June 16, 2025 • 51 mins
Traci Lamb shares her powerful personal journey as a caregiver while introducing Odessa Connect, an innovative technology that transforms any TV into a simple two-way communication platform for seniors. Her five-year caregiving experience provides valuable insights on balancing personal wellbeing with the responsibilities of caring for aging parents.
• From award-winning recruiter to caregiving entrepreneur, Traci's diverse professional background spans multiple industries
• The emotional reality of being a caregiver - "It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life"
• How Odessa Connect solves communication challenges with an 11-button remote designed specifically for seniors
• The platform offers video calls, messaging, photo sharing, and vital sign monitoring through the TV
• Common misconceptions about hospice - services can be available for years, not just final days
• White-label options allow healthcare organizations to customize the platform with their branding
• The importance of caregiver self-care and recognizing when to seek respite
• Resources available include Area Agencies on Aging, support groups, and respite care
Stay connected with the ones you love. Odessa Connect makes video calls, messages and updates as easy as pressing a button. No apps, no stress, just connection.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
um, and then also because ours has that patented
remote that's bigger and hasonly the 11 buttons 11, that, um
, that really separates us fromeverybody else.
And I was their top salespersonby the end of the first year
and my boss bought himself aporsche with my last deal and my
(00:21):
ex-husband at the time said didhe have anything to do with
your deals?
They really do advocate for thepatient and rather than making
the patient have to or thesenior even have to learn tech,
they've made the tech easy.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Stay connected with the ones you love.
Odessa Connect makes videocalls, messages and updates as
easy as pressing a button.
No apps, no stress, justconnection.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Welcome back to the Listen Comfy Podcast.
I am Norman Harris, your hostowner and CEO of Comfort
Measures Consulting.
Thank you for joining us andthank you for supporting we.
Have a wonderful special guesthere today, ms Tracy Lamb.
She's a community liaisonentrepreneur, caregiver, a world
(01:17):
leader.
Thank you for joining us today.
Ms Lamb, thank you for coming.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me.
Yes, ma'am, I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
It's an honor and tradition on this show we allow
our guests to introducethemselves.
I always start off with puttingindividuals in the care arena
in an odd situation because wetypically don't like talking
about ourselves.
But if you will show youraccolades, credentials and brag
a little bit our credentials andbrag a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
It is hard to do.
Well, like you said, my name isTracy Lamb and I've been in the
caregiving space for probablyabout 25 years and I have worked
in it, been a caregiver, done alot of different things.
My background is pretty diverse.
I was in law and then I was wasin recruiting and then I got
(02:07):
into healthcare.
So I have a pretty diversebackground.
I have won several awards withmy own businesses, both with my
recruiting business and with mycaregiving business.
I won several awards.
I was named top recruiter inthe country and I was named the
number one CEO in the caregivingbusiness and the Southeast.
(02:32):
So I've won several differentawards.
I love caring for others.
I love caring specifically forpeople that are in the aging
space.
It's very dear to me, so I getvery, very passionate about any
product or service that can helpthose that are trying to age at
home.
(02:52):
So that's kind of a little bitabout me all right.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Well, that's a lot so um before we get kicked off, I
like to tell the audience howyou and I connected and how we
met.
But I want you to say it thoughyeah yeah, I met Norman through
LinkedIn.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Linkedin has been really wonderful for me.
I've never paid for it, so I'vealways done the free service.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Free service.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And so I just find people that I think are
interesting and that I thinkmight have the same passion that
I do for seniors and forhelping the senior community.
And that's how I saw Norman,and then I didn't even realize
we lived close to each other,and then he invited me to be up
(03:39):
on it for us to meet personallyand I was like, oh my goodness,
we actually live in the sametown, so that was really cool.
So I think it's a great.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
but LinkedIn has been amazing for me for sure,
wonderful professional platform,great place for you to connect
All this out there.
Look Miss Tracy lamb and myselfup on LinkedIn as well.
But if you don't have one, youwant to grow your career, you
(04:10):
want to be able to connect withindividuals.
Get your linkedin account freeversion, like your boy amazlam.
All right, absolutely all right.
So we're gonna start go back,reverse back in time a little
life segment with you, okay,sure, just throughout your life,
you've made incredible impact,as you indicated awards.
Um, just thinking about whathas stayed the same about you
throughout your life.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I think I've always.
I love to learn.
You know I love to learn newthings.
I'm always striving to bettermyself.
I'm always wanting to learn newways that can not only help me
grow but that can help me tohelp the other people that I
serve.
Because I guess I really, atthe at the ultimate core of me,
I have a servant's heart and soI really love serving other
people and so that has been.
(04:51):
Even when I was in therecruiting business, I felt like
I was serving other peoplethrough recruiting.
You know, I was helping thecompanies get a great candidate
and I was helping the candidatesget a great job.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
So for me it's always been gone back to that gotcha,
gotcha, always caring, alwaysbeing willing to serve, but also
help people reach uh newmilestones, but also opening
them up to resources too.
Correct, that's really good,really good.
Uh, so in life would you say,who, would you say, most
influential people that have theimpact on your life today?
Speaker 1 (05:24):
By far probably the most influential person in my
personal life was my mom.
Uh, for more than one reason.
Uh, she, just she was a veryshe was a great mom.
I was very blessed I had agreat, great mom.
She was a stay at home mom.
She got to stay at home with uskids and, um, she was a very
godly woman, and so thatimpacted my life a lot and she,
(05:47):
just, she, always, she alwaysloved unconditionally.
She really taught me whatunconditional love was and I
just that was really reallyamazing to me.
Professionally.
Probably one of the people thatprofessionally helped me the
most was a guy by the name ofKevin McRitchie.
Kevin is the CEO and founder ofa company called Tactical Rehab
(06:11):
.
He actually was on my board formy caregiving company and he
mentored me a lot when I gotinto owning my own company, and
so he really helped me a lot aswell.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
well, good, mr.
Shout out to uh, mr kelvin, uh,and thank you for sharing that
as well, uh, where you're fromoriginally I'm originally from,
uh, huntsville, alabama, we onlyI only lived there till I was
two, two okay, um.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
But my dad was born here in florida and wanted to
come back to florida, so I'velived in Florida the majority of
my life.
I have lived some other placeslived in Dallas, lived in North
Carolina for a while, lived inVegas for nine months.
That was crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
But Florida has always been home.
Florida has always been reallywhere friends and family.
I went to college here, soFlorida has always been home
base.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
So you can't slide by that Vegas.
Why was Vegas crazy?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Vegas was crazy.
It's one of those places I tellpeople it's a fun place to
visit.
You don't necessarily want tolive there because it's a crazy
place, but it is a fun place.
It is a fun place for sure.
There's a lot to do there, forsure.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Anything you did crazy in Vegas, yeah.
What happens in Vegas stays inVegas.
Okay, I got you hello.
I'm Norman Harris, owner andCEO of Comfort Measures
Consulting.
We are a healthcare resourceplatform that specializes in
business development forindependently, privately owned
healthcare organization.
(07:38):
Let's partner together tosupport your business growth
through strategic digitalmarketing and community
engagement.
You can DM us, call us, text me.
I'm here for you.
We're ready to serve you, thankyou.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
But it could absolutely be beneficial for
corporate to know okay, ourpeople are doing what they're
supposed to be doing.
So there's several differentways that we can do that.
We can also white label it sowe can actually make it to where
there are only, like right now,when it pops up on the screen
it says Odessa Connect and ourlogo, but if it said I'll just
(08:25):
say Comfort Keepers, justbecause it's a big corporation,
so if Comfort Keepers was usingit and they wanted to white
label it, then when Odessa cameon to all their patients it
would say Comfort Keepers andtheir logo.
So we can do that.
So there's lots of differentthings like that, little things
like that, that we can do tokind of personalize it to the
(08:47):
company and whatever kind ofways they want to personalize it
.
We can do that.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
That is really good and that's a great way for
independent healthcare ownersout there to you know we
understand the healthcare markethere in Florida right, we're in
like the retirement central ofAmerica, almost so great way to
separate your organization fromyour competitors.
Be the first right, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Well, and ours is separated just because of the
fact that most of the two orthree others that do utilize the
TV, most of those are not HIPAAcompliant, which is by law.
You have to do that.
Not HIPAA compliant, which isby law you have to do that.
Be HIPAA compliant fortelehealth visits, um.
And then also, because ours hasthat patented remote that's
bigger and has only the 11buttons, 11, that, um, that
(09:36):
really separates us fromeverybody else.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Yes, all right, all right, so Huntsville, from
Huntsville, alabama.
You've touched on a lot ofdifferent cities.
All right, visit it.
What's your most, I guess, cityyou think you probably love the
most?
Speaker 1 (09:50):
I really loved.
I lived in Raleigh, northCarolina, for about a year, year
and a half, and I really lovedRaleigh.
I thought they had perfectweather, beautiful city.
The city itself was justgorgeous, really nice place to
live.
I would love to go back andlive there, but the taxes are
horrible and I'm spoiled inFlorida, where we don't have
(10:12):
taxes, so you know it doesn'tmake a difference.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, we do, we, but we had a heat down here.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, we got the heat here oh man, oh man.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
So, looking back, what's one important lesson from
your childhood that you stillcarry with you today?
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I would probably say the biggest one that I learned
was that they taught me to relyon God my parents I grew up in a
Christian home and my parentsstarted taking us to church from
a young age and when I wentthrough a lot of really tough
times in the last two to threeyears, I really had to lean on
(10:48):
God in order to get through thembecause, honestly, I joked with
my mom and my dad I mean my momI said I now understand at
times why people can turn toalcohol or drugs when times get
really, really, really difficult.
It's just it becomesoverwhelming at times.
I mean really overwhelming and,honestly, if I had not had my
(11:09):
faith to lean back on, I wouldhave had a really, really,
really tough time.
So, um, that was probably thecore thing that they taught me
and I really didn't understandit and get it until probably the
last two or three years when Ireally really needed it.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Wow, Wow.
Well, thank you for sharingthat Sure.
So from a caregiver, I know youpersonally, we've talked as
well, but I would love for youif you would share with our
audience here today yourpersonal caregiver story?
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Oh, sure, so I'm one of three kids.
I'm the middle child, oldersister, younger brother and my
older sister, denise.
She died in a car accident 20years ago now and she left a
16-year-old and a 13-year-oldand my younger brother died
(12:04):
seven years ago from alcoholism.
