How An Elite Care Team Became A Lifeline And A Family

This is a SpeedCast with heart: wild memories, hard-won lessons, and a front-row look at how home health actually works when ventilators, trachs, and human feelings are all in the room.

Jamie Turner from Elite Care Management pulls back the curtain on scheduling: pairing the right clinician to high-acuity needs, navigating last-minute call-offs, and guarding the crucial bond between patients and familiar nurses. Max shares the Walnut benefit story—the surreal moment of rolling out of a long hospital stay into a crowd that stood and cheered—and how “day one” teammates made that possible. We get honest about immature chapters, sticky boundaries, and the shift that came with the right nurse at the right time. Safety threads through every scene: emergency readiness, ambu bag placement, training for vent dependence, and why continuity of care is a clinical imperative, not a convenience.

There’s humor, too—expo chaos, past missteps, and the way a “dream team” can still laugh on the hardest days. But the core message is steady: perseverance is a daily practice, built on trust, preparation, and people who refuse to quit on each other. If you’re navigating home care, complex disability, or just trying to rebuild after a setback, you’ll find practical insight and honest hope here.

If this resonated, subscribe, share it with someone who needs encouragement, and leave a review to help others find the show. Tell us: what does continuity of care mean to you?

Transcript

Live From The Ability Expo

SPEAKER_01 0:00

What's up guys? As you can see, we're not in the studio at home. We're actually at the Abillies Expo in Chicago, and this podcast is gonna be a little different. It's gonna be like a speed cast. The sound is not gonna be as great because of how wide open this space is, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Please enjoy this Life to the Max speedcast. What's up everybody?

Meet The Care Team

SPEAKER_01 0:39

It's Life to the Max podcast, and we are at the Ability Texpo in Schomburg, Illinois. It is uh Friday, June 20th, 2025, and today I am here with my care team actually. The person that schedules that has been scheduling my care for as long as I've been with elite. So I'm here with uh elite care management, and her name is Jamie Turner. How are you, Jamie?

SPEAKER_02 1:11

I'm good, Max. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Let me ask you a question. What is the wildest story you've heard in the office about Max?

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Oh boy. The wildest story back then, um, maybe certain places you've been to.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

You can say them.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Um different different places that you've been to, that's all I can say.

SPEAKER_01 1:37

Like trip clubs?

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Possibly.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Possibly.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

Possibly.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

Like yeah, like brothels.

SPEAKER_02 1:43

I'm scared. Oh my gosh. Okay so how long have I been known each other? Ten almost ten years?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Yeah, do you do you remember how so like so like my ner I used it used to be six to ten. Yeah. And uh my I would be at the club still, and the nurse would be at my house and be like, Where the fuck is Max? And they would call you and be like, Where's Max? And I would be pulling up at like seven with my pants half down and like the lipstick all over me and shit.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Oh boy, so I mean you like to have a good time, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

That was back then. I mean that was back then. I was pretty rowdy back then.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Hey, you were young, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:22

I mean, the nurses probably called you like this is crazy. This is crazy. This house is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

Oh boy, no, all of our nurses love working with you. Really? Yeah, they do. We have a great team, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Well, the day ones, yeah. Cindy, yeah, Chris, Donna. Yeah, absolutely. Marshall.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

And now we got Hannah.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

And Hannah. Yeah. Yeah. And rest in peace in Italia, Mr. Oh, I know. Do you still talk to her? I do sometimes. Very, very uh rarely. She's super busy.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Yeah, she is. She is you got the dream team going on, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

One of one of my best stories about elite. I'll tell you them. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Um they better all be good.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

So I was at RIC. My girlfriend

Nightlife Stories And Early Years

SPEAKER_01 3:10

just left me, and uh, we were gonna have a benefit. Okay. And I saw you guys walking through the hallway, and we were looking for a care manager, and I needed uh transport to go to see like my benefit at the Walnuts with VC in 2016. Okay. And Jerry and Jason came. I was in my uniform. And uh I remember pulling up to the walnut, and it was like surreal because I'd been in this hospital for so long. Because it was it was just surreal to get out of the hospital, get in a car. Like I'm sure and I drive in to this uh place, uh this place I used to work at, and everyone just starts clapping for me, and it was an amazing feeling. And then I get this like front row seat where everyone comes up to talk to me, and Jason and Jerry. They're there the day. Jason and Jerry are day ones from a lead.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

I remember hearing that story, yeah, that they were there to help you with the ventilator, and uh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Yeah, and uh there was there there were they were like, you know what, Max, you need a beer.

