Care Across America
"Care Across America, an Approved Senior Network® Podcast"—your go-to source for engaging conversations and practical insights from home care and senior care experts across the United States. Each episode will spotlight industry professionals, and their referral networks, sharing impactful stories, proven strategies, and innovative solutions in senior care. This podcast is perfect for professionals, adult children of aging parents, and family members struggling with senior care choices and care.
Care Across America
How Compassionate Care Changes Lives: A Conversation with Diana Tucker
https://privatehomecare.com
SERVICE AREAS
St. Louis
Southern IL
Kansas City
Lee’s Summit
Chicago
9338 Olive Blvd., Suite 200 Olivette, MO 63132
(314) 492-4005
From humble beginnings in St. Louis to a multi-state operation spanning the Midwest, Private Home Care has transformed countless lives while staying true to its founding principle: providing the kind of care they'd want for their own families. Diana Tucker, the company's president, shares how personal experience with caregiving challenges sparked her determination to build a company that delivers not just assistance, but genuine peace of mind.
When overwhelmed families make that first call seeking help for aging loved ones, they're met with something increasingly rare in healthcare: unhurried compassion and clarity. The comprehensive approach begins with complimentary in-home assessments, creating personalized care plans that adapt as needs evolve. What sets this agency apart is their robust infrastructure – dedicated care managers, consistent caregiver teams, and 24/7 operational support that ensures no client is ever left without assistance.
Technology plays a fascinating supporting role in their care model. HIPAA-compliant vitals tracking and audio sensors detect everything from falls to subtle changes in health metrics, offering an extra layer of protection that's particularly reassuring for families living at a distance. Yet the company's most significant investment isn't in technology but in people – offering caregivers above-industry wages, benefits, and ongoing training. Their selection for Medicare's prestigious GUIDE Program further validates their approach, allowing them to provide no-cost respite services for those caring for loved ones with memory challenges.
Discover how Private Home Care's unique blend of compassionate caregivers, dedicated care managers, and innovative technology could provide the perfect solution for your family's caregiving needs. Connect with them today to experience the difference that truly personalized care can make.
View More at HomeCareMarketingNews.com
My name is Diana Tucker, president of Private Home Care. Private Home Care was founded in 2014 with a very simple but powerful goal to provide the kind of care we would want for our own family. We started here in St Louis.
Speaker 2:And you have many offices now. You've grown over the years. Congratulations on that. And so tell us a little bit more about some of the places where you guys have expanded to.
Speaker 1:A decade later, we have expanded to Kansas City, chicago and Southern Illinois and we have also added virtual care services to give people access to support no matter where they are or what type of care they need.
Speaker 2:That's awesome and congratulations on such amazing growth. You guys, I see you on LinkedIn. I see all of your folks that work for you hosting these amazing stuff. They're out there in the community. You guys are really involved and that makes a lot of difference to folks. They want to know who am I trusting my mom with, and it's great to see all of your faces out there. So when an adult child of an aging parent or a family member calls into your office, they're probably overwhelmed, right and not sure what to do, and so they call your office.
Speaker 1:What are some of the things they can expect when they make that first phone call with questions, they can definitely expect warmth, compassion and clarity from the very first call. We take the time to listen. We take the time to understand what exactly they need, whether someone needs care tomorrow or they're just starting to explore options. We are here to help. We don't rush people. We educate them and every call is handled by someone who truly understands the care process.
Speaker 2:That's great, and you mentioned that you guys do a lot of listening and I think that is so helpful. Sometimes that overwhelm is just a matter of needing to tell your story, get it off your chest and then start the planning process or asking more questions. And when can we start all of those things? You talked about? What happens when you guys get started? So if someone decides it's time for us to move forward, do you send someone out to the house for an in-home assessment, or how does that work?
Speaker 1:We would start with a complimentary in-home assessment to understand each client's individual needs, their preferences and their environment. From there, we would create a personalized care plan and match them with a dedicated care manager that would build a consistent caregiver team a consistent caregiver team. Behind the scenes, we have a powerful operations engine available 24-7 to support clients and caregivers alike. Whether care is needed for just a few hours a week or around the clock, our infrastructure ensures that we can deliver quality and consistency without delay.
Speaker 2:It's great to know that. One of the reasons why we always advocate for folks to use an agency is what you said right there, and that is that you all have a backup plan. You have a whole team of people that are available 24-7, and if something comes up, caregiver has a flat tire, they get sick or whatever the case. You need care right now. It's great to know that you all have all of that covered. And when you don't use an agency, the problem is that that caregiver is the only person you're relying on, as opposed to an entire team of people who are on your side ready to help at any time. So thanks for mentioning that. It's great to know you guys have all that system set up in the background. I want to rewind for a minute and just ask you something. What was your reason for getting into home care? You built this amazing business now. You've done such a great job. Why did you get into this home care world?
