Whether you need care for a client, a resident, a patient, yourself, or a loved one, it’s not always possible to plan ahead perfectly. When emergency situations arise, it’s easy to feel lost and overwhelmed.

Family & Nursing Care is a 24/7, 365 day-a-year business that understands critical care needs can arise at any time. We strive to go above and beyond in our response to clients and their family members facing crisis. Our goal is to support and usher them through every aspect of their home care needs — from that first point of contact with us and throughout the care journey.

The importance of the initial contact
Almost 75% of people who call Family & Nursing Care are looking for a caregiver in the next 48 hours, especially when following a hospital discharge. “Our team’s first priority is to be a calming presence,” says Jeff Briggs, Director of Intake. “We want to understand a caller’s concerns and connect with them on a personal level. We know they didn’t plan for this, so our intake team serves as their guide.”

Often, family members are not only under the stress of wanting to quickly get help for their loved ones but are also new to the process of setting up care. Our team works to understand each clients’ individual situation, so we can help families move forward with the best care for their loved one.

Understanding each client’s unique needs
When speaking with a client or their family member for the first time Family & Nursing Care staff will ask a series of questions to better assess the situation and the needs of the client. Questions may include:

• What’s on your mind?
• What main concerns do you have?
• How long has your loved one been experiencing the specific issues you are describing?

“Each client is unique, even if their situations may appear similar on the surface,” says Mitch Markowitz, Vice President of Business Development.

Making the right client/Caregiver match
We also pride ourselves on our ability to make the right match between client and Caregiver. This process begins in the initial call when we ask about who, if anyone, lives in the home with the client, what kind of home they live in, their preferences, and even if they have pets. A good client/Caregiver match can mean the world to clients and help their family members relax and achieve peace of mind knowing their loved one is being looked after by a trusted resource. The daughter of one of our clients recently sent us a note saying, “I appreciate our Caregiver Angele, who is very understanding and patient with my mother’s needs. She gives us sound advice and stays in contact with me while I’m at work.”

Care when you need it for as long as you need it – no long-term commitment required
Since crisis situations can be unpredictable, and clients’ needs vary, we don’t require long-term commitments. Whether short-term or long-term care is needed, Family & Nursing Care can help. We are able to place a Caregiver with a client as soon as the same day of the initial call, if required.

We have teams of people dedicated to ensuring our clients receive excellent service. Client Services Managers and Associates are always on hand to provide a high-level of support to clients and their families. All the while, Care Coordinating Managers are working beside them, helping to match the right Caregiver for each situation and give Caregivers all the information and support they need. This support is not only available at the start of care, but for as long as the care is needed. In addition, our skilled Accounting and Long-Term Care Insurance teams are there to shepherd clients and their families through the billing and Long-Term Care Insurance reimbursement process. Our longstanding relationships with hospitals, senior living communities, skilled nursing facilities, and insurance companies, allow us to liaise in the coordination of what can often be confusing discharge and/or intake instructions and other paperwork.

When a client or family member calls Family & Nursing Care in the throes of a crisis, our first priority is to address the immediate need, getting a client the care and support they need at home with the aid of a capable and compassionate Caregiver. But our commitment doesn’t stop there … our whole Family & Nursing Care team will be there to help every step of the process. With Family & Nursing Care by your side, crisis situations don’t have to be confusing and intimidating.

From L to R: Jennie Ray, Savannah Staubs, Meghan Jackson, Katie Cash

Our Client Service Management Associates are not only compassionate and hardworking but also integral to the Family & Nursing Care team.

While you might not get the chance to see them in person often, you likely have heard our Client Service Management Associates on the other end of the phone when you call Family & Nursing Care. They help ensure lines of communication are kept open even while the Client Service Managers are out in the field visiting clients and their families.

This close-knit team — Jennie, Savannah, and Meghan— have much in common, and it’s not just their passion for helping enhance the lives of older adults. This group is empathetic, responsive, and knowledgeable, making them the perfect active listeners and points of contact to form relationships with clients and their families and gain a sense of how to best help them. The Client Service Management Associates innately know how to help clients and families feel heard, comfortable, and confident in their next steps. What’s more, in working closely with Client Services Managers, the Associates gain valuable on-the-job experience, making them skilled candidates for promotion when the time is right. Katie Cash was recently promoted from the Associate group to Client Services Manager.

Their unique blend of perspectives and backgrounds adds that personal touch the Family & Nursing Care team strives to achieve with every interaction. Prior to joining our team, these Associates’ work varied including elder care, case management, working with marginalized communities, teaching, and real estate.

When these D.C. Metro natives aren’t at work, they enjoy biking, painting, making pottery, and spending time with their families, friends, and pets.

Phyllis Sheerin Ross is full of gratitude for the big and small beauty each day has to offer, like watching the sun rise with a steaming hot cup of coffee, surprise calls from friends, spending time with her family, and relaxing at home while listening to her favorite tunes that can range anywhere from a violin concerto to old time rock and roll.

When reflecting on the favorite year of her life, Phyllis recalls 1961 and her first real job as a Correspondent for Book of the Month Club in New York City. Even though the job had its share of learning curves, Phyllis thinks back to her first apartment in Greenwich Village – a converted hotel room with only a hot plate to cook on – with pride as it was a symbol of independence and an exciting time to grow and thrive in adulthood. She recounts getting her morning bagel and being so happy that she could tip the server, as well as making forever friends in the Village, including her future husband, Earl.

Though long past that New York rush era in her life, through Family & Nursing Care, Phyllis is able to maintain her independence with the support of a Caregiver who provides companionship to admire today’s joys, re-live fond memories, and lean on in tougher times. When Phyllis first met her Caregiver, Selam, her beloved cat Bugsy was feeling a bit shy. He hid under the bed, and it took some sweet talking and crunchy cat treats to get him out of his shell. Now that initial reticence feels like a distant memory. Bugsy is like a teenager in love when it comes to Selam, constantly nuzzling up to her and purring. Phyllis sees her Caregiver as a vital part of her family now and the trio continues to make so many new memories together.

As we head into 2024, Phyllis says her only resolution this year is to abide by John Wesley’s (1707-1791) “Rule of Conduct”:

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.