Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Buchanan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I come from a very tight-knit family. We were always very close spending most holidays together especially Christmas. These extravagant gatherings were the doing of my grandmother and grandfather mostly. They always went above and beyond and made these times so memorable for all of us. My grandfather and grandmother fell ill a few years back and eventually signed onto to hospice early 2017. In leading up to this moment, I watched them struggle endlessly. The Veterans Administration, the policies behind long-term care benefits, the overwhelm of deciding if they wanted Advance Directives and of course the red tape. I stepped up and became their Care Coordinator in my mother’s sheer overwhelm. She was aggravated by the systems and all of the paperwork that came with the end of life planning.
When I realized the fragile nature of my grandparents’ condition, I knew I needed to provide this support to other family members out there that were struggling with the same issues.
I’ve been working in the field of end of life care in a corporate environment for about 10 years. I started when I was in school as I pursued my degree in Social Work. We didn’t get to pick our internships and I knew I didn’t want to work with the elderly. They say what you resist most is what you need the most. Right? This internship, which I struggled with wanting to accept, single handily change my life when I placed in a skilled nursing home.
The very first patient that I was paired with was a Hospice patient “Mary”. She had no support system and no living relatives. They asked me to be her support system. I remember so clearly seeing her in a room alone, stuck in bed all day unable to sit or stand and I was the only human that she looked forward to seeing every day. She mentioned that she had nothing to offer me and sometimes there weren’t many conversations between us, but seeing the light that spilled over her face during our time together was even more heartbreaking. She needed to navigate these huge decisions alone. She felt tossed uncomplainingly aside and I was there to help guide through her last days. Mary and I saw each other for a few weeks every day, up until she passed. I was heartbroken and more importantly, forever changed. Mary didn’t realize that she had given me the most important lesson of my life. She didn’t know that she had changed me forever.
In working in skilled nursing facilities as a Social Services Director and Home Health Agencies I learned, over time, that the industry was severely fragmented. In the nursing facility, I could help older people with certain circumstances, but once they left the facility it was out of my control. I learned that many of them did not understand how they got to where they were and that they were searching for an advocate to guide them. Alternately, in Home Health the insurance would run out and my services were ended. It was heartbreaking and frustrating because I couldn’t create the impact I craved with someone else governing how we worked together.
After my years of helping in a fractured way, I started teaching families how they can seamlessly coordinate their end of life care: I watched their peace of mind increase, they had a clearer understanding of resources available to them, and a built-in support system for themselves too! I have since made a commitment to dedicate the rest of my professional life to helping other families maximize and manage resources for their loved one’s end of life planning.
Since then, I’ve worked with many families and individuals in their planning: I lived my dream of supporting, nurturing and guiding families in navigating a complex health care system with ease and I have created programs designed to help people every step of the way.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Always challenges, hiring a mentor that fits my personality and learning style, my ethics, etc. Trying to get referral partners to refer to you can be challenging but when to nurture the relationships it is rewarding and comes back to you.
Visionary Care Consultants – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I believe that everyone deserves to age with dignity and have the best quality of life possible. I specialize in care coordination, healthcare advocacy, and resources to help seniors age in place. I am known for my compassion and ability to build connections with multiple systems in a loving way. I am most proud of the model that I have created with the help of my mentor. This model sets me apart from other aging life care professionals, I have a package price model for services, not hourly. Most people love this concept.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career so far has been getting the opportunity to mentor other social workers and nurses who want to start their own care businesses.
Pricing:
- Services can range from 300 to 5000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.visionarycaresd.com
- Phone: 619-228-3584
- Email: visionarycare.sd@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionarycaresd/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/visionary-care-consultants-san-diego?osq=visionary+care+conultants
- Other: http://linkedin.com/in/tina-buchanan-bb4b13143
Image Credit:
Angie Davis
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