Comfort Keepers Opens New Clare Office

0:00or but we're starting the third hour of the show talking about comfort keepers which is officially opening a new office in NS, bringing professional home care services closer to families across the county and the expansion is expected to create 75 local jobs the company provides a wide range of supports and a delighted to be joined in studio now by the CEO of comfort keepers collect lease and collect a morning to you. Good morning Alan, thanks so much for having me. Thanks very much for coming in so I believe it is today's the big day. Yes it is and thanks Dan of a lot of golf going on and clear this last week and months I haven't been asked to tee off. We are opening. Did dare I ask what your handicap is? I wouldn't even dare to tell you. You're better with a set of clubs alive I might say. It's in progress. Sorry. It's under hard work. No word opening today on the in the Quinn business park. We have been providing service in Claire for almost 20 years but we really see in the age friendly approach of Claire now as a county as well and we're really passionate about

1:04creating community infrastructure and being visible to our clients, their families, our care staff and frontline staff that there is place to come in and find out about services to find out about other local services as well. We really want to be a connector within the community for vulnerable people that need that extra bit of support to have a really good quality of life. So whether that's age related or chronic illness, whether it's disability support, whether it's parents who need some support with children services, it's about keeping you close to who you are, to the community that you have built, that you are part of, that you help to thrive. And that's what we're really, really excited about creating that meaningful opportunity locally for everybody here in Claire and to really drive opportunities for people within healthcare as well to have good meaningful work close to home that offers flexibility,

2:05really good training and qualification opportunities. We have had 54 people nationally this year, promotion through the organisation from frontline care and that's really important to me to make sure that the services that are clients are going to get is right through the organisation, no matter where you are, it's got the clients and the care and the community at the very heart of it, every decision within the organisation goes through that lens. I'm really excited for Claire. You mentioned, you know, you've had a kind of presence in Claire for a long time. The age-friendly aspect was that the kind of main factor in opening an office here or was that one amongst a number of factors? It's a number, but we believe passionately in kind of intentional community. And you know, as organisations, we need to be citizens and we need to be active in the communities that we are as well. And I think for a little while, places maybe aren't as visible. And I think it's really important that we see care visible in the community because it's

3:08a word in itself, it's the beating heart of a community, but then services and what comfort keepers has built over 20 years is a high quality and driving better all the time, learning from across the country, what works, what doesn't work. Claire made such a commitment to being age-friendly and really looking at how the community involves and creates spaces for everybody to be part of it. And I think that's where we want to be part of that too because it's not just, you know, the council's responsibility. It's not just, it's all of our responsibility. It's all of our responsibility to make that community intentional. So we have good places to live, good places to work. And when time gets tough, because it happens for all of us, life changes on a dime, we have what we need to stay as well as we can. And your research shows that two out of three people would rather remain in their own home as they get older. And I guess maybe at the risk of staying in the office, being able to stay at home is so important to people's wellbeing and an sense of independence.

4:12And I guess their mindset, having a more positive mindset, and that's obviously beneficial for your health as well. Yes, and we need to see more, you know, it's the old adage of we need to see it to be it. So our communities need to show all of our citizens, you know, all ages, all abilities. And that's where the dynamic is. And that's when you know you'll be well. You have the supports that you need when life changes. Things are closer as well versus further. As we age, health and I know there's challenges being close to hospitals and acute centre, which is why care closer to home. Noticing changes quicker at dealing with things more closer to home first. It's much better in the long term. It's we've seen it's safer. Those reduced hospitalisations. We even know through COVID from an infection point, you know, the home and your home is probably one of the safest places for as long as possible for you because it's yours, it's your safe place.

5:13And that's what we're really keen to make sure that that infrastructure that service continues to work to deliver that, that the service fits around people, not people to fit around any service. That's critical, yeah. Funnily enough, we were talking yesterday, showed friends of Edda's hospital and, you know, Angela called that their chair was highlighting. Anytime we speak about healthcare in the Midwest, you know, we talk about the population of 400 plus thousand and having just university hospital in the limerick, obviously, you know, the zenis hospital in Jutson, Johnson and all that, but in terms of having the most services, but obviously the pressures it's under and Angela was pointing out how by 2030, which is not that far away, the population's expected to be around half a million. So in situations like this, particularly for older members of the community, you may be concerned about, and obviously as you get older, that's, you need to be more mindful of your health, things can crop up more often, having something like comfort keepers, but actually having an office to go to, like you're inviting families to drop in to discuss their care options. Does that just make them feel better that either they're dealing with another human face

6:16to face, but also they have somewhere else to go to progress discussions around their health and care. And we have, we have 20, over 20 years connecting lots of services in different localities. So being there and being able to connect the dots for people is really, I think, very important part of getting this community infrastructure to support people and to age well. It's the collaboration across the regions and health care. You know, home care is one part, and there is, you know, there's, there's a continuum of care, you know, where nursing homes, where home care, where, you know, not, it might be interim care or interim support you need, just for something, for a couple of weeks, versus something long term. And it's up to, there's really, really good people that work across all of the health care service and this tremendous work going around the integrated care pathways. That is essential. We have to work together. That's across the whole sector, public, private, and not for profit.

