TLC HomeCare Burlington Free Press
Written by Leilani R. Casper. Produced and presented by TLC Home Care.
These days, human contact feels like a luxury. For the elderly, the highest at-risk group for Covid-19, human contact can’t be replaced with remote technology. They often need help with the basic things most of us take for granted: eating, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, taking medicines on time and companionship just to name a few. Meet the team behind the impossible task of caregiving during Covid-19.
Mounting a Response to Covid-19
When TLC HomeCare had their first positive case among their operations staff in March, the entire home office went under 14-day quarantine. Only Mohamed Basha, founder and CEO, could be found in the empty offices holding his remote team together. He tasked himself with handling incoming deliveries of personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies to keep the rest of his team safe. While larger organizations, including entire states, were scrambling in the face of the deadly virus, TLC staff members continued working from home as part of the protocols they had put in place long before the virus arrived in Vermont.
As concerned family members removed their loved ones from nursing homes and facilities, home care quickly became a primary focus. TLC adopted the World Health Organization’s (WHO) protocol for their operations. One of the first changes implemented was a decrease in the number of caregivers assigned to each client in an effort to minimize contact. Their quick actions to make sure they had plenty of PPE on hand, ensured caregivers could feel confident they had everything they needed to protect themselves and their clients.
Better Quality Care for Our Elderly
What started as a simple act of helping out a friend’s mother in her final years has turned into a passion and award-winning business. Since TLC’s inception in 2006, a single office in a downtown building has grown to four locations in Vermont and New Hampshire. Basha went from being the only nurse providing care wherever he was needed to over 300 employees trained and ready to respond to the needs of the elderly in our community.
The need for caregiving in the home was and continues to be great as Vermont’s elderly population increases. Basha has built a company with compassionate, quality care as its foundation and primary mission. TLC is the only home care company in Vermont with nurse oversight over every client and their very own in-house training team.
TLC also provides tailored trainings for specialized types of care like Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. These days, their focus is keeping their staff and employees educated on how to continue their important work during a pandemic.
The Future of Elderly Care Is at Home
A helping hand, in the form of a living and breathing caregiver helping inside the home, is crucial to the well-being of our senior citizens. Covid-19 has made it obvious that communal living settings of care for our elderly is too risky in pandemic times. It is clear that the best care is compassionate care at home. “We are more than ready to provide care,” says Basha with confidence and determination. TLC HomeCare continues to lead the changing landscape of home care in these difficult times. For details about home care services for you or your loved ones, go to www.tlchomecare.com
For home care services and employment opportunities with TLC doing this meaningful and critical work in our community, go to www.tlchomecare.com