May 13, 2025 • 25 mins
Caring for aging loved ones transforms relationships in ways most never anticipate until they're living through it. Rodney Malone, owner of Golden Heart Senior Care, brings twelve years of professional experience alongside personal caregiving lessons learned while being raised by his grandmother and later helping his in-laws navigate their senior years.
When families face the daunting reality of keeping seniors safe at home, the differences between private caregivers and agency-based care become critically important. In non-regulated states like Arizona, Malone explains how Golden Heart maintains rigorous standards—background checks, driving record verification, drug testing, and continuous training—that protect vulnerable adults from potential exploitation and harm. He shares sobering stories of families who learned these distinctions the hard way, dealing with financial exploitation and unsafe care situations that might have been prevented.
The scope of services Golden Heart provides encompasses everything from intimate personal care and medication management to transportation, meal preparation, light housekeeping, and rehabilitative support. Particularly valuable is their hospital-to-home transition package, addressing that precarious five-day period following discharge when seniors face unfamiliar challenges in their own homes. Beyond the practical assistance, perhaps the most meaningful benefit is how professional caregiving preserves the fundamental nature of family relationships, preventing spouses and children from becoming overwhelmed by the demands of personal care.
Ready to discover how professional caregiving could transform your family's approach to aging in place? Golden Heart Senior Care serves eastern Phoenix and Scottsdale with 24/7 live support and a team dedicated to keeping seniors safe, comfortable, and independent in their own homes.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
My name is Rodney Malone.
The name of our company isGolden Heart Senior Care.
We cover everything east of themiddle of Scottsdale, so we
have half of Phoenix, I'm sorry.
Everything east of the city ofPhoenix.
So we have half the city ofPhoenix and we love what we do.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Awesome, very good.
I love it.
Let's talk about how.
Okay.
When did Golden Heart SeniorCare start and what was the
catalyst for you all to get intothis business?
Speaker 1 (00:46):
what was the catalyst for you all to get into this
business?
We have owned Golden HeartSenior Care now for 12 years,
and it started with both mywife's family and my family.
I was raised by my grandmother.
She had 10 kids.
I was lucky enough that sheadopted me as her 11th kid and
at that time I was six yearsyounger than her youngest.
(01:08):
She was pretty much an emptynester, so when I came around,
it became Rodney, help me dothis, rodney, help me do that.
And you realize that it's notjust her asking for help to
bother me.
It's her asking for helpbecause she needed help, and so
I learned a lot of compassionand really skills through that.
(01:34):
And then later my wife'sparents got into their senior
years and they needed and theydidn't really want to accept
help, but they needed it.
So we got involved with helpingthem accept help and in that
process my wife and I learnedthat this is really a business.
(01:57):
People really help seniors livein their homes safely.
And that's where it all started, with us me at home, her with
her parents and then us in thisbusiness.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
And I bet along the way you realized how hard it was
to find reliable, safecaregivers or maybe dependable
caregivers or caregivingsituations.
It's when you're doing this onyour own.
I was just reading an articleabout the benefits of an agency
over hiring a private caregiver,and you and I both know that
(02:35):
when you're trying to do this onyour own and you're hiring
people privately, a lot can fallthrough the cracks and people
call and say so it's, that'ssomething, I think, when we're
winging it, that we learn prettyquickly.
And so it's that's something, Ithink, when we're winging it,
that we learn pretty quickly.
And so having an agency is somuch it's a safer bet all the
way around when you hire anagency, and so I can see.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I agree.
First of all, hiring an agencyis safer because you have all
those safe holds in place, youhave insurance.
See, we are non-regulated as astate, so there's nothing that
tells us we should do and havethe things we do and have, other
than owning a franchise, andthey keep us up to date on all
(03:20):
the things the regulated stateshave.
That way we are poised, when weare regulated, to be in line.
But doing background checks anddoing driving record reviews
and doing drug screens and doingadult protective services
checks, that stuff's all reallyimportant because we're not
(03:42):
regulated, so anybody can stepin and take care of people in
this state.
You know, part of what we do iswe make sure that the people
who come in to take care of themost vulnerable population that
they're safe, that they'reeducated, that they're certified
, that they don't have any dingsagainst their record with APS
(04:03):
and with national criminalbackground checks.
We want to make sure that theydon't have any excessive
speeding or DUIs on theirdriver's license.
That way when they're takingsomebody to the store or to a
doctor's appointment, we knowthere's a safe driver involved.
Yeah, so yeah, making sure thatthe people who care for the
(04:25):
most vulnerable are people whoshould be caring for them.
That's something we take a lotof pride in.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And that is.
I don't think people whohaven't ever been involved in in
their parents haven't neededcare.
They've never experienced thisbefore.
They don't realize what a ahuge amount of work that is and
and just to do it by yourself iscrazy.
It's so much work and it neverends.
So having an agency behind youis a bigger support and I would
(04:55):
agree I'm in a non-regulatedstate as well, and it can be the
wild west out there.
