RPN Partner: The Park – Oak Grove

We love working with The Park – Oak Grove where we work with residents on all sorts of things  – from laundry to decorating their apartment – to make sure they’re comfortable and happy in their home.

A Welcomed Partnership

As Executive Director of The Park – Oak Grove in Roanoke, Linda Reid appreciates that she has Home Instead® on her side. As Executive Director, Reid handles all of the day-to-day operations of The Park including budget, operations, revenue, human resources, as well as ensuring the delivery of services to residents such as meals, housekeeping, and medication.

“We recognize that as people age, they can sometimes feel isolated, especially if family is further away,” says Reid. “We partner with Home Instead® to provide companion services to our residents.”

Oftentimes Home Instead® Care Professionals help residents with laundry or baking something for a special occasion. “Meals are provided through The Park, but sometimes it’s therapeutic and fun for residents to get back into the kitchen,” says Reid. “Home Instead® Care Professionals helps make that possible.”

“We’ve even seen Care Professionals help residents spruce up their apartment for a bridge game,” says Reid. “It’s really quite fun, and our residents get to build a relationship with someone while also remaining independent.”

When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Reid has noticed that Home Instead® makes her job a little bit easier, offering a “Plan B” when things don’t go as planned.

“One summer, one of our residents was becoming increasingly confused and had tried to leave the property,” says Reid. “Her family had just left for a beach vacation, and it was on a Friday. I called Home Instead, and explained that we needed 24 hour service right away. A Care Professional was there by the end of the day.”

“I really appreciated that it was a completely different phone call to the family,” says Reid. “Instead of asking the family to return from their vacation, I offered them an alternative solution that allowed them to continue their vacation but also made sure that their mom was in good hands.”

People You Can Trust

The Park and Home Instead® have had a relationship for the past two and a half years, but more recently, residents have begun to realize the benefit that Home Instead® can offer them. Sometimes when a family can’t be there to help a loved one move or to help them get acclimated to their new home, Linda suggests that they get in touch with Home Instead.

“Even if they can’t take two weeks off of work to help their parents get settled into their new home, we can offer the family an alternative to leaving their parents on their own during the transition,” says Reid. “A Home Instead® Care Professional can come in for a couple of weeks and help them unpack and get acclimated to their new space. It probably doesn’t replace their children being there, but it’s much better than the loved ones being by themselves.”

One of Linda’s favorite things about working with Home Instead® is partnering with Scott Maxey, Marketing and Client Services Manager with Home Instead. “I love working with a locally-owned company,” says Reid. “It’s so nice to know we have someone here in Roanoke who makes sure everything is running smoothly, and we have what we need.”

In fact, that’s part of what Linda shares with their residents. “I can say to them, ‘I know the people at Home Instead® are on top of it. If your mom or dad needs someone, they will find someone’,” says Reid. “

“And in a pinch, I see Scott come himself,” says Reid. “That means a lot to us and families because they know they’re committed to the care. It’s not just a paycheck. I just can’t say enough good things about Scott and his team.”