So when he died, that left justme and mom and dad, and I got
divorced in 2019.
I moved in with mom and dad in2020 just because COVID hit, and
so in 2021, my dad got reallysick and so I started taking
(12:25):
care of him and he ended uppassing away in february 22 and
he and mom had been married for60 years and mom couldn't I know
a lot a long time, and momcould not take care of herself
at all, and so she moved in withme and I took care of her until
she passed away in January ofthis year.
(12:47):
So, and it was, it was a hard.
I never understood caregiving.
I had been worked for hospice along time.
I heard a lot of caregiverstalk about caregiving and
everything, but I never reallyunderstood it and I could talk
the talk is what I tell people,but I had not walked the walk
and I could talk.
The talk is what I tell people,but I had not walked the walk,
and it is very, very, very, verydifferent when you walk the
(13:09):
walk.
It was hard.
It was the hardest thing I'veever done in my life.
Without a doubt, it's thehardest thing I've ever done in
my life.
And there were days, just likepeople I've heard people say and
I never understood it, but I donow.
There were days when you wakeup and you, you don't want to do
(13:29):
today.
You're just like I don't wantto do this today.
I don't want to do this today.
I just want to pull the coversover my head and say forget it,
I don't want to do this today,but that's not an option.
You know it's kind of like whenyou have kids.
You know, you're like okay, Idon't want to parent today.
Today is I want a day off andyou don't get a day off.
You know you have to becausethat person is relying on you
and you're all they've got.
And I felt a very heavyresponsibility when my father
(13:53):
died and, with my sister andbrother being gone, that I truly
was all my mother had, and myfather didn't leave a lot of
money, and so it just it becamemy responsibility money, and so
it just it became myresponsibility, right, right,
right, uh.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
What do you say?
Most thing that you probably uhlost during that time, just
whether it's uh your personallife, professional life during
that, during that span of beingthat caregiver I think you lose.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
You lose your own self in a way, because you're so
absorbed in them, you know,because your every waking
thought is okay, are they okayor do they need me?
I, I did not really sleepdeeply for five years five years
that I was caregiving for mymom and my dad I did not really
(14:43):
sleep deeply.
I couldn't shut my door oranything, because if they needed
me in the middle of the night,I was the one that had to get up
and go see if they were okay orcall the cops, or call the not
the cops, but call the ambulanceor call whatever in order to be
able for them to be okay.
So you really can't relax.
(15:05):
You just stay keyed up andnervous and worried all the time
.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
So no trips.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
No, I didn't take.
I took no vacations for fiveyears.
I literally just took my firstvacation, like a couple of weeks
ago, and it was so weirdbecause it was so hard for me to
relax.
It was so hard because I'm soused to being on all the time
that it's very weird for me tonot feel like still that I have
(15:38):
to call and check on mom.
Or is she okay, is she allright?
You know, I mean it's very hard, it's a.
It isn't really a transition.
I've heard that and I neverbelieved it, but now that I'm
walking through it, it's trueyeah, yeah, I bet it is.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
That's a lot.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
And then to do it for five years, see, that's a long
time yeah, yeah, I tell people,you know people, that these
people that do it even longerthan that, they do caregiving,
you know 10-15 years, you knowwith for dementia patients or
whatever you know.
I am amazed that they can dothat.
I tell people all the time Godknew my threshold and he knew it
(16:17):
was like, okay, tracy's notgonna be able to take much more
of this.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
So so what resources?
Uh, you'd say that that youknow about now, after the fact,
right, that you wish you hadknown at the start of this of
your caregiver journey with yourparents.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Oh my goodness, there's so many that I found out
about.
I actually recently just foundout about a company that I just
absolutely loved.
My mother would try and fixthings around the house and it
drove me absolutely crazy, andmy father was not a handyman at
all in any way, shape or form.
He was a salesman, which iswhat I where I get mine, but he
could not do anything.
There's a company called TrueBlue, true Blue Ally, and True
(16:56):
Blue Ally has franchises allacross the country and they do
senior, they do handyman stufffor seniors.
True Blue Isn't that amazing?
I think that's awesome.
Yes, it is.
I thought that was incredible.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Let me think about it .
I think someone from True Bluereached out to me like last year
, I can't remember.
Yeah, they're gonna make melook it up now.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yeah, true Blue is.
And, of course, odessa Connect,who I work for now, is another
one that I wish I had knownabout, especially with my dad.
My mom got to use Odessa somebefore she died and she
absolutely loved it.
I mean, it was hilarious.
She just was like okay, tracy,you can get rid of everything
else.
This is what I like, this.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
So what is Odessa Connect?
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Sure.
So Odessa Connect is a platformthat turns any TV into a
two-way communication tool.
It's HIPAA compliant, so it cando healthcare you can do
healthcare, health care it cando health.
You can do health care video.
Uh, visits on it.
Um, the great thing is it has apatented remote that has only
(18:05):
11 buttons.
It's amazing.
Um, that's what my mom lovedthe best was the remote.
11 buttons, yes, and she waslike here you can throw all the
rest of those remotes away Ijust want this one remote.
You can throw all the rest ofthose away.
And, uh, you can do.
It has a free caregiver app um,that's available on google and
uh, android and apple and um, itcan do.
(18:28):
You can basically do videos onthe tv, you can do.
You can send photos, uh, youcan do like messages, so it's
almost like email.
So it basically becomes like agiant ipad.
Your tv becomes like a giantipad, um, and they now actually
I just found out a week ago weare now I'm going to be rolling
(18:50):
out in the next few months andthen a fantastic gaming feature,
okay, um, so it's going to be areally cool gaming feature for
seniors that they can do on theTV, which is gonna be absolutely
amazing.
But it's awesome literally withthe click of one button.
You, the singer, is connectedby audio and video and can do
(19:11):
videos.
So it's one button and and theyliterally, and then, when
they're ready to go back watch,they just click the button for
TV and they can go back andwatch on TV, right, so it's that
simple.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Uh-oh, okay, all right, and we'll continue.
After this comfy comedy moment,we're going to definitely get
back in and talk about it Iguess today, but we're going to
take a small little pause here.
Sure, all right, we have alittle game that we we're gonna
play with you, all right okay,all right.
So it's called and it's for wesay here at the lesson coffee
positive test.
Thank you that we believe incomfortability all over the
(19:46):
globe all right, so I'm gonnahand you this globe here.
Okay, three spins, okay, andthen you stop it with your
finger wherever your finger land.
I have some questions for you,all right?
All right, so three spins forme three spins, okay.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Well, if I hold it correctly here, don't feel all
over the globe two.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Oh my goodness you gotta use that wrist now.
Come on now.
All right, there we go one two,three, all right there we go.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Okay, so here we go.
So, um, let's see, I landed onIndia.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
India Okay.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
I landed on India.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Have you ever visited India?
I have not.
Okay, what do you know aboutIndia?
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Well, not a lot.
I do have some friends that arefrom India.
Okay, so there you go and I doum, I have had Indian food.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Indianian food.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I know if any of you is a lot of spices, right it
does have a lot of spices rightuh, turmeric yes, and curry
curry okay uh favorite indiandish oh goodness they have
something called buttery chicken.
That's actually pretty good.
So, um, yeah, I've had that andthat that's actually really
good.
Um, so, yeah, I but indian foodis pretty good.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
I actually, yeah, it's actually I went to a
restaurant here in tampa uh,like an indian restaurant yeah
they had this like a spongy typeof uh, I don't know, you can't
really call it bread, but youcan basically eat it with
anything it has like, oh, Ithink it's called nan man, okay,
man.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, it looks kind of like pita bread.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yes, yes, but it's well, no, it's really thin yeah,
it's real thin, super thin andspongy like oh okay I don't know
where it was I don't know Iwent there, dr petty took us
there uh so that's thank you forplaying the game.
Comfy moment with us.
I appreciate it but Idefinitely want to get back into
talking about odessa connect.
(21:41):
Yeah, what led you to joininguh the team?
Speaker 1 (21:45):
it's a great organization.
Um, they, uh, the guy thatcreated the, the product, um
really has a passion for helpingthe seniors that he created it
for, and that was one of thethings that I loved about it is
the fact that it's not just oh,let's just see how many of these
we can sell.
It's about actually helping thepeople, yes, and that's what
(22:08):
I'm all about.
So, for me, I I loved finding acompany that that's what they
love doing is really helpingpeople, and we've been able to
do that.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yes, and just from my personal experience working in
health care as well, there wereso many family members I come
across that you know either liveout of state and they're trying
to get in contact with theirloved one, but mom never answers
the phone.
Yep, you go into mom's roomit's right there on the bedside
table, the phone there, and thenmissing all the calls.
(22:40):
But you had the ability toconnect with them through their
name pop up on the television.
They can just hit okay, you popup there.
You know you can see them videochat right there.
So it's a great way, eventelemedicine as well.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Yeah but there's two other quick things.
One is that, even like with, ifdaughter lives in seattle, mom
lives in florida, uh, daughterat christmas time could set up
her tablet right next to thechristmas tree and mom could
watch christmas on the tv screen.
Um, the other thing is weactually have the capabilities
of taking vitals through the tv.
(23:15):
So so in Seattle and mom livesactually take the vitals, can
actually see those vi wants to,and so that can.
Caregiver peace of mind patientmonitoring.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Yes come with any devices lik through.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
It comes with five devise their weight, their
temper pressure, their pulse Uh,I forget what it is, but take
all five of those.
An have to like read the thr,like that.
They put it up as soon as thethermometer immediately shoots
(23:57):
it to the box and the thereading then goes directly to
the caregiver app, so they don'teven have to look and see.
Well, I think it's 45, it's95.8.
They don't have to do that,it's automatically goes to the
caregiver app and there's awhole dashboard that they'll be
able to see oh, dashboard holdthat so, um, that's one of the
features that I like is thedashboard with the app.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
You can go right on the app, see the updates track.
Actually, you can actually givethat information and data also
to the physician providers aswell.
So it really helps out overall,just staying connected with your
family member, from checking ontheir health side, but also not
(24:40):
allowing them to miss thosewonderful moments right.
So I definitely am an advocateof Odessa Connect and it aligns,
like you said, with both of ourmissions as well.
So my next question to you iswhat advice would you offer
individuals looking to makemeaningful impact in the
caregiver and health care sector?