So being part of a franchise,you're able to know what the
best, safest practices are, orthe regulations and rules from
the toughest states are, and youcan model yourselves after what
a tough state would like.
(05:16):
Florida, it's pretty tough andhighly regulated.
New York, highly regulated, andbeing part of a franchise helps
what's coming down the pike andwhat the best and safest ways
to approach all this are.
So that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
That's right and I'm really.
I'm proud of our brand, goldenHeart Senior Care.
I'm proud of our leadership atthe corporate office.
Those guys do a great job ofkeeping us informed.
We have a monthly meeting wherethey explain to us what the
regulation is now and what thechange is going to be, and how
it affects us and why it'simportant for us to enact
(05:52):
whatever is coming down the pipe.
So I agree wholeheartedly.
Also, we've gotten involved withsome families who are on the
back end of what can happen whenyou have somebody who's not
monitored or checked.
We got involved with a familywhose caregiver was extorting
(06:15):
money, writing themselves checksfrom a senior's bank account
and, because they hired theperson privately, they don't
really have any recourse.
Plus, if they do go after alegal position on it, they're
going to be responsible for backtaxes and all the things that
(06:38):
weren't covered along the way,which, when you deal with an
agency, we're going to make suretaxes are paid.
We're going to make sureworkman's comp is paid.
We're going to make sure thatfamily is protected in all areas
.
We're going to make sure thatthe caregiver is a safe
caregiver, somebody that shouldbe there taking care of my
(06:58):
parents.
We're going to make sure thatthe regulation is in place, that
right now, the only thing youhave to have in this state is
CPR, first aid and TV.
That's it.
Wow, anybody can get that Right.
But then when you go to helpsomebody with a transfer, if you
(07:19):
don't know how to transfersomebody, that person's in
physical danger you haven't beenbackground checked.
And now you're writing checksout of that senior's checkbook
you haven't been checked.
So there's a lot that goes intowhat we do on the agency end,
and here at Golden Heart I knowwe take it very seriously
(07:40):
because there are there's livesat stake, there's people's
property at stake.
It's a very serious thing to beresponsible for and we accept
it with pride and honor anddignity.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, absolutely, I think there's.
I could talk all day about thebenefits of using an agency and
I can tell you personally if myparents needed care, I would not
hire someone privately, even ifI knew everything I needed to
know that the liability alonewould no way.
I would always hire an agency.
But let's talk about whatservices you guys do provide.
(08:13):
We've touched on it a littlebit, but tell us all the things
you do.
I know it's a huge list, butAll the things we do.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You and I would be here for a couple of days, but
the way I would answer that iswe do anything that helps the
senior remain in their homesafely.
Okay, so that involves helpingthem get cleaned up in the
morning.
We'll go before that.
That involves helping them getfrom the bed to the wheelchair
(08:46):
or however they get to therestroom to get cleaned up.
We help with that.
We help with the actualcleaning up.
We will shave them, brush theirteeth.
If they can't get out of bed,we'll do bed baths.
We'll do any, I'm sorry, phonering.
So if they can't get out of abed, we'll do a bed bath.
(09:09):
We'll do any kind of bathingthat's required to help that
person.
And if they can get into thebath but they can't they're not
mobile we'll help them transferfrom the bed to a chair and from
a chair to the shower chair andfrom the shower chair, we'll
help with all that.
We'll get them in the kitchen.
We'll feed them breakfast.
(09:29):
We'll remind them to take theirmedications.
We'll help with all that.
We'll get them in the kitchen.
We'll feed them breakfast.
We'll remind them to take theirmedications.
We'll clean up while they'reeating.
We'll go.
We'll clean up the bathroom,we'll make the beds, we do
laundry, we change bed linens,we assist with things like
letting the dogs out andcleaning up the dog's mess and
making sure the house is clean.
(09:50):
We don't do deep cleaning, likeI've had a client ask us to
take their curtains off the wallso that we could clean them.
We're not going to go to thatlevel of clean, but we'll sweep
and mop the floors, wipe thecounters, do the dishes, help
with the meal prep.
(10:11):
We'll do transportation.
We'll take you to the doctor.
We'll take you to the store.
We'll help with your shopping.
After that we'll get you readyfor a nap or get you in front of
the television or do whateverit is that portion of the day
requires.
Like for some people, they'vebeen given OTPT orders from home
(10:32):
health.
We'll help them with thoseorders.
We'll do the exercises.
We'll promote that and in somecases even try to push them,
because when you've been hurt,to exercise that area of your
body that needs work or strength, it's hard to do on your own
(10:52):
sometimes.
So you need somebody to try andhelp you get motivated to do it
and to do it, and then, onceyou do that, we're going to make
sure you have your afternoonmeds.
We're going to make sure you'rehydrated.
We're going to make sure you'recleaned up.
We're going to get you in bedfor a nap.
We're going to get you out ofbed for a nap.
We're going to prepare a mealfor you so you're not eating out
(11:16):
of a pre-processed box everymeal, home-cooked meals.