The Walnut Benefit Breakthrough

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Okay, oh geez. I'll have a beer. I'm not gonna say uh how old I was, I'll have a beer. Right, right? Right. So I had a beer, and another beer, and another beer, and then I uh was like wow, and we're still here with you. So you guys are still here with me years later. That's crazy. Do you remember that time I like pissed you out on like accident level? I was like pissed. Something was scheduling, I'm sure. It was something with scheduling, and I like said like F you or something.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

I didn't like that.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

No, I I bet you didn't.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

I didn't. I think you apologized to me.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

I did uh later on in the day. Yeah, you did, but I was like, what the f You made it right.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

But you were in a meeting.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

Okay, I can't believe you remember that. Yeah, that was a while ago.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Yeah, that was 2018. Oh my gosh. You were in a meeting, and I like I think I left you text with Iris sore at you and yeah, because I wasn't answering you. Also, what the fuck?

SPEAKER_02 5:40

Oh my gosh. And I'm always usually at your back and call, even though I feel like I talked with your mom a lot more lately.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Yeah, I don't talk to my schedulers, I just have letters show up, I do my thing. Yeah, as you can see. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

This is this is awesome. Yeah, I watch different podcasts, and I can't even believe I'm here talking with you.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Yeah, uh so uh what do you think your biggest accomplishment is?

SPEAKER_02 6:05

Oh gosh, my biggest accomplishment. I'm gonna say my children.

SPEAKER_01 6:09

I knew it.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

I'm a typical mom. My daughter, um, I think you've seen her on FaceTime before. She's uh beautiful. In her senior year at Iowa State, beautiful, and studying psychology. Beautiful. Um, she's gonna be working with adolescents and she's gonna do amazing things. My son's in Arizona, living his best life.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

She's gonna do beautiful things.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

She will do beautiful things.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

Yeah, your son's in Arizona.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

He's in Arizona.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

Why did he choose Arizona?

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Um, I don't know. He likes the hot weather, um, just the scenery. Scottsville? Uh Scottsdale area, yeah. Pretty close. Pretty close.

SPEAKER_01 6:47

Yeah, around that area. Yeah, yeah. Used to take a girl. Uh there, well, she would like come like from here and there, here and there, job to Chelsea. Uh okay. But uh, yeah, that that's that's awesome. So you feel like you're uh you did the you did the right thing? I did.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

I got two amazing kids. And my job. I've been with Elite for 15 years.

Scheduling Friction And Repair

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Long time.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

Dealing with uh bullshit calls? No.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

No. It's okay. You know, every job has its challenges.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

What is uh the most difficult thing about being a scheduler?

SPEAKER_02 7:30

Um, I think just the last minute call-offs. Trying to find somebody.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

How do you feel when someone calls off? Like, are you like just like trying to fill in a like a date? Like, or are you like, I feel bad for this patient? I need to make sure he gets a a care for a nurse that he knows.

SPEAKER_02 7:51

Absolutely. The second part, what you just said. I mean, our nurses they work with their patients on a consistent basis, and our patients are used to their regular staff.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

And I do everything in my power to make sure that stays the same. Um, where I'm sending one of your nurses to fill the shift.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Or any nurse.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

Or any one of your nurses.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Or any nurse in general for any patient.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

I mean, I try to make sure it's this, you know, the same group of nurses that work with the patient. But yeah, there's sometimes that, you know, push comes to shove, and I just can't figure it out where I have to send a nurse that's competent to care for somebody.

SPEAKER_01 8:35

Have you ever sent a nurse? Have you ever sent a nurse that has never been to the house before?

SPEAKER_02 8:44

With you or with anybody?

SPEAKER_01 8:45

With anybody.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Yes, I have.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Is that difficult to do?

SPEAKER_02 8:50

It's very difficult to do.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Okay, because I'm dealing with that with uh another said agency, and it's happened twice already. Well, in one week. And uh as you can tell, we're uh in the process of like uh figuring out uh different avenues of approach for that. But um, yeah, I can't imagine. Like, so like for me in a military aspect, the way I think of it is like giving me telling me like hey, I'm gonna deploy to this place and you're gonna go here and you you don't know where anything is. You know what I mean? Like you don't have the map. Sure. So when a nurse comes in and doesn't know your care, doesn't know who you are, doesn't know what's your life, you know, and they're like, Oh, I'll get training for two hours and then I'll take care of a quadruple legic fetal dependent patient. It

Parenting Pride And Career Milestones

SPEAKER_01 9:59

just blows my blows my mind.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

Yeah, that's never our intention, but of course we're gonna make sure that nurse has the experience of the type of care that you would have. We wouldn't send somebody in that doesn't know the ventilator, the trach. Um, they may not, they're not gonna know your routine, but we would always make sure we have somebody that knows your care.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Do you want to know the scariest moment I have with one of your nurses?