Speaker 1 (25:03):
You know, the thing is is that I do think you have
to find something or some way,whether it's a product or a
service, that you can support bydoing that you know, and really
be able to reach people thatyou know and really you know.
For me that's back to theOdessa connect, a really good
example for it.
(25:25):
But they, they live w you knowthey really do and rather than
making th the senior even haveto l tech, they've made the tech
easy.
Easy yes, and so that's whatreally needs to be done.
You know, unfortunately a lotof people are like, okay, well,
(25:49):
we'll teach them, and olderpeople don't want to learn tech.
You know, they grew up in acertain way and tech seems too
difficult.
I know for both of my parents.
You know, just email was a lotyou know.
So it's like okay, and this isvery, very, very, very simple,
and it's in their world you knoweverybody watches tv you know.
So that's, that was really,really I I love the fact that
they're advocate, advocating forthe actual patient right.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
So we're going to take it even even deeper, into
like for a assisted livingfacility or home care agency.
Just how could that bebeneficial for the clients there
, for ALF and the home careagency?
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Oh yeah, In fact we've actually just made a video
about how it can help homehealth agencies is two or three
different ways, you know.
First of all, as far as theactual caregiver coming out to
there, they could actually do aquick video call.
The caregiver that's coming tothe home could do a quick video
call or send a quick messagethrough the Odessa and say, oh,
(26:51):
I'm on my way, I'll be there in10 minutes, and that way the
patient is aware the actualcorporation could actually know
and check on the actualcaregiver actually being there
like they're supposed to bethere which at
times can be a little bit of ahiccup, um, and they could
(27:11):
actually either have thecaregiver check in when they
onto through the odessa, whenthey actually get there to the
home, right you know, or, um, orcheck in when they leave.
Either way, but it couldabsolutely be beneficial for um
corporate to know okay, ourpeople are doing what they're
supposed to be doing.
Um, so there's severaldifferent ways that we can do
(27:32):
that.
We can also white label it sowe can actually make it to where
there are only like right now,when it pops up on the screen it
says Odessa connect and ourlate, our logo.
But if it said I'll just saycomfort keepers, just because
it's a big corporation, so ifcomfort keepers was using it
(27:53):
then and they wanted to whitelabel it, then when Odessa came
on to all their patients itwould say comfort keepers and
their logo.
Wow, so we can do that.
Um, so there's lots ofdifferent things like that,
little things like that that wecan do to kind of personalize it
to the company and whateverkind of ways they want to
personalize it.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
We can do that that is really good and that's a
great way for independent uhhealth care owners out there.
Just, you know, we understandthe health care market here in
florida.
Right, we're in like theretirement central yep of
america almost we are uh, sogreat way to separate your
organization from yourcompetitors.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Um be the first right , absolutely well, and and ours
is separated just because of thefact that, um most the two or
three others that do utilize thetv, um, most of those are not
HIPAA compliant, which is by law.
You have to do that be HIPAAcompliant for telehealth visits.
Um, and then also because ourshas that patented remote that's
(28:54):
bigger and has only the 11buttons.
That really separates us fromeverybody else.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yes, Comfort Measures Consulting was born from a
simple truth Passion createspurpose.
We're here to help aging adultsand their loved ones navigate
care with confidence.
But we also know something elseEntrepreneurship is hard.
You're not just the owner,you're the caregiver, the driver
, the CFO, the scheduler.
(29:22):
You're doing everything andstill not enough people know
about the amazing work you do.
Why?
Because staying consistent withcommunity engagement and social
media is tough.
But here's the thing Socialmedia builds trust, it creates
connection, it turns yourmission into long-term success.
And we see you, we see yourpassion, we see your commitment
(29:46):
to our seniors and we say thankyou.
At Comfort Measures, we'veexpanded our services to support
you, helping small, independenthealthcare organizations grow
through Digital marketing, localoutreach and powerful brand
strategy.
Let us help you shine.
Let's grow together.
Take this, for example anassisted living facility
(30:06):
providing excellent care butstruggling with visibility.
They had little communityengagement, a barely visited
website and few referralconnections.
But with the right strategy, injust a few short months,
awareness grew, the phonestarted ringing and new
(30:26):
residents moved in.
Whether you're a mobilephysician, home care agency or
independent provider, we canhelp your business grow, too
Ready to be seen.
Call CMC at 850-879-2182 andlet's get started.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
But also organization with purpose that practice what
they preach as well.
So I'm a big fan of DesiConnect, glad that your
partner's here as well.
So definitely glad you joinedin the show to help spread the
knowledge of a wonderfulresources of connected families
through the largest video screenin your home television.
(31:06):
All right, so, going into yourprofessional journey, you made a
lot of impact.
But also I like this part thatyou've been an entrepreneur.
But also I like this part thatyou've been an entrepreneur.
You believe in, in, you knowleading by example.
But also you took it to theroute of you know what I'm a
business person.
I know how to operate as abusiness.
(31:27):
Um, I want to provide care, theway that I desire to do so.
Uh, but first we go back to themonarch group.
Right, well, you won thoseaccolades, recruit of the year,
and?
But tell us about that, or?
Speaker 1 (31:39):
so I started off in recruiting um.
I was actually recruit.
I I was actually recruited tobecome a recruiter um buying a
recruiting company and, uh, Iwas their first hire.
They were looking for peoplewho had never recruited before,
and so I was their first hireand I was their top salesperson
by the end of the first year.
Wow, and my boss bought himselfa Porsche with my last deal and
(32:06):
my ex-husband at the time saiddid he have anything to do with
your deals?
And I said, no, I did all of it.
I negotiated and did everythingand he goes okay, we're going
to do it yourself.
And so he was the one initiallywho kind of pushed me into
entrepreneurship.
I really wouldn't have thoughtit, but I did it.
So I started my own recruitingcompany and I recruited for four
years and was really successfuldoing it.
(32:28):
But after four years that wasI'm dating myself.
But that was when Monster andHot Jobs and all of those came
out and everybody decided thatthey could just pay one person,
you know, $30,000 a year and nothave to use recruiting agencies
ever again.
So that was when I actuallywent and started working for
(32:48):
hospice.
Um, I got the job at hospice.
I had started off in HR athospice and then I transitioned
into patient care and I workedfor hospice for 13 years.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
All right.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Wow, so hospice was my favorite job.
No, so you, you worked in thepatient care side.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Yeah, I worked on patient care side, um, I was a
manager and um I uh helpedschedule um nurses to go out and
see if patients could be takenunder service, and so I helped
schedule all of that, and so Iwas a scheduler and I also was
an admin assistant for thedirector and I did a lot of
(33:26):
stuff.
I wore a lot of hats.
Even back then I did a wholelot of stuff.
And then in 2019, I just gotkind of burned out on doing all
of that.
I was just I got divorced and Iwasn't really really sure what
I wanted to do.
And that was when, right beforecovet, and that was when I just
decided you know, all thesepeople call me day in and day
(33:46):
out and they'll say, well, if ahospice can't help me, who am I
supposed to call?
And I got that question day inand day out and I felt so bad
for them and I was like, okay, Ilive in Florida, I have to be
able to start doing webinars orsome seminars or something to
start helping these people.
You know, even if I just helppeople in Florida.
(34:07):
So that's how I really kind oftransitioned even into owning my
own business.
I just thought I would do itlocally and I just kind of
started tiptoeing into it in 20.
And then by 21 and 22, it kindof grew from there.
And 23 was when I ended upgetting into radio and I ended
up getting into TV, and then itbecame even bigger and it got it
(34:31):
kind of grew from there.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
So what's the misconceptions that you found
about hospice?
Like just that notion thatmaybe just a community that may
not have the knowledge ofregarding hospice.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Oh, the biggest misconception about hospice is
that you only call them threedays before somebody's gonna die
, and because my dad was underhospice care for two years and I
tell you two years and I tellpeople that and they're like how
is that possible?
and I'm like, because, as longas the person.
(35:07):
So there are certain diseasesthat are terminal, like, like my
father had CHF, which iscongestive heart failure, and
COPD, which is pulmonary disease.
It's the lungs Okay, both ofthose are terminal, but you can
live with them for 20 years.
Okay, you can live with themfor 20 years.
Well, my dad got to where hewas declining every day.
(35:29):
So, as long as you aredeclining and you have something
like that it's the same thingwith Alzheimer's and dementia If
you continue to decline, thenyou can be under hospice care.
So you can be under hospicecare for years as long as you're
continuing to decline.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Right, yes.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
And it can really help the family and the patient.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Yes, patient, yes, yeah, so one thing I really, um,
enjoyed about working inhospice is really spreading that
knowledge and the educationpiece of it, because I love the
fact that a lot of people willbe opposed to it yeah, this is
me in my own mind, right, yes,but, and I had the opportunity
to educate them and get them tounderstand the, the true value
(36:10):
in it.
That's covered, typicallycovered under medicare.
Most is covered under medicareyep, uh, but you have access to
grief, grief support right afterthe loss.
So, um, because that's a lot oftimes, the caregivers, right,
we think there's a lot of timesyou have a focus on the patient
right there on the hospice careyep but the caregiver, a lot of
time, has been going throughthat journey with their loved
(36:31):
one for many, many years.
As you indicated, they providegrief counseling, some of them
up to 18 months, yep, afterafter the loss.
Right, yeah, but there's, youhave nurses, social workers
pastor chaplains yes, chaplains,that you have home health aides
absolutely so many differentresources.
(36:51):
A hospice care consultant yeah,so many resources that can.
Actually, that's there, that'scovered under the insurance that
, if anything.
I mean.
Some people I ran into they say, well, I needed more help than
that.
Yeah, then the hospital.
But guess what?
Speaker 1 (37:05):
this is services you're not paying for exactly
and then the other thing is isyou can DME, you can get medical
equipment for free you know, Imean, rather than you having to
go out and buy it or lease it orwhatever any equipment that you
need a hospital bed, a showerchair, anything at all, a
wheelchair, anything you can getit for free, I mean and that's
(37:28):
that alone is huge.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Yes, it is, I mean it really, really is.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
So I try and tell everybody.
I always tell people.
When I have to suggest to themthat they call hospice, I always
say, ok, we're going to havethe talk and I need to like
burst your bubble about hospicebecause, everybody's like
hospice.
My mom's not dying, my dad's notdying.
I know I'm like, I know.
So now we're going to have theconversation because you need to
(37:55):
understand.
I agree with you.
Your mom may not be dying.