There's a real energy insupporting your body, because
some of our people have dementiabut some just have physical
ailments where eating good,healthy food is a step toward
getting better.
We'll help you get ready forbed.
(11:38):
We'll help you with yourundergarments.
We'll get you cleaned up.
We'll get you in bed.
We'll make sure you have yournight meds.
We'll make sure you have waterand then, as you're asleep at
night, if you're a 24-hourclient, we're there through the
night.
Our caregiver is taught to stayawake, so if you need help
going to the restroom oranything you need in the middle
(11:59):
of the night, we're there andavailable to help.
We do anything that helps aperson stay in the home safely.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
I can read.
That's a huge list and I thinkpeople aren't aware of how much
a caregiver actually does for asenior.
But all of it is important andI think something that folks
don't realize is that when youhave an aging parent who had,
let's say, a knee replacement ora hip replacement or maybe they
were just sick, they hadpneumonia and they discharged
(12:29):
from the hospital you guys arewonderful about helping with
that transition from thehospital to home, because those
first few days at home are rough.
You're not.
You don't have a nurse at yourbeck and call like you did in
the hospital.
You're relieved to be home, butthere's, unless you have a
family member or someone therethere's no one really there to
(12:52):
help with all these littlethings.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
And something people don't really think about the
first five days home afterdischarge are the hardest,
because when you're in a skillednursing facility or when you're
in a hospital, you know therestroom is right over there in
the corner.
You know the restroom is rightover there in the corner.
You know the beds are at acertain height, the couches are
(13:15):
at a certain height.
When you get to toilets, you'reat a certain height.
When you get home, all thatchanges and, depending on where
you are physically and mentally,you're going to need help with
that.
You are physically and mentally, you're going to need help with
that.
The toilet may be lower thanthe toilet in the hospital.
One of the things we recommendis a toilet riser.
(13:37):
Makes it a little higher, givesyou some support arms to help
you get up and down, just littlethings like that.
Since we are in this businessand we've been around the
business, we can makerecommendations.
We have partners who do DME,which is equipment.
We have partners who do hospiceand home health.
(13:59):
We'd be happy to include thosepeople if that's part of what
you need.
We have what's called adischarge package, so when
you're being discharged fromskilled nursing or hospital, it
gives you.
We have two packages.
One is 24 hours, one is 12hours and you can break it up
(14:19):
into four hours or you can useit all straight in 24 or 12
hours.
Whatever is best for your needs.
You know, that package involvesgiving you a ride home from the
hospital.
That package involves,depending on how long you've
been in the hospital we have onelady who was actually in the
(14:39):
hospital in skilled nursingtwice.
She hadn't been in her house infive months.
So when we got there we startwith.
Once we get her set up, we haveto clean out your for me to say
refrigerator, because the foodwill be spoiled.
We have to get you fresh foodin the house.
So now you have something toeat.
(15:01):
So that discharge package isvery helpful.
You know, when you get home andyou realize that your couch is
in a different position or yourfavorite sitting area is in a
different height than what theyhad in the hospital, it becomes
harder to get up sometimes,especially if your seat's lower
when you're in your own bedversus a hospital bed that'll
(15:24):
raise and lower for your tilt.
You may need a little helpgetting out of the bed and
getting to wherever it is youwant to go.
The first five days aredefinitely the most difficult
for somebody after discharge andthe discharge package we offer
is very helpful, I think, forpeople who are open to it.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yeah, just the running of errands, just going
to pick up prescriptions thatyou didn't have time to get
before you left the hospital, orthose groceries Groceries are a
big deal If you forget that.
If you're in the hospital for aweek, some of that stuff that
you may have even pre-preparedor thought you were prepared for
are expiring or getting bad oryucky.
(16:03):
So yeah, having somebody to dothat and just the little things
taking you to your firstfollow-up doctor's appointment
if your family's not available,and being another set of years
to listen to what they have tosay, so that you don't have to
worry about rememberingeverything you probably still
don't feel very good.
Just getting like I know myhusband one time he had ankle
(16:24):
surgery and just getting himfrom the garage to the doctor's
office these hospitals are hugeand it's a long mile from the
garage.
So, having somebody to be ableto push you in a wheelchair or
help you with a walker orwhatever, it is just for the
recovery period when you gethome and I also know that you I
(16:46):
can remember just a couple oftimes being in the hospital and
just feeling so weak, so fast,just not feeling like I did
before.
It's amazing how we get alittle debilitated.
And you're right.
You don't realize how squishyyour couch is and how far you
sink down in it, until you havehad a knee replacement.
And now you have to get up outof that couch and it's really
(17:10):
hard.
So having home care there thatfirst few days, that first week
or for longer, is a great way tokeep yourself from having to go
back to the hospital or after afall or something else going
wrong.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
A lot of us depend on our spouse or our mate to help
us get through that, and there'snothing wrong with that A
spouse and a mate.
That's why we kind of lean onthem and have them so that we
can help each other when you arefirst home from a nursing
(17:46):
facility or a hospital and yourspouse is your major caregiver.