7:16Options give people choice. Choice keeps standards high. And that's what you want to keep driving, but it's the collaboration of that. It's not competitive and care should never be competitive. It should always be collaborative because it changes. And that's something that we're very passionate about. But if you can see us, how do you know? So that's what I suppose we're really, really excited. I really want to welcome families, people, any questions about supports. If we don't have the answer today, we will have it for you tomorrow. And to find that safe space to come and talk, if you have a worry, it could be a future worry. It might be for now. You want to know what's available or it's something active and you've supported, where we're already supporting. And it's, you know, you want to come and talk to us about that. Or you're interested in working. This was, that's the big elephant in the room. The services we need, more health care workers and carers that's across the sector. Our commitment to comfort keepers is to support you through that.

8:19Working in health care is not easy. Carry a lot of emotional work on top of tasks. And there's a lot of movement and all of those things. So to develop those supports, train and qualifications opportunities for development, for professionalism. And that flexibility, that family flexibility as well. We can't, you know, we're caring for other families. We have to be able to make sure our staff can care for their families too. So it's all about, I see the two. We have to really think about the person delivering care and the person receiving care. And that that is always in it. It's the center of everything. And that we're always trying to make it better for both to make sure that we can, to deliver better and safer care for everybody. What are some of the biggest challenges that families face when they first realize an older relative or loved one needs additional support? I think first of all, it's, we tend not to prepare too much. I think that's the other bit. A lot of the times these things happen. We hope for the best under crisis.

9:20What I think the biggest challenge sometimes is finding what services are available, how to activate them. I think some, there's a challenge around maybe, maybe guilt sometimes as well with having needing maybe a bit of support or service. And I think that's where I have worked in this for a long time in health. And at the experience across the whole organisation, the support should protect all of our roles and make sure because family met family care is retired and they need, they need that space. We can offer that support and space to, to those. I think that is the biggest challenge. We've spoken to no family cares over the years. You know, respite is so, so badly needed. Yeah. And I think we just have to understand that and provide those services around it has. It's gotten, it's developed so well over the last couple of years. We have, we've still have a long way to go. The demographic is shifting. And, you know, we're in a really lucky spot that we get to influence, like an Ireland is quite agile.

10:25We get to influence what maybe it's going to look like for us for the next generations as well. I think that's quite exciting because it's a great country to grow old in. And within the world, it's known as an age-friendly country, Claire, an age-friendly county. We've more and more of that happening. We have a really good opportunity here to recreate our communities that are so inclusive of everybody. And that excites me. And I'm looking forward to seeing how many people would like to join our team as well over the coming months. I suppose that want to do this. That's what we want to create. And who knows? Some of those might be listening to this morning. So the fact you have this new office in the end is great news for older members of the community, for families, for family cares. But also for those on the hunt for a job, because you're currently recruiting cares, care professionals locally. So I think you've touched on maybe some of the qualities you're looking for. And I know previously from speaking to companies that provide similar services that having empathy and suppose a kind disposition is usually important.

11:30What else? What are their formal qualifications or characteristics? Are you looking for a collection? Well, we offer when we provide all of the qualifications, we have a qualification training school. OK, so if you have the desire for this job, that you actually take everyone's, through the process and start finishing. Through the qualifications, what they need, including into higher levels of education, as to where people want to develop. So there's pathways. So we provide the QQI modules that are required from a training. And then we have additional modules that are available depending on the type of client that you're with. So there's lots of specific courses. Yeah, empathy and care. But when we talk about care, what does that mean? It means, you know, interested, curious about other people and their lives, you know, wanting to, you know, you notice things about them. And you tell somebody, you know, because that's the whole, the whole bit here is around using our observation with somebody. And wanting, I suppose wanting a better day for them.

12:32And knowing that while your task is a task, what you are actually providing is connection, comfort, safety, keep maintaining somebody's sense of self. So not just a kind of taking a box-taking approach to the job? Yeah, it's more if you, if those kind of values, Suta, that is, that's what we're looking for. It's people who care about other people. And then want to develop a profession, want to upskill, and want a supportive collegial environment. That's what we are. If that sounds like you and you're listening, where would you direct them, click on to the office, go to the comfort keepers website, all of the above? Yes, absolutely. So yeah, visit us anytime with comfort keepers.ai or to ring our NS office as well. And we'll help you. We'll help you. Yeah, our brand new NS office. Yeah. And they'll help you. So even if somebody wants to drop into the office, walk you through the training, walk you through

13:33the process, what a day looks like. And because that's very important as well. So as much information as you need to make that decision to know that it's the right role for you, because that's really important as well, that you want to do this. So. Okay, well we appreciate you coming in on a busy day for you, no doubt. The CEO of Comfort Keepers, Colleckleeson. Thanks very much for joining us on Morning Focus. Thank you very much.