When my when I called, when Itold my dad I was calling the
hospice on him he goes, he saidthe same thing he goes, trace,
I'm not dying.
I said I know you're not dying,dad, but the reality is is that
mom needs help and you needhelp too.
Yes, and so he told me he wouldlet me do it for my mother's
sake.
(38:15):
And then what was hilarious was, two weeks into it, he looked
at me and he goes Tracy, youneed to call that hospice nurse.
I need her to come over hereand check on something.
I'm like oh, the one that youdidn't want me to call before.
Now you want me to call her.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
So I used to tell people, and a lot of times when
I have my introduction callswith families, I would tell them
I say, hey, I'm a mama's boy.
You know, no one likes themama's boy, I guess, but I'm a
mama's boy, uh, and I will placemy mom on hospital.
I love my dad too.
I'll put him on hospitalservices as well.
Yeah, so it is wonderfulbenefit and why not have an
option to additional servicesthat can support your family
overall, and that this justdoesn't focus on the patient but
(38:56):
also the caregiver and, likeyou said, that DME equipment, to
have that a new mattress arriveat your air mattress, arrive at
your house, a bed, afunctioning bed that could, you
know, elevate the, the patient.
You know, absolutely.
All of those things are verybeneficial when you're providing
care to your loved ones.
So, but thank you for sharingthat and your journey as well.
(39:18):
Can you share the challengesand rewards of balancing
entrepreneurship?
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Yeah, that's.
That's a good question, Causethat's hard.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
I mean, that is really hard.
You know, I heard a woman oncesay that there is no work-life
balance and I almost have cometo believe that.
You know, the thing is is thatit can be very, very difficult,
you know when you're, especiallywhen you're a caregiver, you
already are not thinking aboutyourself because you're
constantly worried about yourperson, and so I was having to
(39:55):
balance between worrying aboutmy mom and trying to run a bit
of my own business, and that itwas crazy.
I mean, it was a really, reallycrazy three years and it really
a lot of sleepless nights, alot of, a lot of nights of am I
really doing?
Am I really doing the rightthing?
you know, and you really do.
(40:17):
You kind of question yourselfof like, is this the right thing
?
Am I doing the right thingbecause you love the person?
And you will absolutely want todo the best thing for the
person, but then you love whatyou're you're doing and you're
passionate about what you'redoing, so it is a very fine line
.
Yes, it is a very fine line.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
I always say entrepreneurship is an emotional
rollercoaster.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
Amen to that, amen to that.
It's an emotional rollercoaster, amen to that.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
I want you to tell me about Caregiving Worldwide
Network.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
All right, Okay, so Caregiving Worldwide Network was
um tv show.
Um a couple of tv shows.
They're actually still outthere, um they.
If you have a smart tv and roku, amazon fire, apple tv or
google tv, you can add the rhstv channel.
(41:10):
Rhs tv channel that stands forred house streaming tv and uh,
you can go on there and you cansee the shows called caregiving
worldwide and you can also seeshows called safe and sound.
Safe and sound was my secondseries.
Um that I did, and Safe andSound actually showed several
(41:32):
different types of products thatare fantastic for people aging
in place at home Phenomenalproducts, right, and so those
are all still out there and youcan still go out there and see
those.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
So and I know you indicated your caregiver journey
was five years, right I madethis show and this platform to
provide knowledge and resourcesfor people that are in the
moment.
Yep, and that's what I reallywant them to take advantage of
those resources when they canuse them, because a lot of times
(42:08):
you get so I guess, into it andI just only hear the stories.
I used to hear the stories allthe time in, you know, working
in the skilled nursing center.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
That you don't really think about anything outside of
that.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
That's very true, really, that's very, very true.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
But going into that.
So let's educate a key signs acaregiver needs a professional
help or a break.
What are some signs you couldthink of?
Speaker 1 (42:33):
I yeah, I can absolutely tell you a couple of
things, just that I should havedone and I wish I would have
done, but I didn't.
Um, one would be um, when youjust get so tired you can hardly
see straight, you know, it'sjust, you're so mentally,
emotionally, physicallyexhausted you need to go and, if
(42:54):
nothing else, call a friend,call a family member, call a
church family member, or go tothere.
You could call hospice.
Hospice will take you intorespite care for a few days, but
get you some respite, get youtwo or three days to where you
can just breathe because, youreally need to just take a time
out and and breathe, becauseeverybody needs that, because
(43:17):
it's like my mom finally said tome.
She said, tracy, if somethinghappens to you, what's going to
happen to me?
And you really do have toremember that, because you've
got to take care of yourself inorder for you to take care of
them, and if you don't, thenyou're in trouble.
So I would say that, and then Iwould also say just try to
remember that, as tough as itcan be, at times it's tougher on
(43:42):
them because they know they'redying, they know that they've
got a limited amount of timeleft and so they can't change
what they're doing or what'sgoing on with them.
They can't change that.
So, as hard as it is at timesand God knows, I didn't always
remember this but try andremember that it's worse on them
(44:04):
than it is on you.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Right.
So it's a balance ofresponsibilities, with self-care
, yeah, and if you have, uh,someone out there in your life
today on their audience I'mspeaking to you that you know
that is taking care of their momor their dad, be that resource
for them, be that person thatholds them accountable as well
(44:28):
for self-care.
Let them know that it's okay totake the trip, it's okay to
have a girl's night out, becausewhat happens is and this is all
me, I haven't had the journeyyet, but I, um, I simply for
people that are in that, thatsituation, I really do, uh, but
a lot of them to know it's okay,uh, to take those breaks, um,
(44:48):
and you know that, respite care,as you mentioned, a lot of hot
insurances actually yep theyhave, provide respite care a
certain number of days per monthand what?
your loved one can go and stayat a nursing facility a few days
a week or two, whatever yourinsurance allow.
You can call your insuranceprovider uh to find that
information out.
(45:08):
That way you could go on avacation, right?
Uh, you have the area uh, onaging, um, actually, they have
resources for you as well, uh,groups, community groups for
individuals like yourself, but,um, you don't take the time and
look at it when you really justfocus on you know, providing the
care and focus on your lovedone, but I challenge you if you
(45:31):
have someone like that in yourlife, a colleague, I'll share
this information with them.
Okay, um, it is a hard journeyand, um, the statistics actually
slipped my mind now, butthere's a statistic out there
where caregivers actually passaway before the person that
they're caring for.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
All right, it's a serious statistic.
I'm sorry I don't have it withme right now today, but you can
Google it.
There you go, the numbers andthe percentage is there, and
it's not a low number either,yeah, so please take advantage
of those that as well.
So what's next for you, msTracy Lamb?
Moving forward, thinking aboutthe future.
I know you had a big life eventhere this year in January.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Yep, my mom passed away in January.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
It's like a new beginning.
It is.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
It's kind of been like a reset for me, so, in
mostly good ways, I miss herlike crazy, but it's been good.
Next for me, honestly, just um,really to continue, just keep,
keep working and promotinglodessa connect.
Um, I just went to a conferencewith them a couple of weeks ago
(46:43):
.
Um, some really, reallyphenomenal things are already
starting to happen.
Like I say, this gaming thingis coming out.
I just just found out last weekand I'm really really excited
about what's going on with allof that.
I love the product and I lovewhat I get to do with all of
that.
So it doesn't feel like work.
I just get to have fun doingwhat I do, so for me that really
(47:07):
is like a bright light for mefor the horizon and on the
future.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
All right, so could Odessa Connect TV if you could
tell us where they could go tofind more information regarding
Odessa Connect?
Speaker 1 (47:18):
Yes, absolutely so.
The website iswwwodessaconnecttv and that's
O-D-E-S-S-A-C-O-N-N-E-C-TTV, andyou can see it on there.
You can, um.
You can order one through there.
Yes, you can do whatever youwould like, um.
(47:39):
If you have any questions, um,I'm sure norman can get you my
phone number or my um emailaddress and I would be more than
happy to answer any questionsthat you have.
Norman can answer questions foryou too, because he knows a lot
about Odessa Connect.
But it really is a greatproduct.
I highly recommend it.
Like I say, my mother was 84years old and she was starting
(48:03):
to have some cognitive issuesand she absolutely loved it.
She could easily use it and itmade it to gave me peace of mind
because when I would go out oftown, I could call her on the tv
.
So it was great and I could seethat she was okay and it was
awesome right.
Speaker 3 (48:18):
Well, that's bringing peace of mind to families uh
worldwide, nationwide yep, it'sfixing to be worldwide.
We're fixing to go to Australia,so we're going to Australia,
baby absolutely so I thankOdescanet for believing the
vision here of Comfort MeasureConsulting and being a partner
of Comfort Measure Consultingand the let's Stay Comfy podcast
(48:39):
.
If you have any family membersthat you want to connect with,
right, if you want information,please reach out 850-879-2182.
You can also find me onFacebook, comfort Measures
Consulting as well.
So I'm here for you, here foryour families, providing a way
(49:00):
where you can stay one connected, but also you have an option to
check the vitals, check theirhealth, right With that remote
patient monitoring feature thatCondessa Connects have.
As she indicated early in theshow, you also have an
opportunity to play a littlegames.
Right, we have adding ourinteractive activities in the
(49:21):
Desk Connect Once again, allthrough the largest screen in
your home TV, all right.
So, miss Tracy Lamb, I thankyou for joining me today.
Any final words for ouraudience today?
Speaker 1 (49:33):
I would just say thank you again for having me.
I greatly appreciate it.
I'm very blessed to have gottento meet you, Norman.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
Thank you and.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
I am super excited for being here and I would just
say, if you're a caregiver, keepon doing what you're doing and
keep on looking for it, and ifyou need more resources, again,
I can connect with Norman or Ican connect with you.
There's lots of resources outthere that can help you.
Odessa Connect is just one ofmany, but I can definitely
connect you with more resourcesthat can help you with home.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
Thank you.
I am someone that has thesympathy and empathy to
understand the caregiver'sjourney.
However, I have not hadpersonal experience.
This tracy lamb here todayshared her personal story as a
caregiver.
Uh, she's telling you the timethat she had this.
Uh, the way she lost right.
She's telling you how sheself-care was put to the side,
(50:26):
right in the back burner, andnow she's almost having to reset
.
Utilize your resources whileyou're in it.
Thank you for joining us hereat the Lesson Coffee Podcast.
I hope you was able to gainwonderful knowledge and
resources that you can benefitfrom or someone in your
immediate community.