Now you've changed yourrelationship.
It goes from enjoyment andquality sharing time to them
cleaning your undergarments,them putting you on and off the
toilet, them helping you getaround the house, them preparing
(18:09):
your meals, them cleaning you.
It just changes a lot of therelationship.
The relationship I think it'sreally important for, whether
it's parent-child or a spouse orintimate relationship
connection, no matter what yourconnection is, I think it's
important to maintain at least aportion of that connection and
(18:34):
allow somebody else to come inand help with some of the things
that your spouse now has to dofor two people versus doing for
one person.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Yeah, or at least give them a break.
If you give them, do thatrespite care, give that spouse a
break.
Let them go to the grocery andbe alone for an hour.
When your kids are little,going to the grocery is actually
a really nice opportunity,because you're like Ooh, I get
to be by myself for one hour.
So when you're caring for aloved one, it's nice to have a
(19:07):
break, whether you're, you know,going to the movies or just
going to sit somewhere and havea coffee or whatever it is, be
by yourself for a few minutesand just decompress.
So home care makes thatpossible.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Valerie, one of the things I enjoy.
I enjoy getting out to see asmany of our clients or potential
clients as I can.
That's one of the things Ienjoy most.
But when you have somebody whois adamantly, I don't need help,
but they'll accept a littlehelp because they have to and
(19:44):
then they get used to it andthey look forward to it and then
they want more of it, that isreally knowing that we're
helping that person get throughtheir day with some sunshine.
That's one of the mostrewarding parts of this job.
I really mean that.
Yeah, as a business owner, Ihave the.
(20:06):
You have to pay the bills andhave water and snacks in the
office and you have to make surepeople have their home.
You have the owner's stuff, butwhen you're taking care of
clients in their homes, it's.
And another interesting thingis that we do what the client
(20:27):
requests.
So there's a different.
We hire cnas, which arecertified nursing assistants.
We have nursing assistants.
We are a hire Arizona certifiedcaregivers, but their training
is different than an RN'straining, which is interesting
because we have an RN and LPN onstaff and we hire nursing
(20:51):
students as caregivers.
But sometimes you hit a weirdspace in the road because maybe
the patient or client has a DNR.
An RN is taught.
You keep a person alive atwhatever it takes, and we've had
situations where we havesomeone who has a DNR whose
(21:12):
request is I don't want doctors,hospitals, emts, nobody
involved.
You have an RN there or an RNstudent there as a caregiver.
It becomes really.
The coaching from the officebecomes really important because
(21:32):
, yeah, I know that person.
Okay, they have.
We had a guy with pneumonia.
He was bed bound and all heneeded was antibiotics and I
understand that.
But we have to do what hisrequest is and his request is we
do not call emts, we callhospice and hospice takes care
of him the way that they'veagreed.
(21:53):
When you're dealing with homecare, it's a real love of labor
because you sometimes have to dothings that are against what
you think is right to do, whatthe patient wants you to do.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
That's true and yeah, I get.
I was a nursing student onceand I can remember my first
client or he wasn't a client, hewas in the hospital, he was a
patient and I can remember thatfirst person who passed away.
They were I didn't know that,but they were no a DNR, they
were do not resuscitate.
So I was very upset, but theother nurses around me were like
no, it's okay, this is what youwanted, it's okay, you don't
(22:35):
have to get excited.
And so it is great that youhave coaching from the office to
your caregivers to tell themyou know what that's going to be
.
Okay, that's what this clientwanted.
Everything's going to be fine.
You don't have to worry aboutcalling 911.
Let's make a new plan for this,for that.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Part of that for us at least, valerie is that we
have a live answer 24 hour phoneline.
So for clients, for caregivers,for anybody who has a question,
it's answered by somebody.
Live on our staff.
It doesn't go to an answeringservice, it doesn't go to a
voicemail unless they're on theother line, even in the middle
(23:17):
of the night.
We take a lot of pride in that,because that's a service a lot
of companies don't offer andthere's a need for it, because
emergencies don't wait untilyou're ready to answer
appropriately.
Emergencies happen and for uswe like to have somebody who has
the knowledge and background ofthe client to help answer the
(23:39):
questions along the way.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
So it's really important for us.
That's great.
It sounds like you have a batphone, the bat phone, call the
bat phone.
That's great.
That's wonderful for thecaregivers and the clients.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Yeah, it is, it is, and we call that phone
transference.
We transfer the phone from oneperson to the other.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
That's how we do it.
We share the load.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That sounds like you all not only have longevity
there in the Scottsdale area,but you've been serving that
population for a long time andit's really a work of heart for
you guys.
Golden Heart Senior Care.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Yep, better so.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
I've been self-employed for 30 years.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
A little over 30.
And I've had this for 12.
And I'll tell you this is thisis the best job I've ever had.
This is my favorite company andwe have a great team that works
with us.
Our care coordinator andscheduler does a fantastic job
at listening to what ourclients' needs are and
fulfilling their needs the waythey request.
