Life on a Treadmill

On July 3rd we were at the Dunlap 4th of July Parade in downtown Dunlap!  It was a terrific parade and went on for the longest time I've ever seen a parade last!  It seemed like everyone in the town came out and from surrounding areas.  The two mules in the picture above were my favorites! 

As for our Day Care, we are licensed now to open our doors and accept up to 20 clients a day.  It's been a long haul getting everything ready and passing all the inspections and I can hardly believe we're almost finished!  Right now, we're waiting on the "CHOICES" program to take effect August 1st.  CHOICES is operated as AmeriChoice and BlueCare, which has taken over the Medicaide Waiver program.   

We have clients waiting to come as soon as their new Care Coordinator's get the Day Care added to their Home Care services.

I haven't had much time OR energy to come up here and post lately and I'm sorry for that!  I have felt like I've been running on a Treadmill that wouldn't stop, lately!

In the meantime, we're still excited about all that God is going to do when He brings in the clients HE wants us to have!

We are LICENSED!!

We  had our FINAL inspection this morning by the Tennessee Adult Day Care Inspector and we passed with flying colors!!  We have a temporary license (until our regular license is completed and mailed) to open our doors on Monday, July 12th!!
We are praying for our first attendees!! God knows them by name!!

We Hired a CNA!

Today we went up to our building because we were having our TV Room furniture delivered and we had 4 Interviews lined up from all the Resumes we've collected.  By the end of the day, we decided on and hired our first part-time CNA! We're so excited! She's a sweet girl with a lot of compassion and enthusiasm and we believe she will be a real asset to our company and loved by our clients.

Sean, our contractor, is getting really close to being finished with his interior work.  The other day, they laid the concrete to extend the sidewalk out to the parking lot.  Today they were finishing up wiring and getting the Emergency Exit lights up.  They also finished with the wallboards and tomorrow Sean will be blowing the walls to texturize them and laying the handicap bathroom tile.

This weekend, we will be going up there to do some finishing and trim painting and whatever else needs to be done.  There are so many details!  For one, I will need to get backgound checks done, finish up the hiring paperwork on our CNA, order some shirts for her and we still need to go and buy an oven and a microwave, mirrors for the bathrooms and a million and one other little things.

As soon as we know we're finished, I'll have to contact the Fire Marshall again and the Adult Day Care Inspector to come out and do the final inspections.  I need to arrange another meeting with our Consultants and we'll need to try to determine an Opening date.  Then I'll need to alert the Chamber of Commerce.  They're going to come out and do a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and take pictures and put a write-up in the local paper for us.

We're excited about doing business in a "small town", where all the people know and care about each other. Dunlap has a reputation of having a lot of very "good and caring people" and we're going to be proud to be a part of their community.

The picture of the birds at the top was taken at Alexian Village when we visited there.  I'm going to get a smaller cage and some small finches to put in the reception area of our Day Care for the clients to enjoy!

What a Day!

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What a day it has been!  This morning, hubby left me asleep and went on to Dunlap to meet the Security Company representative at our building to talk about all that needs to be done. Of course, it's going to be much more than we expected.  Then he went to take care of the water, electric and gas.

While he was gone, I got dressed and started working on paperwork and details here.  I just finished a little while ago and it's 11:26 p.m.!  It's been this way every day for the last couple of weeks now.  Today I worked on employee forms and files and took so many phone calls from applicants, I can't remember how many there were!  I had to get each resume from my Email and print it and then make a file for it so my daughter and I can go over all of them tomorrow.  Then I'll have to phone or Email each one and let them know when we would like to meet with them for a personal interview.  We have a few very hopeful sounding applications.  I wish we could hire them all!  Unfortunately, we can only hire one for the morning shift and maybe a part-time occasional employee to fill in when the other one can't be there.  We're very reluctant to hire too many employees right off the bat since we're not sure yet how many "clients" we'll have the first month or so.

It feels good to be "almost finished" with most of the work though!  I'm exhausted but feeling very good about all that I've been able to accomplish now! I couldn't have done it all without my husband's help though!  He's sacrificed his free time to help me out and then works late hours at night in the living room with his laptop!  What a blessing he's been!

I'll try to remember to take pictures again on Thursday when I go out there.  They're delivering our TV Room furniture on Thursday and we'll be doing at least 4 face-to-face interviews for a CNA. 

We joined the Chamber of Commerce the other day though and they're going to link our website to theirs!  When we open, they'll send out a photographer to take pictures and write up an article for the paper and they'll do a Ribbon Cutting ceremony for us!  I feel like a celebrity!

Take care Friends!  More to come later!

Progress!