Speaker 1:For me it started from a very personal place. I have seen firsthand how challenging it can be when a loved one needs care and how life-changing it is when you find the right support. What I have always wanted for private home care is to provide that sense of security, that reassurance to families A company that doesn't just provide care but delivers a peace of mind.
Speaker 2:And that's exactly what folks are looking for. I know you've had many conversations with families over the years and you know that they're overwhelmed emotionally, financially. It's a hard decision to invite someone into your home and that's why it's so great to talk to someone like you, who's not only been doing this for a really long time, but you have grown over the years and there's no way you could be as expansive and big as you are without doing a really good job for people. So tell us a little bit more about anything that is special about private home care. You've already talked about a lot of special things, but I know that there's probably some differentiators and some other things that you'd like to mention about how you guys do business.
Speaker 1:What makes us different is, first, we are local, we are family owned and we fully invest in people over profits. That means that more resources are going directly to caregiver pay, to their training and for better outcomes for our clients. We offer above-industry wages, health benefits and 401k plan, which help us attract and retain the best caregivers. Help us attract and retain the best caregivers. We also are one of the few agencies that were selected for the Medicare Guide Program. It is a program that offers families no-cost respite care, education and navigation services for people with memory loss. We also assign a dedicated care manager to each and every client. We also include HIPAA-compliant technology like continuous vitals tracking and audio sensors at no cost, and those are not to replace care but to enhance it.
Speaker 2:That's wonderful, the sensors in the house. Let's talk about that for a second. They can sense a fall right and sense if someone hasn't moved in a long time.
Speaker 1:So they can not only sense a fall but they can sense their respiratory rate, their blood pressure. Sense their respiratory rate, their blood pressure and that helps us detect any changes in their condition and with that we can educate the family. We can just help prevent adverse outcomes for our clients. The sensors are there to help us prevent and predict bad outcomes.
Speaker 2:That is an excellent use of technology, I believe, because if someone doesn't have 24-hour care, that doesn't mean that if they have the sensors in the house, then that means that someone knows if there's a challenge when the caregiver is not there, and that's real peace of mind for adult children and especially those who live far away, to be able to know if something's going on that maybe shouldn't be going on or someone hasn't gotten up to do the normal things they would normally do all day. That's just great for you all and for the client and family. So I love that. I also love what you said about your caregivers, your caregivers, and I think that a company that treats their caregivers well, who pays them well and who invests in them for training and other things, is really a good sign of a very excellent quality agency, because without those caregivers there would be no home care agency. So absolutely, they're so important. So thank you for telling us about that.
Speaker 2:I think that consumers today are very interested. Families really want to know how the caregivers are treated, and it's great that you mentioned that, because I think that's it's a wonderful piece that you add to the whole pie here treating your caregivers well. So those are some really great differentiators and the guide program. For anybody who wants to look that up, it's G-U-I-D-E and it's through Medicare and it's new and you were selected to be one of the providers and there aren't that many across the country. That's really kudos to you all for getting selected. Can you tell us about that? Again? The guide program allows people on Medicare to get respite.
Speaker 1:So the guide program started last year, last July, so it has been around for a year and it is an eight-year pilot program which allows families to have the extra support and allows that respite care for the unpaid family caregiver that is there with their loved one 24-7. So it is a powerful program and we are just honored to be one of the few chosen agencies to be able to provide those services.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Congratulations on that. And I know that folks are always asking does Medicare pay for this? And in certain circumstances you can say it might if you meet certain qualifications and guidelines. And finally, I'd like to talk about your care managers. Just making sure that you said that every client is assigned to someone, a care manager. Maybe explain to us what the care manager's role is, so everybody understands.
Speaker 1:The care managers introduce the caregivers. They are involved with the client from the very beginning. They are involved with the client from the very beginning. They are involved with the caregiver training, continuous support. And also they observe any changes that might occur, Because we can start with a client that needs certain type of care, but their condition changes. So we are very flexible and the care managers are the ones that recognize those changes. So we are very flexible and the care managers are the ones that recognize those changes and are able to act upon them as quickly as possible. That's excellent.
Speaker 2:So you have a whole set of layers of protection for the seniors that you serve Absolutely. Yeah, that's great. A caregiver notices something might be a little off today, they can talk to that care manager and say I think something, you might want to talk to the client or get involved. Or if they have a hospitalization for some odd reason, care manager can help that, Bringing them back home and arranging medications and all the things that need to be managed when someone comes home from the hospital. That's a really a great time to implement home care, if you haven't already too. Because, boy, coming home after a knee replacement or a hip replacement is a tough few days. Getting used to being back in your own bed is great, but it's not the same as having a nurse there 24-7. So it's really nice that you guys are able to have a care manager who can help coordinate a lot of this. That's great.
Speaker 2:I want to thank you, Diana, for being on the show, for telling us all about private home care. You have done a wonderful job. Thank you for being here and for serving seniors. We appreciate you. Thank you so much.
