The Challenge
Dan and his wife were caring for his mother, who was 82 at the time and living with dementia. His wife carried most of that work, and she was the one his mother trusted. She was also exhausted and needed a break.
The family tried several different agencies and personal caretakers before finding Emerald Helpers. None of them worked out. Caregivers sat and did nothing. Medication went missing. After one incident the family could never prove but never stopped questioning, Dan’s wife no longer felt comfortable leaving his mother with anyone.
The family had come close to placing her in adult daycare. At the last minute Dan’s wife stopped it, unwilling to see her sitting in a room with no stimulation and no engagement. That left the family with the same problem they started with, and no one they trusted to solve it.
Facing Something Like This?
Our Approach
A mutual friend mentioned that Christine was starting her own business, and the family reached out.
What convinced them in the first conversation was not a sales pitch. It was her compassion, her knowledge of the work, and the fact that she cared for the whole household rather than just the client.
Emerald Helpers started with roughly three days a week, four to five hours at a time. When the family needed more, staying longer was never a problem. Christine helped with laundry, made beds, and handled whatever needed doing around the house so Dan and his wife could get out, decompress, and step away from the situation knowing his mother was safe.
She also served as the family’s point of contact for the questions that come with dementia care. When they had a medical or insurance question, she answered it. When she did not know, she found out.
Communication was direct. The family valued that she was open and honest with them, without any softening or fluff.
When Christine could not be there herself, her team covered, and the family found those caregivers consistently strong as well.
The Solution
For the remainder of his mother’s life, the family had care they did not have to supervise. Dan’s mother eventually passed away.
The standard the family measured against was Dan’s wife, who had cared for her mother-in-law for years and had a relationship with her that was genuinely close. Christine met it.
Emerald Helpers also came to feel like family rather than a service. Christine knew the extended family, and on at least one occasion helped at Dan’s brother’s home, half an hour away.
Dan now recommends Emerald Helpers to his own friends and family, and Christine has gone on to care for the parents of several people in his circle. His only regret about the experience is that they did not find her earlier.
This Is What the Right Support Looks Like