We went to Staples today and purchased a couple of office chairs for the office! They had some steno chairs in a hot pink on sale! I had to get them for our Caring Hearts office!  We headed to Dunlap after meeting our contractor to give him a check so he can pay his workers.  Believe it or not, we fit three large boxes with chairs in our Mustang Convertible! We had to put the top down to get the boxes in but we made it! 

We delivered the furniture to the building and checked on things and noticed that some water was pooling near the back of the parking lot but draining off quickly so no problem there.  Then our daughter met us there and we all went to the Cooky Jar Restaurant for supper before heading to the Bluegrass Festival at the Coke Ovens. We waited at the restaurant for my husband, who went over to the phone company to get our new phone number and make arrangements to have the  phones turned on the end of this month! It was still raining pretty heavily though and since we didn't all have umbrellas, we decided not to stay and to come back  tomorrow.  

Here are a few pictures of how the work is progressing so far!  I can't wait to see it all finished with the furnishings all in it and ready for our clients!!

 This is the Entry and Reception Area

 This is our office in the back of the building.

One of the desks we purchased from the previous owner.

Breaking up concrete and taking down walls for one of the Handicap Bathrooms!

 

This room will be our overflow dining room and computer station/craft area. We will put a round table in here and when it isn't being used as a dining table, it can be used for cards or board games.

Our Kitchen! We still need to buy a stove/oven!

This room will be used as a Quiet Room for those that want to rest away from the activity.

This room is the TV Room.  We purchased a sofa, love seat and a chair.  We'll have other chairs also in the room.  We still need to buy a large screen TV yet to mount on the wall.

Looking down the hall with Main Dining Room on right.  We'll be adding Emergency Exit signs and lighting in the hallway.  All of the doorways are being widened to 36" as per state code.

This room will be our Exercise Therapy Room where we will put a manual treadmill and stationary bicycle. It looks smaller than it really is! Right now it's being used for storage for materials for the workers.

Keep checking back!  I'll add more photos and updates as I can until we open and you can see the 

FINAL PRODUCT!

We Have a Key!

Today, we got the key to the building and the previous owner is moved out! Walls are coming down and plumbing for the handicap bathrooms is being done.

I placed an ad for a CNA in the Times Free Press for Sunday and Monday and also in the Dunlap Tribune coming out next Thursday.

Later after we left Dunlap, we went and looked at furniture at Rooms to Go and purchased some beautiful furniture for the "TV ROOM"!  That will be delivered next Thursday at our request, because we want most of the cutting of wallboard to be finished by then.  

After dinner, we went to Sams Club to price large screen TV's.  Found one we really like for a very good price! We haven't purchased that yet.  We needed a slight break in spending after buying the furniture! We're in spending shock right now!  :-)

Tonight I'll be printing brochures to take to the Dunlap Coke Ovens Bluegrass Festival tomorrow!

Keep checking back for more!

We have a signed lease!

We spent the day in Dunlap at our new building yesterday and our contractor, Sean Martin, began renovations on our building!  They got a lot done in just one day! Here is Sean pushing in a wall!  We're taking out a wall to make a larger room that will be used as a Dining area.

Today, we went back up there and signed our lease to purchase agreement and put money down on the building.  We also purchased from the previous owner, some desks and a filing cabinet.  She didn't have room for them in her new office as she is down-sizing and we could really use them! The Lord works in wonderful ways!  I forgot to take pictures today of the work they're doing but will try to remember tomorrow.

Last night after we left Dunlap, we met Sean at Home Depot, where Sean was purchasing supplies.  He was buying our handicap comodes and sinks and a hot water heater and a bunch of other stuff that would be fun for contractors to shop for!  We met him so we could give him a check to pay for the supplies. 

There is still so much that we'll hve to purchase!  Tomorrow, I need to put an ad in the paper for the weekend for a CNA. I also have to print more brochures for the Dunlap Coke Ovens Bluegrass festival!  We plan to go and meet the townsfolk and pass out brochures.

Already, word is starting to circulate about us coming to Dunlap and people are getting excited about our opening, which makes us more excited!  

More to come later!  Keep checking back for our progress!

If anyone needs a handiman, Sean's your man!  He does a great job and is a man of integrity! Very hard worker and very trustworthy!

Can't wait to see what it's going to look like after they're finished and everything is furnished and ready for our clients!  We want this to be like their own personal, private club!

Our Web Site is Up!

Yesterday, I worked all day on the web site and got it finished! I also got us listed on google maps, although I'm not sure what the problem is, because when I search, it's hard to find still. Today, I'm totally exhausted! 

Our web address is:  http://www.caringheartsdunlap.com/

Please check us out!  We are searching for 2 part-time CNA's in the Dunlap area and a part-time Food Manager. If you know of anyone that is interested, please email me at: linda@caringheartsdunlap.com

Keep checking back at the website as I will be updating it as soon as we hire some new staff.