(24:42):
Our office manager does a greatjob of relating to people and
hearing what their concerns areand answering their concerns,
and we have a community liaisonwho is always working a health
fair or getting out and sharingsenior care information with the
community.
We're just really happy to be apart of the senior care
(25:04):
community and we do a fantasticjob.
I'm not going to be shy insaying that, because we work
hard to make sure that we aretrained and prepared for
situations, so we do a fantasticjob.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Thank you for what you do and thank you for letting
us all know about what you doand we'll make sure that the
Scottsdale folks out there areable to, and everybody in your
territory knows exactly what'sgoing on with Golden Heart
Senior Care.
So thank you, Rodney.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Thank you, valerie.
It's our pleasure to be hereand be a part of the community,
so thank you.
My name is Rodney Malone.
The name of our company isGolden Heart Senior Care.
We cover everything east of themiddle of Scottsdale, so we
have half of Phoenix, I'm sorry.
Everything east of the city ofPhoenix.
So we have half the city ofPhoenix and we love what we do.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Awesome, very good.
I love it.
Let's talk about how.
Okay.
When did Golden Heart SeniorCare start and what was the
catalyst for you all to get intothis business?
Speaker 1 (00:46):
what was the catalyst for you all to get into this
business?
We have owned Golden HeartSenior Care now for 12 years,
and it started with both mywife's family and my family.
I was raised by my grandmother.
She had 10 kids.
I was lucky enough that sheadopted me as her 11th kid and
at that time I was six yearsyounger than her youngest.
(01:08):
She was pretty much an emptynester, so when I came around,
it became Rodney, help me dothis, rodney, help me do that.
And you realize that it's notjust her asking for help to
bother me.
It's her asking for helpbecause she needed help, and so
I learned a lot of compassionand really skills through that.
(01:34):
And then later my wife'sparents got into their senior
years and they needed and theydidn't really want to accept
help, but they needed it.
So we got involved with helpingthem accept help and in that
process my wife and I learnedthat this is really a business.
(01:57):
People really help seniors livein their homes safely.
And that's where it all started, with us me at home, her with
her parents and then us in thisbusiness.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
And I bet along the way you realized how hard it was
to find reliable, safecaregivers or maybe dependable
caregivers or caregivingsituations.
It's when you're doing this onyour own.
I was just reading an articleabout the benefits of an agency
over hiring a private caregiver,and you and I both know that
(02:35):
when you're trying to do this onyour own and you're hiring
people privately, a lot can fallthrough the cracks and people
call and say so it's, that'ssomething, I think, when we're
winging it, that we learn prettyquickly.
And so it's that's something, Ithink, when we're winging it,
that we learn pretty quickly.
And so having an agency is somuch it's a safer bet all the
way around when you hire anagency, and so I can see.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I agree.
First of all, hiring an agencyis safer because you have all
those safe holds in place, youhave insurance.
See, we are non-regulated as astate, so there's nothing that
tells us we should do and havethe things we do and have, other
than owning a franchise, andthey keep us up to date on all
(03:20):
the things the regulated stateshave.
That way we are poised, when weare regulated, to be in line.
But doing background checks anddoing driving record reviews
and doing drug screens and doingadult protective services
checks, that stuff's all reallyimportant because we're not
(03:42):
regulated, so anybody can stepin and take care of people in
this state.
You know, part of what we do iswe make sure that the people
who come in to take care of themost vulnerable population that
they're safe, that they'reeducated, that they're certified
, that they don't have any dingsagainst their record with APS
(04:03):
and with national criminalbackground checks.
We want to make sure that theydon't have any excessive
speeding or DUIs on theirdriver's license.
That way when they're takingsomebody to the store or to a
doctor's appointment, we knowthere's a safe driver involved.
Yeah, so yeah, making sure thatthe people who care for the
(04:25):
most vulnerable are people whoshould be caring for them.
That's something we take a lotof pride in.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
And that is.
I don't think people whohaven't ever been involved in in
their parents haven't neededcare.
They've never experienced thisbefore.
They don't realize what a ahuge amount of work that is and
and just to do it by yourself iscrazy.
It's so much work and it neverends.
So having an agency behind youis a bigger support and I would
(04:55):
agree I'm in a non-regulatedstate as well, and it can be the
wild west out there.
So being part of a franchise,you're able to know what the
best, safest practices are, orthe regulations and rules from
the toughest states are, and youcan model yourselves after what
a tough state would like.
(05:16):
Florida, it's pretty tough andhighly regulated.
New York, highly regulated, andbeing part of a franchise helps
what's coming down the pike andwhat the best and safest ways
to approach all this are.
So that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
That's right and I'm really.
I'm proud of our brand, goldenHeart Senior Care.
I'm proud of our leadership atthe corporate office.
Those guys do a great job ofkeeping us informed.
We have a monthly meeting wherethey explain to us what the
regulation is now and what thechange is going to be, and how
it affects us and why it'simportant for us to enact
(05:52):
whatever is coming down the pipe.
So I agree wholeheartedly.
