesn’t call off work because these people need us,” she added.
Clients depend on the caregivers and they become like family. A gentle nature and compassion is essential while serving the clients.
“Companionship is a huge part of what we do when having someone visit with mom. We have several male caregivers. Our male clients just want someone to pal around with sometimes,” Campbell explained. “It’s a great fit when we have a male caregiver in with a male client because they get lonely.”
Caregivers run errands, shop for groceries and assist with doctor appointments. They can be the eyes and ears for families out of state, Campbell explained. Family members might live four hours away and cannot check on a loved one every day.
“And so that’s what we do. We’re their eyes and ears and can communicate with families just to make sure dad is OK,” she said.
Campbell and her mother Nancy Brewer started Care Plus together. A few years ago her mom started baking homemade birthday cakes.
“It’s gorgeous, multi-layered and, people are so thankful because a lot of times their families are out of town and they don’t get a homemade birthday cake,” Campbell said. “It’s so warming because they always send thank you cards. She has saved all of them.”
Campbell gets compliments all the time about the caregivers accepted as family. She is told the caregivers are important and a great family member, Campbell said.
“It can be a great relief,” she said.
Campbell said she tells family caregivers they need to take care of themselves. It’s so important, she said. Who will take care of their loved one if something happened to the primary caregiver?
“We hear stories all the time of family members calling and they are in desperate need of some help,” Campbell said. “And they’re saying, ‘I just need a break,’” Campbell said. “A lady called me just a few weeks ago and she needed just to go and take a nap. She couldn’t because she was up all night with her husband. And she said to me, ‘I’m going to stay at home while you’re here, but I just need to go take a nap.’”
Being small and family owned allows Care Plus Home Care to take the extra step in taking care of clients.
“They know they can always call me,” she said.
