While the COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc for thousands of workers who have lost their jobs, a coalition of four St. Louis area senior home care providers have banded together to promote plans to collectively hire and train more than 1,000 individuals from the hospitality and related sectors to become home health care providers over the coming months. The coalition includes Assistance Home Care, Martha’s Hands, Right at Home and Seniors Home Care.
Jobs include non-medical, private duty in-home care, personal care and homemaker services for older adults wishing to remain in the comfort of their own home, as well as for families needing assistance with Alzheimer’s and dementia care.
“Transitioning to the home care industry from the hospitality or food service sector is a natural move as laid off or out of work employees from these industries who enjoy serving others, have a strong work ethic and great customer service skills that align perfectly with the type of Care Professionals who are most successful,” said Jennifer Henningfeld, Director of Recruiting at Assistance Home Care.
“Since the pandemic many more seniors and their families are more committed than ever to aging-in-place in their own homes and using assistance as needed. As a coalition, our goal is to promote these job opportunities and support the increasing needs and wishes of our community’s older adults who prefer to remain at home,” said Allen Serfas, president of Assistance Home Care. “We want to have the best-trained, most-compassionate and best-compensated workforce caring for individuals in our community who require homecare services.”
A career as a home health care provider offers stability and security, great wages, medical benefits and flexible schedules including full-time, part-time, evenings, overnight or weekend shifts. Frequently, clients are located within 15 minutes from the caregiver’s own home.
After about 12 years as a restaurant server, Erika Schrader recently joined Assistance Home Care and is caring for two seniors on different days each week. “I was attracted to the hospitality industry because I love meeting new people and hanging out with them, but I’ve discovered that developing more meaningful relationships as a care provider gives me greater satisfaction because I know I’m really making a difference in someone’s life while improving my own work life balance and having a flexible work schedule,” said Erika.
About Assistance Home Care
Assistance Home Care provides hourly and 24-hour non-medical, private duty in-home care, personal care and homemaker services for families impacted by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia along with Movement Disorders such as Stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, ALS and MS. Founded in 2011, Assistance Home Care is locally owned and operated and has more than 350 full-time and part-time professionally trained Care Pros serving the Greater St. Louis area. Assistance Home Care’s network of five local offices are within 15 minutes of most clients and employees. The company was recently recognized as a “Certified Great Places to Work, Voted #3 by Fortune Magazine as Best Places to Work in Aging Services and presented with the “Jack Heck Award” by the mayor of St. Charles for their commitment to Faith, Family and Community.
For information visit www.assistanceathome.com.