I spent a decent amount of time searching the Internet to find an agency that was geared specifically toward the care of elderly women. I happened to find one in Massachusetts – but I simply could not get a representative on the phone to speak with. After that, I found a company called “Visiting Angels,” that serves senior housing care in Rhode Island. The company serves seniors in Cranston, Pawtucket, Providence and Warwick.
According to the company’s mission statement, Visiting Angels aims to provide non-medical senior care. “Our Angels provide in-home care, respite care, senior personal care, elder care and companion care so that elderly adults can continue to live independently in their own homes throughout America.” The company itself is easily accessible online and through the telephone, but it is located in Providence, Rhode Island.
Visiting Angels was established in 1998 by three experienced directors. Their goal was to create a network of homecare agencies across the nation. In four years, their goal was realized. The directors of Visiting Angels hold the philosophy that they are “in business to provide the best care possibly to seniors as well as others who need in home care while giving total respect to the care giving staff.”
I was interested to learn that the elderly in need of services can personally choose the “Angel” they would like. Each senior is given the opportunity to interview his or her caregiver. Further, the senior is in charge of his or her own schedule. I thought that this is a unique and beneficial feature, as it gives patients a strong sense of independence. As we learned in class, maintaining independence is necessary for the elderly, because it affirms their autonomy. The more independent seniors are, the more active they will be in every aspect of their life.
As previously stated, I searched the Internet for a bit before finding this agency. I searched numerous agency websites, and I found the Visiting Angels website to be one of the best. The company’s website is user-friendly. It was colorful, easy to navigate, thorough and informative. Someone could spend hours just reading through the information the website provides. It also features a minute-long YouTube clip that explains what the company does, for those who are not keen to reading.
Unfortunately, I could not find an agency that was geared specifically towards elderly women. After a short phone interview with the company, it was clear that Visiting Angels does not incorporate any feminist ideas about aging in its policies and practices. I did not learn much from my phone interview with company employee Joe. Joe was able to tell me what the company does, but after that he was not much help. According to Joe, Visiting Angels is a non medical homecare agency, we provide certified nursing assistants to provide services in the home such as assistance in hygiene, errands and shopping and other help.” Afterwards, I asked Joe if Visiting Angels upholds any feminist values, especially when working with older women. Joe wasn’t able to answer this question. In fact, he wasn’t able to answer any of my other questions regarding feminist ideals and practices. This told me that the company is not geared specifically towards women. If it is, their representatives need to learn more about these practices and ideals so that women can have their specific questions answered.
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