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    The why behind our what at Home Care Assistance

    Caregiving is a highly personal experience—especially with seniors. For Timothy Thomas, who heads up Home Care Assistance’s Canadian division, that premise has always been the driving force between the team’s presence in Montreal, and beyond.
    By Home Care Assistance - March 31, 2022

    Home Care Assistance is Changing the Way the World Ages. This is the latest installment of our “How To” series, where we lay out smart and easy-to-understand advice on navigating the aging process.

    This month, we’re going behind the scenes to understand how that single-minded thought motivates and inspires Home Care Assistance’s caregivers to deliver high-quality care for seniors that’s as personalized as it is comprehensive.

    Timothy, tell us how Home Care Assistance came to be in Montreal. What moved you to build the organization? 

    We’ve always been a family business. When my father and I founded Home Care Assistance in Montreal years ago, it actually came from our own personal experiences. We’d been searching for the right kind of caregiving for my grandmother, and realized there was a real gap in the market. As much as we searched, we had a hard time finding a caregiving option that balanced physical needs with overall wellness. We were looking for something or someone who would go beyond the basics to actually provide companionship, mental stimulation, and real purpose for her. When we couldn’t find it, we set out on a mission to build it ourselves. Fast forward to now, and we’re still very much a family business. Our caregivers and broader team are deeply connected to one another, and to the families we serve across the region. That common vision connects us, and fosters the special approach to senior care that we provide together. 

    In what ways does Home Care Assistance stand out? How is your approach unique? 

    Above all, we consider ourselves a trusted partner for our clients, and their families. This isn’t about delivering a service. It’s about working in tandem, as allies, to create true quality of life for seniors. A lot of different elements go into that approach. First and foremost, we aim to create peace of mind. Our clients and their families need to be able to rely on us. We’re also seeking to provide balanced care. That means ensuring a senior has everything they need to thrive in their daily life—from hygiene to comfort to nutrition to healthcare. But it also ties in the ideas of cognitive stimulation, and mental wellness. This is a team that looks beyond taking care of a client to actually find ways to help them feel connected and engaged. That could include anything from hanging holiday decorations to planning a day trip to a local museum. It varies from one client to the next, based on their specific needs and interests. This holistic approach is really what sets our team apart and distinguishes the high-quality caregiving we provide. 

    Seniors experienced unique pandemic impacts over the last two years. How did you evolve your approach to caregiving in line to the additional challenges that COVID-19 created for this vulnerable population? 

    Safety is always central to everything we do. At every stage of the pandemic, we looked at our ways of working to ensure we were not only providing homecare services that were safe, but that we were also evolving in line with our clients’ changing expectations. We’ve always been incredibly personal in our delivery approach. During the pandemic, that enabled us to get to the heart of what individual clients required—whether that was ensuring a caregiver only served one client, or making sure caregivers were travelling to work in the most secure way possible. For families who live away from their loved ones, we were able to provide a vital communication link between our clients and their relatives. We were very focused on considering individual needs and developing custom care solutions based on what any given client required. Honestly, we’ve been honoured to help care for our clients through such a difficult time. It’s been quite the journey. 

    As the pandemic recedes and we set our sites on the future, what are you excited about for seniors—and for Home Care Assistance?

    I’m feeling a lot of relief for our seniors. Like everyone, our clients and their families have been through so much. I’m excited about the ways seniors will be able to enjoy day-to-day life a little more easily going forward. Many of our caregivers engage with clients around activities, walks and other outings that make a big impact on a senior’s health and wellbeing. I’m excited to see those opportunities open up again. For us as an organization, we’re looking forward to continuing to grow. We’ve made some really special acquisitions over the last little while, which will enable us to bring customized care to even more seniors. More to come on that front as we focus on growth in other parts of Quebec, and beyond. 

    Closing thoughts

    Balanced care that connects personalized relationships and a holistic view of health and wellbeing can transform a senior’s quality of life. Consider what that might mean for your family, and the seniors you love.

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