By
Meredith Knight
| Photos by Lake Pointe
Photography
If you’re not in this
exact position, there’s probably someone in your friend group who
is. Your parent or parents want to be independent,
but you find yourself distracted during the day worried that they’ve fallen
and need your help. Or perhaps they’ll trust the wrong stranger who means
them harm. Will they leave the stove on? Are they remembering to take their
medication? Meanwhile, you have your own family responsibilities. Your time
is divided between your job, your kids, your marriage, running your own home,
and running your parent’s home which may be on the other side of town — or
even in another state. We’re not called “the sandwich generation” for
nothing.
It was for families like yours that Ronnie
Howell and Jeff Mayhall established Christian Companion Senior Care (CCSC),
providing reliable and affordable in-home care services for seniors and peace
of mind for their families. Their carefully vetted caregivers can help your
parents with meal preparation and cleanup, medication reminders, exercise,
light housekeeping, grocery shopping, and feeding and caring for their pets.
They can lend a hand with personal grooming such as bathing, dressing, and
hygiene, transfer from bed to wheelchair, skincare, grooming, walking, and
mobility. They can provide transportation to doctor visits, shopping, or hair
appointments. And when requested, they’ll even share in Bible reading, prayer,
daily devotionals, and church attendance.
Since 2009, the Christian Companion Senior
Care mission has been to offer a helping hand for seniors, to be there when
you can’t be. The internet is full of heartfelt reviews of this locally owned
and operated service.
One family
had this to say:
“Christian
Companion Senior Care has provided caregiving services for my mother for
several years. I’ve been very pleased with all the caregivers. They’ve all
been dependable, trustworthy, caring, and competent. They’ve communicated
well with me about any issues they encounter in caring for my mother. Any
time I have a question or concern, CCSC has been quick to respond. This is a
quality agency.”
Another
family wrote:
“We’ve been
working with Christian Companion for about a year and a half. Their caregiver
has been over and beyond helpful. They’re very patient with my parents and
they’re very efficient. My parents feel safe, comfortable, and extremely
impressed. The owners do a very good job of putting the right people in the
right house. If you have questions or concerns, they’re quick to respond. I
would highly suggest them.”
As their business has grown, Owners Ronnie
and Jeff have remained hands-on, personally vetting each employee and getting
to know each client. Ronnie still visits each potential client’s home for a
free evaluation and then carefully develops a care plan that’s unique to them
and matches them to just the right caregiver. Jeff still personally handles
scheduling, and both men remain actively involved in day-to-day
operations.
By the time many families call Christian
Companion Senior Care, they’ve hit a wall. Ronnie explained, “Often it’s a
situation where one spouse is taking care of the other and the grown kids
don’t realize how difficult it’s become. They may even live out of state and
think everything is going well, but don’t realize the caretaking spouse is
neglecting their own health as they care for the person they’ve loved and
been married to for 50 or 60 years. They don’t want to delegate their care to
someone else, but their health is suffering because of it. Where they used to
get out and play golf or have coffee with a friend, now this is all they do.
They’re not trained caregivers and this full-time care is physically and
emotionally exhausting them.”
“Or it may be a grown child caring for a
parent while neglecting themselves and their other relationships,” he said.
“They take on the responsibility so gradually that it becomes their new
normal, and they don’t realize how they’ve cut everything else out of their
life to care for their parent. Their marriage is suffering and they’re not
doing their job as well.”
That’s when Ronnie can sit down with the
whole family and explain Christian Companion Senior Care’s in-home personal
and companion care. “By delegating some of the responsibility to us, you can
return to the relationship you had with your spouse or your parent,” he said.
“You can enjoy spending time with them, while we’re taking care of other
details.”
In a case where the parent or other family
members aren’t onboard with getting help, Ronnie can explain the benefits of
the service and what it will mean for the family. They’re also long-term care
insurance specialists, so he can help a family decipher their policy which in
many cases covers ‘activities of daily living’ such as the ones Christian
Companion offers. “We can help them understand what’s covered by their policy
and then help get approval and submit claims,” Ronnie said.
He’ll spend time determining what services
the client needs — everything from a few hours a week to 24/7 care and then
work with the family to develop and manage a personalized care plan that fits
their unique needs. If your needs increase, your care plan can too. “We don’t
require long-term contracts,” Ronnie said. “We start services when you’re
ready to start and end when you no longer need us. It’s that
simple.”
Christian Companion Senior Care offers
in-home personal and companion care for seniors throughout Dallas, Rowlett,
Sachse, Wylie, Rockwall, Richardson, Plano, Garland, Mesquite, Forney, Fate,
Royse City, and many other surrounding cities and counties. They have a
Personal Assistance Services License issued by the Department of Aging and
Disability Services (DADS) for the State of Texas and are bonded and insured.
Whether you need personal care and light housekeeping or a 24/7 companion,
there’s a service plan to fit your needs. Find out more at SeniorCareDFW.com.
CONTACT
3705
Lakeview Parkway, Suite 210
Rowlett, Texas 75088