Also, we've gotten involved withsome families who are on the
back end of what can happen whenyou have somebody who's not
monitored or checked.
We got involved with a familywhose caregiver was extorting
(06:15):
money, writing themselves checksfrom a senior's bank account
and, because they hired theperson privately, they don't
really have any recourse.
Plus, if they do go after alegal position on it, they're
going to be responsible for backtaxes and all the things that
(06:38):
weren't covered along the way,which, when you deal with an
agency, we're going to make suretaxes are paid.
We're going to make sureworkman's comp is paid.
We're going to make sure thatfamily is protected in all areas
.
We're going to make sure thatthe caregiver is a safe
caregiver, somebody that shouldbe there taking care of my
(06:58):
parents.
We're going to make sure thatthe regulation is in place, that
right now, the only thing youhave to have in this state is
CPR, first aid and TV.
That's it.
Wow, anybody can get that Right.
But then when you go to helpsomebody with a transfer, if you
(07:19):
don't know how to transfersomebody, that person's in
physical danger you haven't beenbackground checked.
And now you're writing checksout of that senior's checkbook
you haven't been checked.
So there's a lot that goes intowhat we do on the agency end,
and here at Golden Heart I knowwe take it very seriously
(07:40):
because there are there's livesat stake, there's people's
property at stake.
It's a very serious thing to beresponsible for and we accept
it with pride and honor anddignity.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, absolutely, I think there's.
I could talk all day about thebenefits of using an agency and
I can tell you personally if myparents needed care, I would not
hire someone privately, even ifI knew everything I needed to
know that the liability alonewould no way.
I would always hire an agency.
But let's talk about whatservices you guys do provide.
(08:13):
We've touched on it a littlebit, but tell us all the things
you do.
I know it's a huge list, butAll the things we do.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You and I would be here for a couple of days, but
the way I would answer that iswe do anything that helps the
senior remain in their homesafely.
Okay, so that involves helpingthem get cleaned up in the
morning.
We'll go before that.
That involves helping them getfrom the bed to the wheelchair
(08:46):
or however they get to therestroom to get cleaned up.
We help with that.
We help with the actualcleaning up.
We will shave them, brush theirteeth.
If they can't get out of bed,we'll do bed baths.
We'll do any, I'm sorry, phonering.
So if they can't get out of abed, we'll do a bed bath.
(09:09):
We'll do any kind of bathingthat's required to help that
person.
And if they can get into thebath but they can't they're not
mobile we'll help them transferfrom the bed to a chair and from
a chair to the shower chair andfrom the shower chair, we'll
help with all that.
We'll get them in the kitchen.
We'll feed them breakfast.
(09:29):
We'll remind them to take theirmedications.
We'll help with all that.
We'll get them in the kitchen.
We'll feed them breakfast.
We'll remind them to take theirmedications.
We'll clean up while they'reeating.
We'll go.
We'll clean up the bathroom,we'll make the beds, we do
laundry, we change bed linens,we assist with things like
letting the dogs out andcleaning up the dog's mess and
making sure the house is clean.
(09:50):
We don't do deep cleaning, likeI've had a client ask us to
take their curtains off the wallso that we could clean them.
We're not going to go to thatlevel of clean, but we'll sweep
and mop the floors, wipe thecounters, do the dishes, help
with the meal prep.
(10:11):
We'll do transportation.
We'll take you to the doctor.
We'll take you to the store.
We'll help with your shopping.
After that we'll get you readyfor a nap or get you in front of
the television or do whateverit is that portion of the day
requires.
Like for some people, they'vebeen given OTPT orders from home
(10:32):
health.
We'll help them with thoseorders.
We'll do the exercises.
We'll promote that and in somecases even try to push them,
because when you've been hurt,to exercise that area of your
body that needs work or strength, it's hard to do on your own
(10:52):
sometimes.
So you need somebody to try andhelp you get motivated to do it
and to do it, and then, onceyou do that, we're going to make
sure you have your afternoonmeds.
We're going to make sure you'rehydrated.
We're going to make sure you'recleaned up.
We're going to get you in bedfor a nap.
We're going to get you out ofbed for a nap.
We're going to prepare a mealfor you so you're not eating out
(11:16):
of a pre-processed box everymeal, home-cooked meals.
There's a real energy insupporting your body, because
some of our people have dementiabut some just have physical
ailments where eating good,healthy food is a step toward
getting better.
We'll help you get ready forbed.
(11:38):
We'll help you with yourundergarments.
We'll get you cleaned up.
We'll get you in bed.
We'll make sure you have yournight meds.
We'll make sure you have waterand then, as you're asleep at
night, if you're a 24-hourclient, we're there through the
night.
Our caregiver is taught to stayawake, so if you need help
going to the restroom oranything you need in the middle
(11:59):
of the night, we're there andavailable to help.
We do anything that helps aperson stay in the home safely.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
I can read.
That's a huge list and I thinkpeople aren't aware of how much
a caregiver actually does for asenior.