New Web Domain for Caring Hearts of Dunlap!

What a terrific day I've had!  I worked all day on our web page files and finishing and printing employee manuals.  Then I purchased our web domain! I haven't had a chance to load the web page up on the domain yet or read all the instructions on the domain site yet.

We went out to dinner with our daughter and a Nurse Practitioner friend and had a mini-business meeting to go over some things in the employee manuals that we needed to discuss.  After that, we went to Staples and purchased a 4-in-1 printer, copier, scanner, fax machine for the business.  It was on sale today only!  We got there just before closing.

Just another day, filled with all kinds of exciting and new things, getting ready to open our new business!

Watch this page for further information about our web page.  As soon as I can get it uploaded, I'll post the web address!

In the meantime, feel free to post any thoughts you have on adult day care or caring for elderly relatives. I'd be interested in hearing about some of your experiences or ideas!  I have to plan a daily schedule of activities and also a menu!  All help or ideas welcome!

Training Day

Today was spent in training on QuickBooks with our Accountant for the Day Care.  Very interesting all the things this program can do!!  Can't wait to play with it!  While we were in training, I received an Email from the Fire Marshall with his report and the changes we need to make.  He said as soon as we get the changes made on the building, to call his cell and he'll come out and do our final inspection!  We're getting so excited as we get closer and closer to opening!  Our contractor will start on the building right after Memorial Day!

Yesterday, while I was out with my Sister, I stopped by Office Depot and picked up some Invitation paper to print invitations for our Open House!  I'm planning a barbecue and Bluegrass music (if I can find a group to play!) for the opening.  I plan to invite the Dunlap city officials and business owners to get acquainted with us and we'll have an Open House on that day also so that everyone can see the Day Care inside.

After we finished training, it was already almost 6:30 P.M. so we went out to eat and on the way home, put the car top down and stopped at McD's to get an ice cream cone! Oh how I love summertime!!

Fire Marshall Visit

The ReMax Southern Properties building we will be leasing for our business.

Monday morning, we received a call telling us that the State Fire Marshall was going through the area and would come and do our inspection!  It was very short notice, but we've been waiting for almost a month now for this visit, so we high-tailed it up to Dunlap to meet him!  He was such a nice, friendly person!  He completed our inspection and okay'd our plans and told us what we needed to do before we could be approved and get a license. We're approved to take "up to" 23 clients in our day care.  We are thrilled!!  

Our contractor met us there also, and we appreciated him so much for coming on such short notice.  Especially since he had a badly sprained ankle and was supposed to keep it elevated for several days.  He will start making our changes on June 1st!!  He thinks it should only take about two weeks to complete them. Then we will have to call the Fire Marshall again to come out and do a final inspection  and he has to approve all of the changes before we can get our license.


On our way back to town, we picked up our Staff Shirts with the new logos embroidered on them and they turned out beautiful! 

     

My head is spinning now with all that needs to be done yet before we can actually open!!  Once we've purchased all the things we'll need, before we open, we are planning a "Grand Opening" celebration and cook-out!  We'll invite the City Officials and local business owners so we can get acquainted with all of them.

These days are getting very exciting! And are about to get VERY BUSY!

What is Adult Day Care? Who Benefits?

We are so excited to be so close to beginning such a wonderful and beneficial business. We don't look at this as a "business" so much as a "ministry", where we can 'minister' to the elderly people of Dunlap, TN.


I think back to the strain that my Mother was under, when she was trying to care for my Dad at home, and go back and forth to the Nursing Home where her own Mother was being cared for. Those were very hard days for her! My Dad could not be left home alone as his Alzheimer's progressed. He was a danger to himself as he was also at high risk of falling. My Mom was pretty much a prisoner in her own home and if she did have to go out to the store or post office, she had no one to leave my Dad with and had to take him with her. He usually didn't want to go, which presented another problem. Add to this the fact that she was not getting any rest at night, because my Dad was up and down all night long, preventing her from getting a good night's sleep. If she had a job she had to work also, you can imagine the difficulty that would cause.
There are thousands and thousands of people in this situation right now as our population ages. Many are working full-time jobs and have children at home involved in various school activities, and yet, the full-time care and responsibility of caring for an aged family member has fallen upon their shoulders. Adult Day Care can give them some respite and some peace of mind when they have to be away.


Here is an excellent explanation of what Adult Day Care is; who uses it and who benefits from it.


Please follow the link below for a wonderful explanation about Adult Day Care:

http://www.archrespite.org/archfs54.htm

Monograms!

