Kudos From Kelly

Our Everyday Heros By Kelly McNamara

Candy Francis: A popular lament among home care company owners is: “Why can’t I find a good scheduler?” Or… My personal favorite…” Scheduling is just an impossible job do well. I would NEVER, EVER want to take that one on myself!” Here’s where I differ from my colleagues. I have actually performed all the jobs in our company and would not ask anyone to do what I was unwilling/unable to handle myself. But, that said, it is extremely rare to find a person with creativity and enthusiasm for this specific job. And rarer still when one is thrust into it with no warning, in an emergency situation. This is where Candy Francis has simply exceeded expectations. The combination of just the right person emerging at just the right time in the right place with the best attitude is rare, if not impossible.

As all most of our staff knows, we had not seen Ryan and Nora, grandkids, niece and nephew (and their parents) since Christmas 2019. And no matter how many Zoom or Facetime calls we enjoyed with them all, it is a poor substitute for in person visits. Then a rare opportunity arose. Our Canadian family members found a way to fly and drive to their beloved summer beach spot in Avalon NJ in June. Each of us were allotted a few days’ time in order to truly enjoy this long-awaited trip without overwhelming the youngest family members.

Then good luck, bad timing occurred. We suddenly received a huge scheduling challenge from our most important referral source. A special client with a cat needed 24-hour care, 3 shifts, seven days a week. Our referral agency had staff but most were allergic to cats. They required relief staff immediately. Not a problem for us. Usually.

I first called Candy to see which shifts she was able to do herself. Once that was covered, she said “Let me make some calls”. Several calls between us at first then she was off on her own and I was back to the beach, grateful to have someone so competent rise to the challenge. Candy built the calendar, established a great relationship with the management at the agency requiring our relief staff and made instant friends.

As it turns out, Candy possessed hidden skills. Scheduling requires well developed tactical kills, organization, solid personal communication, and sincere gratitude to those caregivers who helped out.

Candy now officially holds the Scheduler Coordinator Position. With our sincere gratitude for her energy, tactical skills, and great personal relationships with caregivers. But above all, we are thankful for precious uninterrupted time with our Canadian family members. Simply Priceless. Thank you, Candy.

All caregivers mentioned in this column will receive a bonus and our sincere gratitude! Many thanks to all of you for once again extending yourselves to ensure that we are of course Always There…!! ■