First and foremost, I hope everyone is safe and healthy. My family and I have been following the stay-at-home order. Crazy as it makes us, we have been getting creative with ideas to keep ourselves busy. Being a working mom, I am now trying to juggle my new found profession of being a home school teacher but I Got This! 🙂 Right moms and dads? My kids tend to do better with routine so I created a game plan. It’s what I do for my business so that part was a piece of cake.
Now, let’s talk about your routine. What has your business been like since COVID-19 struck? What has worked and what has not?
For me, I am blessed. Although my business has slowed down, it hasn’t come to a complete halt. I try to look on the positive side. And, thank the Lord I can still help families who are struggling with their loved one’s care during this unusual time.
How is this happening? Many communities and group homes are providing virtual tours videos, pictures and (thanks to technology) FaceTime & Zoom! This is great for me and my families.
Is this a little out of most people’s comfort zone? Absolutely. However, where there is a will, there is a way we just have to be CREATIVE and find it. I’ve found this industry has done a fantastic job of pulling together!
I’m still running across situations where seniors are by themselves, don’t know how to use technology and won’t meet in person. Instead, I printed out pictures of community attributes, cost, resources to help with the cost, etc and sent it snail mail. It takes longer, but it gets the job done.
I have also seen other challenging situations appear. For example, a client was to be discharged from rehab and needed a new living situation with 24-48 hours quickly. As a precaution, many care homes will allow only the POA to come in and tour with a temp check at the door, gloves, gown, and mask during the tour. Because I couldn’t physically be there, I called the care homeowner via FaceTime, allowing me to still be present. The selection process and move-in went smoothly. There are options available to us, flexibility is the key.
So as we take this COVID-19 journey, remember to lean on each other and our industry, so we can all walk it together. We will look back and see how much stronger we are as a community!
Take care, stay safe and healthy and stay home!
Tammy