Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanne Mercaldi.
Joanne, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As an Occupational Therapist of 20+ years I worked in various aspects of the healthcare field including the Home Care setting. In my experience I noticed that management would support management and often times the employees were not fully recognized. I became frustrated that these corporations could not see that customer service came from the bottom up. The employees on the lowest tier of their organizational chart had the most influence in customer service, the company’s reputation and overall growth of the industry. At the time, in 2010 I had just given birth to my daughter and making a change at that time and opening a home care business seamed so scary and unrealistic. I listened to my peers complain about their day to day and frustrations with the health care field. All the hard work and passion put into obtaining this degree and was this it? I did not have a business plan, no extra financial backing, no real experience in owning my own business and the only space I had to operate a business was in my own home. I just knew in my heart that this industry can use a difference. In 2010, I decided to remain in my current job as an OT and attempt to take on 1-2 small home care cases on the side. I applied for a tax ID and filled out all paperwork needed for a service agency license. My plan was simply to be kind, treat employees like co-workers and have a great respect for the care they deliver and the life situation they are in. 1-2 cases turned to dozens as clients experienced a different level of customer service that came from a satisfied caregiver. The word was out and TLC @ Home was becoming recognized in our small community of Gloucester. We provided home health aide, homemaker, companion and nursing services to allow our seniors safely reside and remain in their homes. Still working in my home off an iPad only I finally decided to hire someone to assist me with scheduling and administrative duties. This person, Anna King, was a compassionate, smart, caring caregiver out in the field. I knew at that time that my best help would come from those who were performing the very job that we were seeking to employ. She cared for the business with me and assisted me to care for my children as we were running a 2 person show. Changing diapers, breast feeding, answering phones was a family operation among my husband, my mother, myself and Anna King. In 2011 we obtained a state contract with Senior Care. This contract brought in a consistent stream of clients that needed the same level of care we knew set us apart. 2012 brought another child. My son Mason was born and business was not slowing down. I gave birth over a weekend so that Monday am I would be front and center again at my home desk. Sleepless nights, breast feeding in between interviews, changing diapers while on the phone was the norm of our household. Those years were a blur and I was in pure survival mode. Caregivers would come to the house to drop off time slips and rock a baby to sleep before heading out to their next case. It was a team effort, family, office staff and caregivers taking care of our seniors and taking care of our growing family. It took a good 3 years to finally get Ana King the office she begged for. We moved TLC @ Home out of my home and into the community. Our presence and reputation allowed our agency to grow into other territories throughout Massachusetts. We empowered our staff to have a voice and to hear and empower the voices of others. Within 5 years, TLC @ Home presented themselves with 6 offices in the Northshore and MetroWest areas. TLC @ Home grew overnight to be a multi-million dollar operation servicing over 3000 seniors and employing over 500 employees; kind, caring and compassion remain the mission statement of our agency. Our organizational chart presents our professional and compassionate caregivers at the top of the spectrum. In 2016 TLC @ Home was acquired by Connected Home Care. It was placed in the hands of a kind and caring employer who held the same standards as I had always believed. I am currently the acting Executive Director of our new and growing agency. The operations of the agency is now in the hands of 3 of our former caregivers (Tiffany Pappas, Cheryl Fonti and Jennifer Debrun) who know what it is like to be in the shoes of each of our employees. They are single moms, they were homemakers and home health aides and they are smart, dedicated women who don’t need a master’s in business to know that the key to running a successful business is to empower others and spread kindness to all in the organization.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Healthcare is never a smooth road. There were a lot of state regulation and standards of practice that I needed to learn along the way. I made a lot of mistakes but all of these mistakes taught me how to handle the process better. The biggest challenge was manage having a family in the process of opening a new business. It does take a village and I quickly learned that all the hands that were willing to help enabled me to stay afloat. I learned over time that someone else’s way may eventually end up to be better than yours. It took a long time for me to release control however, the patience of our team allowed me to trust that the business was in the hands of those who cared as much as I did. The struggles that were overcome were mostly with myself. I am a different person now than I was 6 years ago. I can entrust others with tasks that are important to me and know that we were given 2 hands so that they help each other and are stronger than 1.
TLC @ Home – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our Home Care Agency, now called Connected Home Care specializes in providing assistance to our seniors for ; personal care assistance, transfer and mobility assistance, home management, companionship, transportation, meal preparation, medication reminders and assistance, and more. We provide any tasks needed to keep a senior safe and functioning to an optimal level of independence in their homes. In the past few years we added skilled nursing services for personal medication dispensing. We have medication machines that are monitored by our nursing staff that remind and dispense medications.
We are most proud of our staff. They are dedicated, professional caregivers that are performing this job because they care. We are also proud that the company is run by employees who were once our caregivers.
I would say the biggest thing that sets us apart is that are mission is still about the employee. It is still something that I have not seen other corporations grasp. We have 6 local offices so that our employees can work with the seniors in their local community. We can limit the time they travel and they always have direct support from an office nearby their home.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me is seeing others excel in a role that impacts the organization and empowers others to lead as well. We are all co-workers working together to achieve a bigger goal. I now look at these women who some were once on housing and state assistance and see them leading a multimillion dollar industry. I am proud of all they have accomplished and all the jobs we are able to provide within our communities. Success is meaningless when it ends with 1 person. Success in our organization will continue as long as we allow others to follow in a positive path.
Contact Info:
- Address: 57 Eastern Ave, Gloucester, MA. 01930
- Website: connectedhomecare.com
- Phone: 978-282-5575
- Email: support@connectedhomecare.com
- Facebook: connected home care gloucester, connected home care peabody, connected home care framingham, connected home care waltham, connected home care burlington, connected home care malden
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