But all of it is important andI think something that folks
don't realize is that when youhave an aging parent who had,
let's say, a knee replacement ora hip replacement or maybe they
were just sick, they hadpneumonia and they discharged
(12:29):
from the hospital you guys arewonderful about helping with
that transition from thehospital to home, because those
first few days at home are rough.
You're not.
You don't have a nurse at yourbeck and call like you did in
the hospital.
You're relieved to be home, butthere's, unless you have a
family member or someone therethere's no one really there to
(12:52):
help with all these littlethings.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
And something people don't really think about the
first five days home afterdischarge are the hardest,
because when you're in a skillednursing facility or when you're
in a hospital, you know therestroom is right over there in
the corner.
You know the restroom is rightover there in the corner.
You know the beds are at acertain height, the couches are
(13:15):
at a certain height.
When you get to toilets, you'reat a certain height.
When you get home, all thatchanges and, depending on where
you are physically and mentally,you're going to need help with
that.
You are physically and mentally, you're going to need help with
that.
The toilet may be lower thanthe toilet in the hospital.
One of the things we recommendis a toilet riser.
(13:37):
Makes it a little higher, givesyou some support arms to help
you get up and down, just littlethings like that.
Since we are in this businessand we've been around the
business, we can makerecommendations.
We have partners who do DME,which is equipment.
We have partners who do hospiceand home health.
(13:59):
We'd be happy to include thosepeople if that's part of what
you need.
We have what's called adischarge package, so when
you're being discharged fromskilled nursing or hospital, it
gives you.
We have two packages.
One is 24 hours, one is 12hours and you can break it up
(14:19):
into four hours or you can useit all straight in 24 or 12
hours.
Whatever is best for your needs.
You know, that package involvesgiving you a ride home from the
hospital.
That package involves,depending on how long you've
been in the hospital we have onelady who was actually in the
(14:39):
hospital in skilled nursingtwice.
She hadn't been in her house infive months.
So when we got there we startwith.
Once we get her set up, we haveto clean out your for me to say
refrigerator, because the foodwill be spoiled.
We have to get you fresh foodin the house.
So now you have something toeat.
(15:01):
So that discharge package isvery helpful.
You know, when you get home andyou realize that your couch is
in a different position or yourfavorite sitting area is in a
different height than what theyhad in the hospital, it becomes
harder to get up sometimes,especially if your seat's lower
when you're in your own bedversus a hospital bed that'll
(15:24):
raise and lower for your tilt.
You may need a little helpgetting out of the bed and
getting to wherever it is youwant to go.
The first five days aredefinitely the most difficult
for somebody after discharge andthe discharge package we offer
is very helpful, I think, forpeople who are open to it.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Yeah, just the running of errands, just going
to pick up prescriptions thatyou didn't have time to get
before you left the hospital, orthose groceries Groceries are a
big deal If you forget that.
If you're in the hospital for aweek, some of that stuff that
you may have even pre-preparedor thought you were prepared for
are expiring or getting bad oryucky.
(16:03):
So yeah, having somebody to dothat and just the little things
taking you to your firstfollow-up doctor's appointment
if your family's not available,and being another set of years
to listen to what they have tosay, so that you don't have to
worry about rememberingeverything you probably still
don't feel very good.
Just getting like I know myhusband one time he had ankle
(16:24):
surgery and just getting himfrom the garage to the doctor's
office these hospitals are hugeand it's a long mile from the
garage.
So, having somebody to be ableto push you in a wheelchair or
help you with a walker orwhatever, it is just for the
recovery period when you gethome and I also know that you I
(16:46):
can remember just a couple oftimes being in the hospital and
just feeling so weak, so fast,just not feeling like I did
before.
It's amazing how we get alittle debilitated.
And you're right.
You don't realize how squishyyour couch is and how far you
sink down in it, until you havehad a knee replacement.
And now you have to get up outof that couch and it's really
(17:10):
hard.
So having home care there thatfirst few days, that first week
or for longer, is a great way tokeep yourself from having to go
back to the hospital or after afall or something else going
wrong.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
A lot of us depend on our spouse or our mate to help
us get through that, and there'snothing wrong with that A
spouse and a mate.
That's why we kind of lean onthem and have them so that we
can help each other when you arefirst home from a nursing
(17:46):
facility or a hospital and yourspouse is your major caregiver.
Now you've changed yourrelationship.
It goes from enjoyment andquality sharing time to them
cleaning your undergarments,them putting you on and off the
toilet, them helping you getaround the house, them preparing
(18:09):
your meals, them cleaning you.
It just changes a lot of therelationship.
The relationship I think it'sreally important for, whether
it's parent-child or a spouse orintimate relationship
connection, no matter what yourconnection is, I think it's
important to maintain at least aportion of that connection and
(18:34):
allow somebody else to come inand help with some of the things
that your spouse now has to dofor two people versus doing for
one person.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Yeah, or at least give them a break.
If you give them, do thatrespite care, give that spouse a
break.
Let them go to the grocery andbe alone for an hour.