(50:47):
Share it with them.
Be sure to follow us on all oursocial media platforms.
That's Facebook, instagram,linkedin.
Subscribe to the YouTubechannel as well.
We're also on all of yourpodcast platforms Spotify, apple
podcast.
Check us out there.
Until next time, thanks.
um, and then also because ours has that patented
remote that's bigger and hasonly the 11 buttons 11, that, um
, that really separates us fromeverybody else.
And I was their top salespersonby the end of the first year
and my boss bought himself aporsche with my last deal and my
(00:21):
ex-husband at the time said didhe have anything to do with
your deals?
They really do advocate for thepatient and rather than making
the patient have to or thesenior even have to learn tech,
they've made the tech easy.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Stay connected with the ones you love.
Odessa Connect makes videocalls, messages and updates as
easy as pressing a button.
No apps, no stress, justconnection.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Welcome back to the Listen Comfy Podcast.
I am Norman Harris, your hostowner and CEO of Comfort
Measures Consulting.
Thank you for joining us andthank you for supporting we.
Have a wonderful special guesthere today, ms Tracy Lamb.
She's a community liaisonentrepreneur, caregiver, a world
(01:17):
leader.
Thank you for joining us today.
Ms Lamb, thank you for coming.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Thank you so much.
Thank you for having me.
Yes, ma'am, I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
It's an honor and tradition on this show we allow
our guests to introducethemselves.
I always start off with puttingindividuals in the care arena
in an odd situation because wetypically don't like talking
about ourselves.
But if you will show youraccolades, credentials and brag
a little bit our credentials andbrag a little bit.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
It is hard to do.
Well, like you said, my name isTracy Lamb and I've been in the
caregiving space for probablyabout 25 years and I have worked
in it, been a caregiver, done alot of different things.
My background is pretty diverse.
I was in law and then I was wasin recruiting and then I got
(02:07):
into healthcare.
So I have a pretty diversebackground.
I have won several awards withmy own businesses, both with my
recruiting business and with mycaregiving business.
I won several awards.
I was named top recruiter inthe country and I was named the
number one CEO in the caregivingbusiness and the Southeast.
(02:32):
So I've won several differentawards.
I love caring for others.
I love caring specifically forpeople that are in the aging
space.
It's very dear to me, so I getvery, very passionate about any
product or service that can helpthose that are trying to age at
home.
(02:52):
So that's kind of a little bitabout me all right.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Well, that's a lot so um before we get kicked off, I
like to tell the audience howyou and I connected and how we
met.
But I want you to say it thoughyeah yeah, I met Norman through
LinkedIn.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Linkedin has been really wonderful for me.
I've never paid for it, so I'vealways done the free service.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Free service.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And so I just find people that I think are
interesting and that I thinkmight have the same passion that
I do for seniors and forhelping the senior community.
And that's how I saw Norman,and then I didn't even realize
we lived close to each other,and then he invited me to be up
(03:39):
on it for us to meet personallyand I was like, oh my goodness,
we actually live in the sametown, so that was really cool.
So I think it's a great.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
but LinkedIn has been amazing for me for sure,
wonderful professional platform,great place for you to connect
All this out there.
Look Miss Tracy lamb and myselfup on LinkedIn as well.
But if you don't have one, youwant to grow your career, you
(04:10):
want to be able to connect withindividuals.
Get your linkedin account freeversion, like your boy amazlam.
All right, absolutely all right.
So we're gonna start go back,reverse back in time a little
life segment with you, okay,sure, just throughout your life,
you've made incredible impact,as you indicated awards.
Um, just thinking about whathas stayed the same about you
throughout your life.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I think I've always.
I love to learn.
You know I love to learn newthings.
I'm always striving to bettermyself.
I'm always wanting to learn newways that can not only help me
grow but that can help me tohelp the other people that I
serve.
Because I guess I really, atthe at the ultimate core of me,
I have a servant's heart and soI really love serving other
people and so that has been.
(04:51):
Even when I was in therecruiting business, I felt like
I was serving other peoplethrough recruiting.
You know, I was helping thecompanies get a great candidate
and I was helping the candidatesget a great job.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
So for me it's always been gone back to that gotcha,
gotcha, always caring, alwaysbeing willing to serve, but also
help people reach uh newmilestones, but also opening
them up to resources too.
Correct, that's really good,really good.
Uh, so in life would you say,who, would you say, most
influential people that have theimpact on your life today?
Speaker 1 (05:24):
By far probably the most influential person in my
personal life was my mom.
Uh, for more than one reason.
Uh, she, just she was a veryshe was a great mom.
I was very blessed I had agreat, great mom.
She was a stay at home mom.
She got to stay at home with uskids and, um, she was a very
godly woman, and so thatimpacted my life a lot and she,
(05:47):
just, she, always, she alwaysloved unconditionally.
She really taught me whatunconditional love was and I
just that was really reallyamazing to me.
Professionally.
Probably one of the people thatprofessionally helped me the
most was a guy by the name ofKevin McRitchie.
Kevin is the CEO and founder ofa company called Tactical Rehab
(06:11):
.
He actually was on my board formy caregiving company and he
mentored me a lot when I gotinto owning my own company, and
so he really helped me a lot aswell.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
well, good, mr.
Shout out to uh, mr kelvin, uh,and thank you for sharing that
as well, uh, where you're fromoriginally I'm originally from,
uh, huntsville, alabama, we onlyI only lived there till I was
two, two okay, um.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
But my dad was born here in florida and wanted to
come back to florida, so I'velived in Florida the majority of
my life.
I have lived some other placeslived in Dallas, lived in North
Carolina for a while, lived inVegas for nine months.
That was crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
But Florida has always been home.
Florida has always been reallywhere friends and family.
I went to college here, soFlorida has always been home
base.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
So you can't slide by that Vegas.
Why was Vegas crazy?
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Vegas was crazy.
It's one of those places I tellpeople it's a fun place to
visit.
You don't necessarily want tolive there because it's a crazy
place, but it is a fun place.
It is a fun place for sure.
There's a lot to do there, forsure.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Anything you did crazy in Vegas, yeah.
What happens in Vegas stays inVegas.
Okay, I got you hello.
I'm Norman Harris, owner andCEO of Comfort Measures
Consulting.
We are a healthcare resourceplatform that specializes in
business development forindependently, privately owned
healthcare organization.
(07:38):
Let's partner together tosupport your business growth
through strategic digitalmarketing and community
engagement.
You can DM us, call us, text me.
I'm here for you.
We're ready to serve you, thankyou.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
But it could absolutely be beneficial for
corporate to know okay, ourpeople are doing what they're
supposed to be doing.
So there's several differentways that we can do that.
We can also white label it sowe can actually make it to where
there are only, like right now,when it pops up on the screen
it says Odessa Connect and ourlogo, but if it said I'll just
(08:25):
say Comfort Keepers, justbecause it's a big corporation,
so if Comfort Keepers was usingit and they wanted to white
label it, then when Odessa cameon to all their patients it
would say Comfort Keepers andtheir logo.
So we can do that.
So there's lots of differentthings like that, little things
like that, that we can do tokind of personalize it to the
(08:47):
company and whatever kind ofways they want to personalize it
.
We can do that.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
That is really good and that's a great way for
independent healthcare ownersout there to you know we
understand the healthcare markethere in Florida right, we're in
like the retirement central ofAmerica, almost so great way to
separate your organization fromyour competitors.
Be the first right, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Well, and ours is separated just because of the
fact that most of the two orthree others that do utilize the
TV, most of those are not HIPAAcompliant, which is by law.
You have to do that.
Not HIPAA compliant, which isby law you have to do that.
Be HIPAA compliant fortelehealth visits, um.
And then also, because ours hasthat patented remote that's
bigger and has only the 11buttons, 11, that, um, that
(09:36):
really separates us fromeverybody else.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Yes, all right, all right, so Huntsville, from
Huntsville, alabama.
You've touched on a lot ofdifferent cities.
All right, visit it.
What's your most, I guess, cityyou think you probably love the
most?
Speaker 1 (09:50):
I really loved.
I lived in Raleigh, northCarolina, for about a year, year
and a half, and I really lovedRaleigh.
I thought they had perfectweather, beautiful city.
The city itself was justgorgeous, really nice place to
live.
I would love to go back andlive there, but the taxes are
horrible and I'm spoiled inFlorida, where we don't have
(10:12):
taxes, so you know it doesn'tmake a difference.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Yeah, we do, we, but we had a heat down here.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, we got the heat here oh man, oh man.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
So, looking back, what's one important lesson from
your childhood that you stillcarry with you today?
Speaker 1 (10:27):
I would probably say the biggest one that I learned
was that they taught me to relyon God my parents I grew up in a
Christian home and my parentsstarted taking us to church from
a young age and when I wentthrough a lot of really tough
times in the last two to threeyears, I really had to lean on
(10:48):
God in order to get through thembecause, honestly, I joked with
my mom and my dad I mean my momI said I now understand at
times why people can turn toalcohol or drugs when times get
really, really, really difficult.
It's just it becomesoverwhelming at times.
I mean really overwhelming and,honestly, if I had not had my
(11:09):
faith to lean back on, I wouldhave had a really, really,
really tough time.
So, um, that was probably thecore thing that they taught me
and I really didn't understandit and get it until probably the
last two or three years when Ireally really needed it.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Wow, Wow.
Well, thank you for sharingthat Sure.
So from a caregiver, I know youpersonally, we've talked as
well, but I would love for youif you would share with our
audience here today yourpersonal caregiver story?
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Oh, sure, so I'm one of three kids.
I'm the middle child, oldersister, younger brother and my
older sister, denise.
She died in a car accident 20years ago now and she left a
16-year-old and a 13-year-oldand my younger brother died
(12:04):
seven years ago from alcoholism.
So when he died, that left justme and mom and dad, and I got
divorced in 2019.
I moved in with mom and dad in2020 just because COVID hit, and
so in 2021, my dad got reallysick and so I started taking
(12:25):
care of him and he ended uppassing away in february 22 and
he and mom had been married for60 years and mom couldn't I know
a lot a long time, and momcould not take care of herself
at all, and so she moved in withme and I took care of her until
she passed away in January ofthis year.
(12:47):
So, and it was, it was a hard.
I never understood caregiving.
I had been worked for hospice along time.
I heard a lot of caregiverstalk about caregiving and
everything, but I never reallyunderstood it and I could talk
the talk is what I tell people,but I had not walked the walk
and I could talk.
