Flip to the “Around South County” column in today’s Capital Gazette newspaper (or scroll below) to read our interview with Jerri Anne Hopkins. If you know someone who may need an introduction to local home care options, please feel free to share this article with your family and friends. And, ‘like’ us on Facebook for weekly updates and care tips!
Around South County: Lothian couple puts the ‘care’ into caregiving
By JERRI ANNE HOPKINS Correspondent
As Lothian resident Johnnie Franklin was growing up on the family farm, she learned the commitment of family caring for family. Her future husband Gary Franklin also grew up in south county and learned the same values. In fact, he began a 35-year career in health care, specializing in gerontology.
“People used to ask me why I would want to go into the aging field and I’d say, ‘Look at the demographics. We’re going to have a huge aging population soon.’ And besides, I’ve always had an affinity for working with older people,” Gary said.
The couple still lives on Johnnie’s family farm and their son, David, lives in the house Johnnie grew up in. In 2004, Gary decided to put his knowledge and experience to work directly for families caring for elderly relatives and created Response Senior Care with the goal of helping families provide the best possible non-medical, in-home care for seniors.
“Of course, I picked the worst possible time to start a business, just as the economy tanked,” he laughed. “But nine years later, we’re still here. I did it on my own; it’s not a franchise. I built it up out of the knowledge that I had and my passion for the older individual.”
Response Senior Care provides non-medical care, that is, assisting seniors or individuals with long-term care needs with bathing, dressing, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, laundry, grocery and shopping needs, errands or just companionship. They also provide respite care for primary family caregivers.
“If you’ve ever been a primary caregiver, you know you can get burned out very quickly. It’s a lot of details to keep track of and a lot of work to do. You need to take a break now and then so that you have the strength to continue to be the caregiver,” Johnnie said.
RSC can also be the liaison between the individual, family members and medical professionals. With modern families scattered all over the country, it can sometimes be a problem for all family members to coordinate the caregiving, and RSC can provide objective support and practical solutions for the issues that arise when caring for loved ones. They can also advise on health care information, things family may not have thought of and help them consider all the options available.
For more information, call 410-571-2744 or 800-689-0599 or visit www.response-seniorcare.com.
This article originally posted here: http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/local/around_south_county/around-south-county-lothian-couple-puts-the-care-into-caregiving/article_1050b332-4528-527c-ae4a-123ab5ecbe05.html?mode=image&photo=0