When your kids are little,going to the grocery is actually
a really nice opportunity,because you're like Ooh, I get
to be by myself for one hour.
So when you're caring for aloved one, it's nice to have a
(19:07):
break, whether you're, you know,going to the movies or just
going to sit somewhere and havea coffee or whatever it is, be
by yourself for a few minutesand just decompress.
So home care makes thatpossible.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Valerie, one of the things I enjoy.
I enjoy getting out to see asmany of our clients or potential
clients as I can.
That's one of the things Ienjoy most.
But when you have somebody whois adamantly, I don't need help,
but they'll accept a littlehelp because they have to and
(19:44):
then they get used to it andthey look forward to it and then
they want more of it, that isreally knowing that we're
helping that person get throughtheir day with some sunshine.
That's one of the mostrewarding parts of this job.
I really mean that.
Yeah, as a business owner, Ihave the.
(20:06):
You have to pay the bills andhave water and snacks in the
office and you have to make surepeople have their home.
You have the owner's stuff, butwhen you're taking care of
clients in their homes, it's.
And another interesting thingis that we do what the client
(20:27):
requests.
So there's a different.
We hire cnas, which arecertified nursing assistants.
We have nursing assistants.
We are a hire Arizona certifiedcaregivers, but their training
is different than an RN'straining, which is interesting
because we have an RN and LPN onstaff and we hire nursing
(20:51):
students as caregivers.
But sometimes you hit a weirdspace in the road because maybe
the patient or client has a DNR.
An RN is taught.
You keep a person alive atwhatever it takes, and we've had
situations where we havesomeone who has a DNR whose
(21:12):
request is I don't want doctors,hospitals, emts, nobody
involved.
You have an RN there or an RNstudent there as a caregiver.
It becomes really.
The coaching from the officebecomes really important because
(21:32):
, yeah, I know that person.
Okay, they have.
We had a guy with pneumonia.
He was bed bound and all heneeded was antibiotics and I
understand that.
But we have to do what hisrequest is and his request is we
do not call emts, we callhospice and hospice takes care
of him the way that they'veagreed.
(21:53):
When you're dealing with homecare, it's a real love of labor
because you sometimes have to dothings that are against what
you think is right to do, whatthe patient wants you to do.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
That's true and yeah, I get.
I was a nursing student onceand I can remember my first
client or he wasn't a client, hewas in the hospital, he was a
patient and I can remember thatfirst person who passed away.
They were I didn't know that,but they were no a DNR, they
were do not resuscitate.
So I was very upset, but theother nurses around me were like
no, it's okay, this is what youwanted, it's okay, you don't
(22:35):
have to get excited.
And so it is great that youhave coaching from the office to
your caregivers to tell themyou know what that's going to be
.
Okay, that's what this clientwanted.
Everything's going to be fine.
You don't have to worry aboutcalling 911.
Let's make a new plan for this,for that.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Part of that for us at least, valerie is that we
have a live answer 24 hour phoneline.
So for clients, for caregivers,for anybody who has a question,
it's answered by somebody.
Live on our staff.
It doesn't go to an answeringservice, it doesn't go to a
voicemail unless they're on theother line, even in the middle
(23:17):
of the night.
We take a lot of pride in that,because that's a service a lot
of companies don't offer andthere's a need for it, because
emergencies don't wait untilyou're ready to answer
appropriately.
Emergencies happen and for uswe like to have somebody who has
the knowledge and background ofthe client to help answer the
(23:39):
questions along the way.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
So it's really important for us.
That's great.
It sounds like you have a batphone, the bat phone, call the
bat phone.
That's great.
That's wonderful for thecaregivers and the clients.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Yeah, it is, it is, and we call that phone
transference.
We transfer the phone from oneperson to the other.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
That's how we do it.
We share the load.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That sounds like you all not only have longevity
there in the Scottsdale area,but you've been serving that
population for a long time andit's really a work of heart for
you guys.
Golden Heart Senior Care.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Yep, better so.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
I've been self-employed for 30 years.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
A little over 30.
And I've had this for 12.
And I'll tell you this is thisis the best job I've ever had.
This is my favorite company andwe have a great team that works
with us.
Our care coordinator andscheduler does a fantastic job
at listening to what ourclients' needs are and
fulfilling their needs the waythey request.
(24:42):
Our office manager does a greatjob of relating to people and
hearing what their concerns areand answering their concerns,
and we have a community liaisonwho is always working a health
fair or getting out and sharingsenior care information with the
community.
We're just really happy to be apart of the senior care
(25:04):
community and we do a fantasticjob.
I'm not going to be shy insaying that, because we work
hard to make sure that we aretrained and prepared for
situations, so we do a fantasticjob.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Thank you for what you do and thank you for letting
us all know about what you doand we'll make sure that the
Scottsdale folks out there areable to, and everybody in your
territory knows exactly what'sgoing on with Golden Heart
Senior Care.
So thank you, Rodney.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Thank you, valerie.
It's our pleasure to be hereand be a part of the community,
so thank you.
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