For Visiting Angels Owners, Senior Care Is a Personal Vocation

It takes a lot to run a senior care business, but for many Visiting Angels owners, it’s more than a business. It’s a personal vocation. Take Nate Stokes, who owns and operates the Visiting Angels office serving Joplin, Missouri. Before starting his business, Nate worked in asphalt construction. But despite being new to the home care industry, he was confident that he could bring quality senior care to the Joplin community.

“The business lined up with my family values and personal morals,” Nate told us recently. “I knew I could [provide senior care] the way southwest Missourians would like.”

A Family Connection to Senior Care

As with many Visiting Angels owners, Nate’s first experience with senior care was a personal one. Years before he opened his own business, Nate’s paternal grandparents began to struggle with living independently. To help them, Nate’s family hired professional senior care. Seeing his grandparent’s caregivers at work left a lasting impact on Nate.

“I had a really pleasant experience with the people who took care of my grandparents,” he says. “They became like another member of the family.”

That experience inspired Nate when he decided to open his own senior care business. These days, Nate couldn’t be happier with the work. “There’s no feeling like going into a situation where a family feels like their backs are up against a wall and being able to put their minds at ease,” he says.

Caregivers Who Truly Care

Nate’s experience is one we hear time and time again from Visiting Angels owners and caregivers. Many of our owners and caregivers have seen other care providers make an impact in the lives of their loved ones. Others have personally provided care for family members before turning to senior care as a professional vocation.

There’s no way to overstate how powerful this kind of passion and personal connection to senior care can be. At Visiting Angels, we work hard to find owners who truly care about caring. In turn, our owners seek out professional caregivers who reflect those values.

Take Rick Warden, one of Nate’s caregivers in Joplin. Recently, Nate and the rest of his office took the time to celebrate Rick’s service as a caregiver. At 68, Rick has been providing care through Visiting Angels for more than seven years. Like so many other caregivers, Rick’s compassion, selflessness, and passion has made him an invaluable part of the Visiting Angels family.

In Nate’s words: “You have to be doing it for the right reasons. That’s the only way it will work.”

For a free senior care consultation for you and your loved one, call your local Visiting Angels office today.