The Challenge
Pat was facing a hip replacement and had no family or anyone else who could help her, not with getting to the hospital and not with the rehabilitation afterward. That was what prompted the first call.
Soon after, her brother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. What began as short-term support through one surgery became a household with two sets of needs, one temporary and one progressive.
Her situation also did not fit a standard care package. She needed a provider willing to work out what was actually required rather than apply a default.
Facing Something Like This?
Our Approach
The first thing that mattered was the consultation itself. Pat describes Chris Kanak as one of the kindest and most empathetic people she has met, someone who listened to what the household needed, asked good questions, and understood what they were trying to say.
What stood out alongside that was a can-do attitude. Whatever the challenge, the answer was to try to help.
Early support covered the hip replacement and recovery, along with light housekeeping and laundry, and help with daily physical activity and keeping both of them up and moving. Once Pat recovered, the focus shifted to her brother and the daily support Parkinson’s requires.
The part Pat returns to is matching. Chris Kanak assesses what a person needs, then pairs that with the right staff member, considering personality and capability rather than filling a slot. Pat’s comparison is direct: many agencies throw bodies at a client.
The reason that works traces back to hiring. Chris Kanak told Pat during the initial assessment that she looks past qualifications to the kind of person someone is, and that she would not hire anyone she would not want caring for her own mother. Pat says that shows in every caregiver who has come to the house. Over several years there has not been one person they would turn away.
Communication runs both directions, by phone and email. Calls get returned the same day when there is an issue or a concern. The caregivers themselves also keep Chris Kanak informed of any question or observation, so she stays current on the household without Pat having to relay it.
The Solution
Emerald Helpers has supported Pat and her brother for a number of years, through her own medical challenges and through his Parkinson’s.
The level of care has flexed as circumstances required, from a couple of hours a day up to 24-hour coverage during a medical need, without the family having to change providers or start over with someone new.
Pat and her brother have their favorites among the caregivers, but describe the whole team as sharing the same quality. What Chris Kanak built with them was not a service arrangement but a relationship, established from the first assessment.
This Is What the Right Support Looks Like