The talk is what I tell people,but I had not walked the walk,
and it is very, very, very, verydifferent when you walk the
(13:09):
walk.
It was hard.
It was the hardest thing I'veever done in my life.
Without a doubt, it's thehardest thing I've ever done in
my life.
And there were days, just likepeople I've heard people say and
I never understood it, but I donow.
There were days when you wakeup and you, you don't want to do
(13:29):
today.
You're just like I don't wantto do this today.
I don't want to do this today.
I just want to pull the coversover my head and say forget it,
I don't want to do this today,but that's not an option.
You know it's kind of like whenyou have kids.
You know, you're like okay, Idon't want to parent today.
Today is I want a day off andyou don't get a day off.
You know you have to becausethat person is relying on you
and you're all they've got.
And I felt a very heavyresponsibility when my father
(13:53):
died and, with my sister andbrother being gone, that I truly
was all my mother had, and myfather didn't leave a lot of
money, and so it just it becamemy responsibility money, and so
it just it became myresponsibility, right, right,
right, uh.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
What do you say?
Most thing that you probably uhlost during that time, just
whether it's uh your personallife, professional life during
that, during that span of beingthat caregiver I think you lose.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
You lose your own self in a way, because you're so
absorbed in them, you know,because your every waking
thought is okay, are they okayor do they need me?
I, I did not really sleepdeeply for five years five years
that I was caregiving for mymom and my dad I did not really
(14:43):
sleep deeply.
I couldn't shut my door oranything, because if they needed
me in the middle of the night,I was the one that had to get up
and go see if they were okay orcall the cops, or call the not
the cops, but call the ambulanceor call whatever in order to be
able for them to be okay.
So you really can't relax.
(15:05):
You just stay keyed up andnervous and worried all the time
.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
So no trips.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
No, I didn't take.
I took no vacations for fiveyears.
I literally just took my firstvacation, like a couple of weeks
ago, and it was so weirdbecause it was so hard for me to
relax.
It was so hard because I'm soused to being on all the time
that it's very weird for me tonot feel like still that I have
(15:38):
to call and check on mom.
Or is she okay, is she allright?
You know, I mean it's very hard, it's a.
It isn't really a transition.
I've heard that and I neverbelieved it, but now that I'm
walking through it, it's trueyeah, yeah, I bet it is.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
That's a lot.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
And then to do it for five years, see, that's a long
time yeah, yeah, I tell people,you know people, that these
people that do it even longerthan that, they do caregiving,
you know 10-15 years, you knowwith for dementia patients or
whatever you know.
I am amazed that they can dothat.
I tell people all the time Godknew my threshold and he knew it
(16:17):
was like, okay, tracy's notgonna be able to take much more
of this.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
So so what resources?
Uh, you'd say that that youknow about now, after the fact,
right, that you wish you hadknown at the start of this of
your caregiver journey with yourparents.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Oh my goodness, there's so many that I found out
about.
I actually recently just foundout about a company that I just
absolutely loved.
My mother would try and fixthings around the house and it
drove me absolutely crazy, andmy father was not a handyman at
all in any way, shape or form.
He was a salesman, which iswhat I where I get mine, but he
could not do anything.
There's a company called TrueBlue, true Blue Ally, and True
(16:56):
Blue Ally has franchises allacross the country and they do
senior, they do handyman stufffor seniors.
True Blue Isn't that amazing?
I think that's awesome.
Yes, it is.
I thought that was incredible.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Let me think about it .
I think someone from True Bluereached out to me like last year
, I can't remember.
Yeah, they're gonna make melook it up now.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Yeah, true Blue is.
And, of course, odessa Connect,who I work for now, is another
one that I wish I had knownabout, especially with my dad.
My mom got to use Odessa somebefore she died and she
absolutely loved it.
I mean, it was hilarious.
She just was like okay, tracy,you can get rid of everything
else.
This is what I like, this.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
So what is Odessa Connect?
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Sure.
So Odessa Connect is a platformthat turns any TV into a
two-way communication tool.
It's HIPAA compliant, so it cando healthcare you can do
healthcare, health care it cando health.
You can do health care video.
Uh, visits on it.
Um, the great thing is it has apatented remote that has only
(18:05):
11 buttons.
It's amazing.
Um, that's what my mom lovedthe best was the remote.
11 buttons, yes, and she waslike here you can throw all the
rest of those remotes away Ijust want this one remote.
You can throw all the rest ofthose away.
And, uh, you can do.
It has a free caregiver app um,that's available on google and
uh, android and apple and um, itcan do.
(18:28):
You can basically do videos onthe tv, you can do.
You can send photos, uh, youcan do like messages, so it's
almost like email.
So it basically becomes like agiant ipad.
Your tv becomes like a giantipad, um, and they now actually
I just found out a week ago weare now I'm going to be rolling
(18:50):
out in the next few months andthen a fantastic gaming feature,
okay, um, so it's going to be areally cool gaming feature for
seniors that they can do on theTV, which is gonna be absolutely
amazing.
But it's awesome literally withthe click of one button.
You, the singer, is connectedby audio and video and can do
(19:11):
videos.
So it's one button and and theyliterally, and then, when
they're ready to go back watch,they just click the button for
TV and they can go back andwatch on TV, right, so it's that
simple.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Uh-oh, okay, all right, and we'll continue.
After this comfy comedy moment,we're going to definitely get
back in and talk about it Iguess today, but we're going to
take a small little pause here.
Sure, all right, we have alittle game that we we're gonna
play with you, all right okay,all right.
So it's called and it's for wesay here at the lesson coffee
positive test.
Thank you that we believe incomfortability all over the
(19:46):
globe all right, so I'm gonnahand you this globe here.
Okay, three spins, okay, andthen you stop it with your
finger wherever your finger land.
I have some questions for you,all right?
All right, so three spins forme three spins, okay.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Well, if I hold it correctly here, don't feel all
over the globe two.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Oh my goodness you gotta use that wrist now.
Come on now.
All right, there we go one two,three, all right there we go.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Okay, so here we go.
So, um, let's see, I landed onIndia.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
India Okay.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
I landed on India.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Have you ever visited India?
I have not.
Okay, what do you know aboutIndia?
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Well, not a lot.
I do have some friends that arefrom India.
Okay, so there you go and I doum, I have had Indian food.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Indianian food.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
I know if any of you is a lot of spices, right it
does have a lot of spices rightuh, turmeric yes, and curry
curry okay uh favorite indiandish oh goodness they have
something called buttery chicken.
That's actually pretty good.
So, um, yeah, I've had that andthat that's actually really
good.
Um, so, yeah, I but indian foodis pretty good.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
I actually, yeah, it's actually I went to a
restaurant here in tampa uh,like an indian restaurant yeah
they had this like a spongy typeof uh, I don't know, you can't
really call it bread, but youcan basically eat it with
anything it has like, oh, Ithink it's called nan man, okay,
man.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Yeah, it looks kind of like pita bread.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Yes, yes, but it's well, no, it's really thin yeah,
it's real thin, super thin andspongy like oh okay I don't know
where it was I don't know Iwent there, dr petty took us
there uh so that's thank you forplaying the game.
Comfy moment with us.
I appreciate it but Idefinitely want to get back into
talking about odessa connect.
(21:41):
Yeah, what led you to joininguh the team?
Speaker 1 (21:45):
it's a great organization.
Um, they, uh, the guy thatcreated the, the product, um
really has a passion for helpingthe seniors that he created it
for, and that was one of thethings that I loved about it is
the fact that it's not just oh,let's just see how many of these
we can sell.
It's about actually helping thepeople, yes, and that's what
(22:08):
I'm all about.
So, for me, I I loved finding acompany that that's what they
love doing is really helpingpeople, and we've been able to
do that.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yes, and just from my personal experience working in
health care as well, there wereso many family members I come
across that you know either liveout of state and they're trying
to get in contact with theirloved one, but mom never answers
the phone.
Yep, you go into mom's roomit's right there on the bedside
table, the phone there, and thenmissing all the calls.
(22:40):
But you had the ability toconnect with them through their
name pop up on the television.
They can just hit okay, you popup there.
You know you can see them videochat right there.
So it's a great way, eventelemedicine as well.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Yeah but there's two other quick things.
One is that, even like with, ifdaughter lives in seattle, mom
lives in florida, uh, daughterat christmas time could set up
her tablet right next to thechristmas tree and mom could
watch christmas on the tv screen.
Um, the other thing is weactually have the capabilities
of taking vitals through the tv.
(23:15):
So so in Seattle and mom livesactually take the vitals, can
actually see those vi wants to,and so that can.
Caregiver peace of mind patientmonitoring.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Yes come with any devices lik through.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
It comes with five devise their weight, their
temper pressure, their pulse Uh,I forget what it is, but take
all five of those.
An have to like read the thr,like that.
They put it up as soon as thethermometer immediately shoots
(23:57):
it to the box and the thereading then goes directly to
the caregiver app, so they don'teven have to look and see.
Well, I think it's 45, it's95.8.
They don't have to do that,it's automatically goes to the
caregiver app and there's awhole dashboard that they'll be
able to see oh, dashboard holdthat so, um, that's one of the
features that I like is thedashboard with the app.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
You can go right on the app, see the updates track.
Actually, you can actually givethat information and data also
to the physician providers aswell.
So it really helps out overall,just staying connected with your
family member, from checking ontheir health side, but also not
(24:40):
allowing them to miss thosewonderful moments right.
So I definitely am an advocateof Odessa Connect and it aligns,
like you said, with both of ourmissions as well.
So my next question to you iswhat advice would you offer
individuals looking to makemeaningful impact in the
caregiver and health care sector?
Speaker 1 (25:03):
You know, the thing is is that I do think you have
to find something or some way,whether it's a product or a
service, that you can support bydoing that you know, and really
be able to reach people thatyou know and really you know.
For me that's back to theOdessa connect, a really good
example for it.
(25:25):
But they, they live w you knowthey really do and rather than
making th the senior even haveto l tech, they've made the tech
easy.
Easy yes, and so that's whatreally needs to be done.
You know, unfortunately a lotof people are like, okay, well,
(25:49):
we'll teach them, and olderpeople don't want to learn tech.
You know, they grew up in acertain way and tech seems too
difficult.
I know for both of my parents.
You know, just email was a lotyou know.
So it's like okay, and this isvery, very, very, very simple,
and it's in their world you knoweverybody watches tv you know.