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Oh gosh, I don't know if I we should talk about any of that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

I won't say the name. I won't say the name. But I it was in 2017. I just got home. No, I was smoking weed. I think I was high as hell. And then I I I uh I I woke up and this guy like this my vent pops off, right? And this guy is looking for the amber bag, he's looking all over for it. Guess where it is? It's sitting right on top of the fuck.

SPEAKER_02 10:59

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

And I'm trying to like point my head, like, yo, it's right there.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

I don't think I've ever heard that before.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Yeah, like it's literally just sitting right where the the hum uh the IV bag is or the water bag. Like that's that's where it was. He's like running around and just like freaking out. He finally found it now. One of the scariest moments with one of your nurses.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

Well, I'm sorry, I did not hear about that.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

Do I tell you?

SPEAKER_02 11:28

What's the best moment? I was just gonna ask you that.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

Yep, that's why I'm the host. I mean, uh the best I would have to say is when uh Sydney Moore came into my life.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Oh, she's great.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

Sydney Moore has changed my life in so many ways. And I changed her life in so many ways as well. I'm sure I uh I'm not a fuckboy anymore, like I was back then. I'm older, I'm 29 now. You guys took me on when I was 20.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

I know, I remember.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Yeah, so crazy. For a long time. I know, I know.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

No, your nurses are so um dedicated to you, they care very much about you, not only as a patient, but as a person.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

They talk about they have a group thread, they talk about me on their days off.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Like, what have you done to them? I don't know. I don't know, but uh I I'm blessed as hell that I'm able to make their lives and their jobs more like uh fun and happy. And I like I'm blessed that I'm able to have elite in my life, and uh I'm blessed to uh have uh senior today here and I'm also blessed that I survived my car accident and septic shock uh two three years ago was septic shock, and nine years ago was my car accident. Wow. So um is there anything you would like to say to the people out there?

SPEAKER_02 13:06

Um I'm so happy to know you and to be a part of your life, even though I just schedule your nurses. Um and again, we're Elite is so happy and honored to be caring for you. And it's you

Staffing Challenges And Continuity Of Care

SPEAKER_02 13:20

know, we have just the best is yet to come.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Yeah, it is, and uh hopefully some good things come in the future.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

Absolutely, absolutely. I want to bring Sarah Martinez in. Will you have her in for a second?

SPEAKER_01 13:32

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 13:32

Okay, she just wants to say hi. Sarah Martinez is our chief nursing officer at Elite.

SPEAKER_01 13:38

Hi, did you want to put that in for me?

SPEAKER_02 13:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Sarah Martinez, everybody.

SPEAKER_02 13:44

Hello. So we're just talking about Max's life and just where we are now and where he's at now.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

And that was pretty wild back then. I don't know how long you've been with the company.

SPEAKER_02 13:57

Long time. She's been here longer than I have.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Okay, so she knows about the hygiene that happened at the girls' residence.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

Um, that I don't know if she knows. She's not super involved with well, she is now with private duty, but she's um the administrator of lead care at home, our home health division.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

So basically, like when weed wasn't illegal, I would like sit and ask your nurses to like give me administer weed for me because it's medical, and they're like, I don't want to do that. And I was like, I want to get high, so right, like give me my weed. And then, like, so a lot of your nurses were like, I can't work there, it always smells like weed or something. Like, I was like, it smells good. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

Well, you got the dream team now, like I said before.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

So yeah, it took a little bit. Do you remember that one nurse dropped me twice? Did you know that?

SPEAKER_02 15:01

Um, that was a while back. Yeah, 2017. Yeah, you know it's the year.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

It was on the birthday. It was on my Opus birthday, September 12th. I was gonna September 12th, 2017. I was about to go out to eat, and my wheelchair just falls over. And I and I'm like, I'm like, what the fuck do I do? Who do you have here? This this I gotta talk to Lileen. I never want to see this person again. I'll never say said person. Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

But yeah, yeah, that's it. Well, you're just you're still here to talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Oh, it's historical. It's great. But you this podcast is about facing adversity and uh persevering. Yes. That's why it started it. Life to the Max podcast about living life to the max. Absolutely. You know, it's uh it's kind of like a double entangreal entangre because it's my name and it's life to the max, but live your life to the fullest. That's what I tell people all the time. And uh it's I'm pretty sure I was like one of the busiest booths.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

I think you were. I think you were. Yeah, you have people standing in lines waiting to talk to you. You too.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. And uh for everybody who loved this content, please like, comment, and subscribe. And as always, take a breath for me. I am paralyzed from a neck down, breathing through a machine, but that doesn't stop me from following my dreams and doing what I love to do. I don't got an excuse, and neither should you see like so.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

You notice better motivates. Never really tripping, tell my best to stay focused. I try to keep it cool. Are you lames? Ahead on a scribble, looking out for the locust. I'm not send so trying to dive my opponents. Am I the next best thing? What I think I'm the closest.