Fallbrook native Carol Stevens is the perfect person to provide quality caregivers for elderly citizens who need help. With unparalleled integrity, Stevens operates her 15-year-old business, Village Home Care, with a carefully hand-selected staff that meets her high standards. A business owner with an outstanding reputation, Stevens shares the secret to her success.

"It’s the screening process I use for employees (caregivers)," said Stevens, a licensed vocational nurse whose background is in geriatrics. "After this number of years, I think I’ve figured it out; the secret to a great caregiver is that the motivation for their work comes from the heart. An individual has to have a passion for it. I look for those who want to enrich their lives and the lives of others."

Stevens is also stringent about performing comprehensive background checks, contacting references, and making sure potential caregivers are bondable.

"Some people will use caregivers who are not bonded or insured, and they don’t do background checks; then they find out these companies or individuals aren’t legitimate," said Stevens. "Unfortunately, it is too late when they find out."

Maintaining a top-notch reputation is paramount to Stevens.

"You are the only one who can build your reputation; you have to surround yourself with quality people – if you form that circle around you, you can go and do anything, and enjoy longevity," she said. And she has been successful in forming a quality circle for her business.

"I am blessed to have the best group of care providers; they take their jobs seriously and give a lot," said Stevens. "I expect a lot out of them and I hope they are rewarded as much as I am in my heart." The fact that Stevens has a low employee turnover rate is testament to that.

"I’d say 80 percent of my staff has been with me over 10 years," she said. "A few individuals have been with me for the entire 15 years."

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"In hospice care, some days are really hard on my staff," said Stevens. "I get phone calls with a lot of tears; people don’t see that. Sometimes families aren’t aware of how deeply my staff cares. When families hurt, my staff hurts, my team hurts."

Village Home Care provides non-medical caregivers to individuals who want to continue to live in their home of choice with dignity and comfort. Services include personal care, meal preparation, light housekeeping, companionship, transportation, respite care, and communicating with doctors or nurses. Services can be arranged at any times needed.

"Regardless of where a client lives – in their own home, a skilled nursing facility, retirement home, or board and care residence - we go wherever that person considers their home to be," said Stevens.

Stevens said she is seeing some growing trends. The first is an upswing in long-term care insurance.

"A lot of these insurance companies are picking up our service," she said. "There are so many different types of long-term care insurance. Clients can use our services more often and don’t have to worry about the billing. We handle all that."

Another trend is that more adult children are moving their elderly parent(s) in with them, versus into a retirement home.

"The children have big homes, many times with granny flats, which allows the parent an element of independence," said Stevens. "Some times the children aren’t able or available to be a caregiver, so they need our help."

Personalized, caring assistance is what Village Home Care specializes in, and that comes in the form of quality caregivers with a passion for what they do.

"We can’t be replaced by machines or technology," said Stevens. "The human hands and caring heart can’t be replaced by anything."

To learn more about Village Home Care, email villagehomecare@aol.com or call Carol Stevens at (760) 723-1140.