Homecare may be a tough space to succeed in, but its people are tougher! This industry is loaded with strong, intelligent, and compassionate individuals who have put in the work to grow their business and ensure the highest quality of care. To give you that extra dose of inspiration you need when your journey to success feels less than smooth, HHAeXchange rounded up some stellar advice from our Extraordinary Women in Homecare.
“To succeed in homecare, you need a sense of humor, a sense of anticipation, and flexibility. You’ve got to be in the moment to feel and see what you’re doing, but you also have to look forward. Changes happen so quickly. If your people, processes, and platforms aren’t flexible to the volatile, dynamic, fast-paced changes within the industry, you’re not going to survive.”
-Louise Weadock, Founder and Chief Nursing Officer, ACCESS Nursing
“Tenacity and compassion are key. This is not an easy business and to do it right, it takes a very strong person who is focused, committed, and truly believes that “there is no place like home.”
-Vicki Hoak, Executive Director, Home Care Association of America (HCAOA)
“Treat everyone equally and with respect. We learn that in kindergarten, but I feel like it’s something some people forget, especially when they move into certain roles. Whether you’re the janitor or the CEO, if you’re doing your job and you’re doing it well, then you’re on equal footing. No matter what job you have, you need to be kind and perform the job to the best of your abilities.”
– Nancy Fitterer, President and CEO, Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey (HCHANJ)
“Don’t ever give up, be true to yourself, and be willing to surround yourself with people who support your mission.”
– Shona Eakin, CEO, Voices for Independence
“As a leader, you have to be knowledgeable, and you always have to demonstrate respect. People need to be respected and need to know they are respected.
Communication is also key. It doesn’t always have to be in a grand fashion; it can just be a matter of saying thank you.
For example, one of my sayings is, “Tell the story and close the circle.” That’s how you do your documentation. You leave no room for “what-ifs”; everything is right there on the report. If I read an incident report that a nurse or other staff member did an excellent job filling out, I’m going to reach out and acknowledge their good work.”
– Donna McNamara, MPH, RN; Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Unlimited Care, Inc.
“For me, it has always been about having smart, innovative people on our team to help us grow and be successful. We leave no stone unturned when it comes to care for our patients. We make the effort to truly understand what they are going through and what their needs are. No matter what, our team will strive to staff a case with an aide that is the best possible match for the patient.”
– Raizy Weiss, COO, Preferred Home Care of New York
“Change is inevitable — nothing can stay the same forever. Learn, adapt to the change, and you will notice an improvement.”
– Mitze Amoroso, CPHIMS, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, ArchCare
“You have to be very open-minded. I love listening to people’s ideas. We’re a solution-based company. My motto is, don’t come to me with a problem unless you have an idea for a solution. It doesn’t have to be the right solution, but just bring your ideas to the table. Listening more than talking is very important when it comes to developing a team and building trust.
Next, you have to be communicative. I have weekly calls with all of our managers. Sometimes, we’ll just talk about things that aren’t even work-related, but I believe that because we work in a stressful environment, it’s important to have that line of communication to know that someone is there.”
-CJ Weaber, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development, Honor Health Network
“I believe that harnessing technology is key for any successful business. Technology has allowed us to increase productivity and efficiency in our daily operations. We can communicate in real-time with staff, clients, families, and providers. HHAeXchange has created a platform that houses so many of the different components that we need to use daily to operate successfully.”
– Melissa Meegan, Executive Director, Summit Home Care
Want to learn more from leading women in homecare? Check out their best advice here.
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