Q&A With Janet Katz, BSN, MPA
Personalized Home Care Services: Delivery Takes a Human Touch
Broad Street has evolved a great deal since its inception. What started out as a simple idea of delivering premium home care and support focused on the needs of the client has grown into a fully developed series of services, including Direct Home Care Support, Nurse Oversight & Care Management, Advanced Care Specializations and a Concierge Network of Ancillary Resources.
All of which are designed to support our clients in maintaining the lifestyle they choose.
This is accomplished by a team of dedicated, compassionate professionals all focused on one common goal; finding the right solution for our clients and delivering it with dignity and respect.
A great deal of Broad Street’s success is owed to the tireless efforts of Janet Katz, BSN, MPA. Janet is one of the original Care Coordinators and Nurse Supervisors and is fundamentally responsible for shaping the level of personalized care that is delivered to our clients. Leading by example, Janet exemplifies what it means to deliver Premium Home Care Services.
We spoke to Janet to find out more about how Broad Street has become the premier provider of Premium Home Care.
As one of the original members of the Broad Street clinical team, how would you describe the evolution of thedelivery of home care services?
I would describe the evolution of our delivery of services not unlike the dawn of man starting with rubbing two sticks to create a fire and gradually building a brand of quality as we learned from our successes, as well as our shortcomings. We started out with an office of two, and a handful of personal assistants. We’ve grown to a team of highly professional clinicians, administrators and an army of trained Care Professionals.
You have a background in hospice nursing, how do this experience impact the care you deliver today?
That no more matter how worn out, weakened, and exhausted someone’s loved one is, there is always a need for quality care, dignity, and respect. This is a loved human being whose precious presence extends far beyond the last breath they take.
Please describe your role in delivering clinical oversight and supervision to Care Professionals.
There is no hierarchy at Broad Street. There is only working with one another to create the most optimal experience for each client. The Clinical Supervisors are responsible for the following:
Learn as much as possible about the client & family and their needs
With their guidance, we create a Plan of Service to follow
Clinical Supervisors train and communicate with the Care Professionals to make certain they understand and are able to follow the plan.
Constant communication, approachability and learning from one another are key elements to support this role.
Do you have opportunities to communicate with a client’s physician or other clinicians providing care?
Yes, and It is always something Care Coordinators strive to do, as we are all experienced professionals that understand the language, and make a world of difference for the client this way – whether as an advocate on the client’s behalf, or as an educator to the family.
Does this give you an opportunity to help families understand their loved one’s condition?
Absolutely! At Broad Street, we’ve found that working with physicians, and specialty therapists enhances our abilities to help our clients live their best lives.
Do you see yourself as a care manager/advocate for your clients?
It’s whatever the client needs from our services, that we strive to provide for them. At the initial assessment, the Care Coordinators can often determine the need for advocacy and coordination of their health care, but the client and/or family members ultimately decide if they want that level of involvement.
When you do an initial consultation with a client (and family) what do you feel are the most important areas to discuss?
I focus on what the client’s wishes are, or in the case of cognitive impairment, I learn about what their wishes would be, if they were able to tell us.
Broad Street is a Premium Home Care Provider. What does Premium Home Care mean to you?
Premium Home Care means that there is a team of clinical professionals who provide oversight and training to Care Professionals. They do this by assessing the needs of the clients, managing the delivery of care and monitoring outcomes. This level of support is available to our clients 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
We plan on bringing more news and insights related to Broad Street in this format. This provides you with key information related to Broad Street’s team and the work that goes on to deliver the best care possible. We hope to highlight more team members and share the strengths and experiences they bring and how this enhances the support we provide.