So that's, that was really,really I I love the fact that
they're advocate, advocating forthe actual patient right.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
So we're going to take it even even deeper, into
like for a assisted livingfacility or home care agency.
Just how could that bebeneficial for the clients there
, for ALF and the home careagency?
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Oh yeah, In fact we've actually just made a video
about how it can help homehealth agencies is two or three
different ways, you know.
First of all, as far as theactual caregiver coming out to
there, they could actually do aquick video call.
The caregiver that's coming tothe home could do a quick video
call or send a quick messagethrough the Odessa and say, oh,
(26:51):
I'm on my way, I'll be there in10 minutes, and that way the
patient is aware the actualcorporation could actually know
and check on the actualcaregiver actually being there
like they're supposed to bethere which at
times can be a little bit of ahiccup, um, and they could
(27:11):
actually either have thecaregiver check in when they
onto through the odessa, whenthey actually get there to the
home, right you know, or, um, orcheck in when they leave.
Either way, but it couldabsolutely be beneficial for um
corporate to know okay, ourpeople are doing what they're
supposed to be doing.
Um, so there's severaldifferent ways that we can do
(27:32):
that.
We can also white label it sowe can actually make it to where
there are only like right now,when it pops up on the screen it
says Odessa connect and ourlate, our logo.
But if it said I'll just saycomfort keepers, just because
it's a big corporation, so ifcomfort keepers was using it
(27:53):
then and they wanted to whitelabel it, then when Odessa came
on to all their patients itwould say comfort keepers and
their logo.
Wow, so we can do that.
Um, so there's lots ofdifferent things like that,
little things like that that wecan do to kind of personalize it
to the company and whateverkind of ways they want to
personalize it.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
We can do that that is really good and that's a
great way for independent uhhealth care owners out there.
Just, you know, we understandthe health care market here in
florida.
Right, we're in like theretirement central yep of
america almost we are uh, sogreat way to separate your
organization from yourcompetitors.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
Um be the first right , absolutely well, and and ours
is separated just because of thefact that, um most the two or
three others that do utilize thetv, um, most of those are not
HIPAA compliant, which is by law.
You have to do that be HIPAAcompliant for telehealth visits.
Um, and then also because ourshas that patented remote that's
(28:54):
bigger and has only the 11buttons.
That really separates us fromeverybody else.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yes, Comfort Measures Consulting was born from a
simple truth Passion createspurpose.
We're here to help aging adultsand their loved ones navigate
care with confidence.
But we also know something elseEntrepreneurship is hard.
You're not just the owner,you're the caregiver, the driver
, the CFO, the scheduler.
(29:22):
You're doing everything andstill not enough people know
about the amazing work you do.
Why?
Because staying consistent withcommunity engagement and social
media is tough.
But here's the thing Socialmedia builds trust, it creates
connection, it turns yourmission into long-term success.
And we see you, we see yourpassion, we see your commitment
(29:46):
to our seniors and we say thankyou.
At Comfort Measures, we'veexpanded our services to support
you, helping small, independenthealthcare organizations grow
through Digital marketing, localoutreach and powerful brand
strategy.
Let us help you shine.
Let's grow together.
Take this, for example anassisted living facility
(30:06):
providing excellent care butstruggling with visibility.
They had little communityengagement, a barely visited
website and few referralconnections.
But with the right strategy, injust a few short months,
awareness grew, the phonestarted ringing and new
(30:26):
residents moved in.
Whether you're a mobilephysician, home care agency or
independent provider, we canhelp your business grow, too
Ready to be seen.
Call CMC at 850-879-2182 andlet's get started.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
But also organization with purpose that practice what
they preach as well.
So I'm a big fan of DesiConnect, glad that your
partner's here as well.
So definitely glad you joinedin the show to help spread the
knowledge of a wonderfulresources of connected families
through the largest video screenin your home television.
(31:06):
All right, so, going into yourprofessional journey, you made a
lot of impact.
But also I like this part thatyou've been an entrepreneur.
But also I like this part thatyou've been an entrepreneur.
You believe in, in, you knowleading by example.
But also you took it to theroute of you know what I'm a
business person.
I know how to operate as abusiness.
(31:27):
Um, I want to provide care, theway that I desire to do so.
Uh, but first we go back to themonarch group.
Right, well, you won thoseaccolades, recruit of the year,
and?
But tell us about that, or?
Speaker 1 (31:39):
so I started off in recruiting um.
I was actually recruit.
I I was actually recruited tobecome a recruiter um buying a
recruiting company and, uh, Iwas their first hire.
They were looking for peoplewho had never recruited before,
and so I was their first hireand I was their top salesperson
by the end of the first year.
Wow, and my boss bought himselfa Porsche with my last deal and
(32:06):
my ex-husband at the time saiddid he have anything to do with
your deals?
And I said, no, I did all of it.
I negotiated and did everythingand he goes okay, we're going
to do it yourself.
And so he was the one initiallywho kind of pushed me into
entrepreneurship.
I really wouldn't have thoughtit, but I did it.
So I started my own recruitingcompany and I recruited for four
years and was really successfuldoing it.
(32:28):
But after four years that wasI'm dating myself.
But that was when Monster andHot Jobs and all of those came
out and everybody decided thatthey could just pay one person,
you know, $30,000 a year and nothave to use recruiting agencies
ever again.
So that was when I actuallywent and started working for
(32:48):
hospice.
Um, I got the job at hospice.
I had started off in HR athospice and then I transitioned
into patient care and I workedfor hospice for 13 years.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
All right.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Wow, so hospice was my favorite job.
No, so you, you worked in thepatient care side.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Yeah, I worked on patient care side, um, I was a
manager and um I uh helpedschedule um nurses to go out and
see if patients could be takenunder service, and so I helped
schedule all of that, and so Iwas a scheduler and I also was
an admin assistant for thedirector and I did a lot of
(33:26):
stuff.
I wore a lot of hats.
Even back then I did a wholelot of stuff.
And then in 2019, I just gotkind of burned out on doing all
of that.
I was just I got divorced and Iwasn't really really sure what
I wanted to do.
And that was when, right beforecovet, and that was when I just
decided you know, all thesepeople call me day in and day
(33:46):
out and they'll say, well, if ahospice can't help me, who am I
supposed to call?
And I got that question day inand day out and I felt so bad
for them and I was like, okay, Ilive in Florida, I have to be
able to start doing webinars orsome seminars or something to
start helping these people.
You know, even if I just helppeople in Florida.
(34:07):
So that's how I really kind oftransitioned even into owning my
own business.
I just thought I would do itlocally and I just kind of
started tiptoeing into it in 20.
And then by 21 and 22, it kindof grew from there.
And 23 was when I ended upgetting into radio and I ended
up getting into TV, and then itbecame even bigger and it got it
(34:31):
kind of grew from there.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
So what's the misconceptions that you found
about hospice?
Like just that notion thatmaybe just a community that may
not have the knowledge ofregarding hospice.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Oh, the biggest misconception about hospice is
that you only call them threedays before somebody's gonna die
, and because my dad was underhospice care for two years and I
tell you two years and I tellpeople that and they're like how
is that possible?
and I'm like, because, as longas the person.
(35:07):
So there are certain diseasesthat are terminal, like, like my
father had CHF, which iscongestive heart failure, and
COPD, which is pulmonary disease.
It's the lungs Okay, both ofthose are terminal, but you can
live with them for 20 years.
Okay, you can live with themfor 20 years.
Well, my dad got to where hewas declining every day.
(35:29):
So, as long as you aredeclining and you have something
like that it's the same thingwith Alzheimer's and dementia If
you continue to decline, thenyou can be under hospice care.
So you can be under hospicecare for years as long as you're
continuing to decline.
Speaker 3 (35:44):
Right, yes.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
And it can really help the family and the patient.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Yes, patient, yes, yeah, so one thing I really, um,
enjoyed about working inhospice is really spreading that
knowledge and the educationpiece of it, because I love the
fact that a lot of people willbe opposed to it yeah, this is
me in my own mind, right, yes,but, and I had the opportunity
to educate them and get them tounderstand the, the true value
(36:10):
in it.
That's covered, typicallycovered under medicare.
Most is covered under medicareyep, uh, but you have access to
grief, grief support right afterthe loss.
So, um, because that's a lot oftimes, the caregivers, right,
we think there's a lot of timesyou have a focus on the patient
right there on the hospice careyep but the caregiver, a lot of
time, has been going throughthat journey with their loved
(36:31):
one for many, many years.
As you indicated, they providegrief counseling, some of them
up to 18 months, yep, afterafter the loss.
Right, yeah, but there's, youhave nurses, social workers
pastor chaplains yes, chaplains,that you have home health aides
absolutely so many differentresources.
(36:51):
A hospice care consultant yeah,so many resources that can.
Actually, that's there, that'scovered under the insurance that
, if anything.
I mean.
Some people I ran into they say, well, I needed more help than
that.
Yeah, then the hospital.
But guess what?
Speaker 1 (37:05):
this is services you're not paying for exactly
and then the other thing is isyou can DME, you can get medical
equipment for free you know, Imean, rather than you having to
go out and buy it or lease it orwhatever any equipment that you
need a hospital bed, a showerchair, anything at all, a
wheelchair, anything you can getit for free, I mean and that's
(37:28):
that alone is huge.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Yes, it is, I mean it really, really is.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
So I try and tell everybody.
I always tell people.
When I have to suggest to themthat they call hospice, I always
say, ok, we're going to havethe talk and I need to like
burst your bubble about hospicebecause, everybody's like
hospice.
My mom's not dying, my dad's notdying.
I know I'm like, I know.
So now we're going to have theconversation because you need to
(37:55):
understand.
I agree with you.
Your mom may not be dying.
When my when I called, when Itold my dad I was calling the
hospice on him he goes, he saidthe same thing he goes, trace,
I'm not dying.
I said I know you're not dying,dad, but the reality is is that
mom needs help and you needhelp too.
Yes, and so he told me he wouldlet me do it for my mother's
sake.
(38:15):
And then what was hilarious was, two weeks into it, he looked
at me and he goes Tracy, youneed to call that hospice nurse.
I need her to come over hereand check on something.
I'm like oh, the one that youdidn't want me to call before.
Now you want me to call her.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
So I used to tell people, and a lot of times when
I have my introduction callswith families, I would tell them
I say, hey, I'm a mama's boy.
