EAST LONGMEADOW – Kristin McHugh knows firsthand what it’s like to have a loved one in need of home care and how difficult it can be on both that person and their family. That’s because McHugh, a registered nurse, has the experience of being both a home health aide and a family member of someone in need of care.
“I personally have been a home health aide, a CNA, and a scheduler, and I have a brother who’s 34 that has needed 24-hour care for the last 10 years, so I know how difficult it is to have people in and out of your home,” McHugh said. “I know what it requires, all the hard work it takes, the hardships it brings on the family and how reliable the home health aides need to be. I’ve been in the field for 20 years, so I know from experience what it’s like on both ends.”
That experience coupled with a passion to help others prompted McHugh to start her own locally-owned business, and for the last year and a half she’s owned and operated Prime Home Health and Companion Care, a home health agency that specializes in the long-term, home care support that retirees or people with disabilities often need to live at home in comfort, safety and health.
From their home health offices in East Longmeadow, Prime sends personal care aides, certified nursing assistants, homemakers, and companions to the homes of clients throughout Hampton County. At the client’s home, they provide non-medical support with health-related activities of daily living.
McHugh said home care is a good option for many because it keeps the person in a comfortable, familiar setting.
“In home care, you’re going to get that good one-on-one care which helps keep that person in their home longer and keeps them independent and free from being in the care of a nursing facility,” McHugh said.
Prime offers a wide range of home services including personal care, homemaker/companion, hospital accompaniment, travel assist, and med reminders.
“We provide care to a wide variety of clients from individuals with disabilities, elderly, short-term transition to home from hospital or rehab, dementia, etc.,” McHugh said.
While Massachusetts does not require personal care, homemaking agencies to be licensed or accredited, Prime has voluntarily gone through the process to be accredited by the HCA of Massachusetts and is currently seeking accreditation through the National Association of Home Care and Hospice. These accreditation processes ensure that the company has appropriate hiring, screening and education programs as well as insurance.
Prime Home Health and Companion Care also ensures that only Hampden County’s most trustworthy and capable caregivers provide services. Its team of caregivers successfully pass thorough reference checks, initial skills evaluations conducted by an RN, criminal background checks and CPR certification. They also take part in annual continuing education programs and annual competency evaluations conducted by an RN.
“We don’t want anybody who doesn’t love their job to work for us,” McHugh said. “This isn’t just a job – you have to actually enjoy what you do because you’re there working to make someone else feel comfortable, safe and happy. You want to be a good, positive part of their day. I’ve had family members tell us that our home health aides were better than any they’ve encountered at a skilled nursing facility, and that’s really what we strive for. We really do our best to make the best fit between the home health aide and the client.”
As a personally-owned business, Prime offers the unique opportunity to be extremely flexible with its hours. While the minimum time requirement is one hour, Prime does its best to work around the client’s schedule and offers care at all hours of the day.
“We accept a variety of payment sources including private pay, longterm care, veterans, etc. Prime also has flexible billing and payment options,” McHugh said. “That’s something that I think sets us apart.”
Officer Manager Monaie D’Amato echoed McHugh, saying that because Prime is such a cohesive group, they are able to cater to each individual client based on their needs.
“We’re able to communicate and work things out very easily because we’re all in such close contact,” D’Amato said. “That’s why I love working here. It’s nice that we can just work together in this nice setting to help others.
D’Amato added that working for Prime is “extremely rewarding.”
“It’s really great to know that we’re providing services that help people live their daily lives,” she said.
While Prime currently provides services to Hampden County, McHugh said they hope to expand to the eastern part of the state in the near future. For more information about Prime and its services, call 413-525-0155 or go to http://primehhcc.com/