 

This afternoon, I took our staff shirts to the embroidery place and dropped them off to have our company logo and name put on them!! Tomorrow we'll check with the Fire Marshall's office to see when they can come out to do an inspection of our building!!  It's getting exciting as I think that we are another step closer to opening!!  On Friday, my daughter and I will go for some training at an existing Adult Day Care!

Day By Day, Still Waiting!

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I haven't posted anything lately, because we've been in Chicago this past week.  

We finally heard from the Fire Marshall's office.  Our Consultants had been trying to get in touch with someone there, without success, to find out what the hold-up was and finally, after several unanswered phone calls, used a different number to call.  This time they got an answer!  They found out the request for the Fire Marshall's visit was still on someone's desk.  In all fairness to them though, their office has been closed for a while, due to the flooding in Nashville! 

When asked to try to find it, they emailed me the form to fill out to request the Courtesy Inspection.  The form arrived in my Email along with a request for a check for $250.  This charge was a surprise to us, but I mailed it off today and hopefully, we will be hearing something in the next day or so about an inspection visit.

I purchased some staff shirts last week and checked on getting the logo and company name embroidered on them.  I'll take them over there tomorrow to have the name and logo embroidered onto the shirts.

More to come when I hear from the Fire Marshall's office!

Friday and Still Waiting!

Well, today is Friday and it's been over a week now since we had our initial inspection of the property and we're still waiting to hear 'something' from the Fire Marshall.  This is the hardest part--the waiting!  We can't move ahead at all until we get these inspecions out of the way and get the "ok" to move forward.  There are so many things to do yet, so it's hard to just have to sit and wait! 

Yesterday my daughter rode along with a Nurse Practitioner to visit his home-bound patients and tell them about the benefits of the Adult Day Care.  She found several of them to be very excited and looking forward to it!  They sit alone in their homes all day!  The problem  for some of them is that they are on a Medicaid Waiver and receive Home Services like meal deliveries, assistance with bathing and light housekeeping.  They have to be home for these services, but many of them were already thinking they could come on the days they don't have to be home for the services. 

There's not much else to report right now, except that I found some really cute shirts that we can use for Staff.  I need to take them to an Embroidery place and have our logo embroided on them!  

Our Logo:                                              Caring Hearts of Dunlap

Busy Day!

Even though it was a gorgeous day today, I spent the day in front of my computer working on printing more brochures out.  My daughter called and said that we had an appointment to speak to the Senior's Group in Dunlap tomorrow and then after that, she has lined up an appointment/interview with a possible CNA for us to hire.  So after that phone call, I also printed up a bunch of flyers that can be posted in businesses there and doctor's offices.  Then I worked on setting up this Blogger page and worked on a Newsletter, that is about half finished.

The problem with all of this is that, until we get our inspections from the Fire Marshall, we're stymied.  There's not a lot more we can do until we get the full OK from the State of Tennessee.  The other problem is that we have to be in Chicago next week, and that's probably when the Fire Marshall will come! Our daughter will have to handle it along with our Consultants and our Contractor friend.

More tomorrow after we have our meetings!  Hope you'll follow our progress!

New Beginnings

This is the first post of what I hope, will be many.  

My husband, daughter and I, are opening a new business!  This idea came about as my daughter was worried about her parent's old age and retirement. She wanted to do something or start her own business, to enable her to make enough money to help take care of us in our old age. (We have a sweet and caring daughter!) She came up with the idea for an Adult Day Care business, because she has some friends that have one in Hixson, TN (Caring Hearts, Inc.). After talking with them and getting more details, she came to us with this idea and brought it to us. 

We have been watching our retirement funds dwindle, like everyone else's, as the economy slows down.  We decided that opening a business with our daughter, would be a better investment than the stock market!  We had meetings with the owners/operators of the Caring Hearts Adult Day Care in Hixson, and decided that this is where we would invest our retirement funds!

The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of information and meetings! We hired the owners of Caring Hearts, Inc. as our consultants on our new business.  We will be working as partners with them until all of our licensing is completed and we are up and running on our own. They have been in this business now for more than 4 years so we value their expertise on getting through all the papework and forms necessary to obtain licensing!

Our daugher, Frankie, works as a Medical Equipment Marketer and has much experience in this area.  She will be doing our Marketing for us and also serve as the Day Care Director, as she has more than 13 years experience in a medical or health-related field, as well as connections with the Home Health Agencies in Dunlap.  Already, she has lined up an Interview with a CNA for us for this week! 

I will be posting more as we progress, to let you all know what is happening and then, later on, I will keep you up to date on some of our clients and day by day life in the Day Care also.   

We are so excited about this new road we are taking in our life!  We want our Adult Day Care to be top quality and to serve the elderly with the respect and dignity that they so deserve!

We are hoping to be able to open on June 1, 2010!

Taking Life One Step at a Time! 
More to come!