You know, no one likes themama's boy, I guess, but I'm a
mama's boy, uh, and I will placemy mom on hospital.
I love my dad too.
I'll put him on hospitalservices as well.
Yeah, so it is wonderfulbenefit and why not have an
option to additional servicesthat can support your family
overall, and that this justdoesn't focus on the patient but
(38:56):
also the caregiver and, likeyou said, that DME equipment, to
have that a new mattress arriveat your air mattress, arrive at
your house, a bed, afunctioning bed that could, you
know, elevate the, the patient.
You know, absolutely.
All of those things are verybeneficial when you're providing
care to your loved ones.
So, but thank you for sharingthat and your journey as well.
(39:18):
Can you share the challengesand rewards of balancing
entrepreneurship?
Speaker 1 (39:26):
Yeah, that's.
That's a good question, Causethat's hard.
Speaker 2 (39:30):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
I mean, that is really hard.
You know, I heard a woman oncesay that there is no work-life
balance and I almost have cometo believe that.
You know, the thing is is thatit can be very, very difficult,
you know when you're, especiallywhen you're a caregiver, you
already are not thinking aboutyourself because you're
constantly worried about yourperson, and so I was having to
(39:55):
balance between worrying aboutmy mom and trying to run a bit
of my own business, and that itwas crazy.
I mean, it was a really, reallycrazy three years and it really
a lot of sleepless nights, alot of, a lot of nights of am I
really doing?
Am I really doing the rightthing?
you know, and you really do.
(40:17):
You kind of question yourselfof like, is this the right thing
?
Am I doing the right thingbecause you love the person?
And you will absolutely want todo the best thing for the
person, but then you love whatyou're you're doing and you're
passionate about what you'redoing, so it is a very fine line
.
Yes, it is a very fine line.
Speaker 3 (40:36):
I always say entrepreneurship is an emotional
rollercoaster.
Speaker 1 (40:39):
Amen to that, amen to that.
It's an emotional rollercoaster, amen to that.
Speaker 3 (40:43):
I want you to tell me about Caregiving Worldwide
Network.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
All right, Okay, so Caregiving Worldwide Network was
um tv show.
Um a couple of tv shows.
They're actually still outthere, um they.
If you have a smart tv and roku, amazon fire, apple tv or
google tv, you can add the rhstv channel.
(41:10):
Rhs tv channel that stands forred house streaming tv and uh,
you can go on there and you cansee the shows called caregiving
worldwide and you can also seeshows called safe and sound.
Safe and sound was my secondseries.
Um that I did, and Safe andSound actually showed several
(41:32):
different types of products thatare fantastic for people aging
in place at home Phenomenalproducts, right, and so those
are all still out there and youcan still go out there and see
those.
Speaker 3 (41:46):
So and I know you indicated your caregiver journey
was five years, right I madethis show and this platform to
provide knowledge and resourcesfor people that are in the
moment.
Yep, and that's what I reallywant them to take advantage of
those resources when they canuse them, because a lot of times
(42:08):
you get so I guess, into it andI just only hear the stories.
I used to hear the stories allthe time in, you know, working
in the skilled nursing center.
Speaker 1 (42:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
That you don't really think about anything outside of
that.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
That's very true, really, that's very, very true.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
But going into that.
So let's educate a key signs acaregiver needs a professional
help or a break.
What are some signs you couldthink of?
Speaker 1 (42:33):
I yeah, I can absolutely tell you a couple of
things, just that I should havedone and I wish I would have
done, but I didn't.
Um, one would be um, when youjust get so tired you can hardly
see straight, you know, it'sjust, you're so mentally,
emotionally, physicallyexhausted you need to go and, if
(42:54):
nothing else, call a friend,call a family member, call a
church family member, or go tothere.
You could call hospice.
Hospice will take you intorespite care for a few days, but
get you some respite, get youtwo or three days to where you
can just breathe because, youreally need to just take a time
out and and breathe, becauseeverybody needs that, because
(43:17):
it's like my mom finally said tome.
She said, tracy, if somethinghappens to you, what's going to
happen to me?
And you really do have toremember that, because you've
got to take care of yourself inorder for you to take care of
them, and if you don't, thenyou're in trouble.
So I would say that, and then Iwould also say just try to
remember that, as tough as itcan be, at times it's tougher on
(43:42):
them because they know they'redying, they know that they've
got a limited amount of timeleft and so they can't change
what they're doing or what'sgoing on with them.
They can't change that.
So, as hard as it is at timesand God knows, I didn't always
remember this but try andremember that it's worse on them
(44:04):
than it is on you.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Right.
So it's a balance ofresponsibilities, with self-care
, yeah, and if you have, uh,someone out there in your life
today on their audience I'mspeaking to you that you know
that is taking care of their momor their dad, be that resource
for them, be that person thatholds them accountable as well
(44:28):
for self-care.
Let them know that it's okay totake the trip, it's okay to
have a girl's night out, becausewhat happens is and this is all
me, I haven't had the journeyyet, but I, um, I simply for
people that are in that, thatsituation, I really do, uh, but
a lot of them to know it's okay,uh, to take those breaks, um,
(44:48):
and you know that, respite care,as you mentioned, a lot of hot
insurances actually yep theyhave, provide respite care a
certain number of days per monthand what?
your loved one can go and stayat a nursing facility a few days
a week or two, whatever yourinsurance allow.
You can call your insuranceprovider uh to find that
information out.
(45:08):
That way you could go on avacation, right?
Uh, you have the area uh, onaging, um, actually, they have
resources for you as well, uh,groups, community groups for
individuals like yourself, but,um, you don't take the time and
look at it when you really justfocus on you know, providing the
care and focus on your lovedone, but I challenge you if you
(45:31):
have someone like that in yourlife, a colleague, I'll share
this information with them.
Okay, um, it is a hard journeyand, um, the statistics actually
slipped my mind now, butthere's a statistic out there
where caregivers actually passaway before the person that
they're caring for.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
All right, it's a serious statistic.
I'm sorry I don't have it withme right now today, but you can
Google it.
There you go, the numbers andthe percentage is there, and
it's not a low number either,yeah, so please take advantage
of those that as well.
So what's next for you, msTracy Lamb?
Moving forward, thinking aboutthe future.
I know you had a big life eventhere this year in January.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
Yep, my mom passed away in January.
Speaker 3 (46:18):
It's like a new beginning.
It is.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
It's kind of been like a reset for me, so, in
mostly good ways, I miss herlike crazy, but it's been good.
Next for me, honestly, just um,really to continue, just keep,
keep working and promotinglodessa connect.
Um, I just went to a conferencewith them a couple of weeks ago
(46:43):
.
Um, some really, reallyphenomenal things are already
starting to happen.
Like I say, this gaming thingis coming out.
I just just found out last weekand I'm really really excited
about what's going on with allof that.
I love the product and I lovewhat I get to do with all of
that.
So it doesn't feel like work.
I just get to have fun doingwhat I do, so for me that really
(47:07):
is like a bright light for mefor the horizon and on the
future.
Speaker 3 (47:12):
All right, so could Odessa Connect TV if you could
tell us where they could go tofind more information regarding
Odessa Connect?
Speaker 1 (47:18):
Yes, absolutely so.
The website iswwwodessaconnecttv and that's
O-D-E-S-S-A-C-O-N-N-E-C-TTV, andyou can see it on there.
You can, um.
You can order one through there.
Yes, you can do whatever youwould like, um.
(47:39):
If you have any questions, um,I'm sure norman can get you my
phone number or my um emailaddress and I would be more than
happy to answer any questionsthat you have.
Norman can answer questions foryou too, because he knows a lot
about Odessa Connect.
But it really is a greatproduct.
I highly recommend it.
Like I say, my mother was 84years old and she was starting
(48:03):
to have some cognitive issuesand she absolutely loved it.
She could easily use it and itmade it to gave me peace of mind
because when I would go out oftown, I could call her on the tv
.
So it was great and I could seethat she was okay and it was
awesome right.
Speaker 3 (48:18):
Well, that's bringing peace of mind to families uh
worldwide, nationwide yep, it'sfixing to be worldwide.
We're fixing to go to Australia,so we're going to Australia,
baby absolutely so I thankOdescanet for believing the
vision here of Comfort MeasureConsulting and being a partner
of Comfort Measure Consultingand the let's Stay Comfy podcast
(48:39):
.
If you have any family membersthat you want to connect with,
right, if you want information,please reach out 850-879-2182.
You can also find me onFacebook, comfort Measures
Consulting as well.
So I'm here for you, here foryour families, providing a way
(49:00):
where you can stay one connected, but also you have an option to
check the vitals, check theirhealth, right With that remote
patient monitoring feature thatCondessa Connects have.
As she indicated early in theshow, you also have an
opportunity to play a littlegames.
Right, we have adding ourinteractive activities in the
(49:21):
Desk Connect Once again, allthrough the largest screen in
your home TV, all right.
So, miss Tracy Lamb, I thankyou for joining me today.
Any final words for ouraudience today?
Speaker 1 (49:33):
I would just say thank you again for having me.
I greatly appreciate it.
I'm very blessed to have gottento meet you, Norman.
Speaker 3 (49:40):
Thank you and.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
I am super excited for being here and I would just
say, if you're a caregiver, keepon doing what you're doing and
keep on looking for it, and ifyou need more resources, again,
I can connect with Norman or Ican connect with you.
There's lots of resources outthere that can help you.
Odessa Connect is just one ofmany, but I can definitely
connect you with more resourcesthat can help you with home.
Speaker 3 (50:04):
Thank you.
I am someone that has thesympathy and empathy to
understand the caregiver'sjourney.
However, I have not hadpersonal experience.
This tracy lamb here todayshared her personal story as a
caregiver.
Uh, she's telling you the timethat she had this.
Uh, the way she lost right.
She's telling you how sheself-care was put to the side,
(50:26):
right in the back burner, andnow she's almost having to reset
.
Utilize your resources whileyou're in it.
Thank you for joining us hereat the Lesson Coffee Podcast.
I hope you was able to gainwonderful knowledge and
resources that you can benefitfrom or someone in your
immediate community.
(50:47):
Share it with them.
Be sure to follow us on all oursocial media platforms.
That's Facebook, instagram,linkedin.
Subscribe to the YouTubechannel as well.
We're also on all of yourpodcast platforms Spotify, apple
podcast.
Check us out there.
Until next time, thanks.
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