Right at Home with Our Home Care Services
Angels at Home offers home care services in Forsyth, Macon, Warner Robbins, Milledgeville, and surrounding areas, with a staff that carries a unique and personal understanding of in home care.
In home care is particularly close to the heart of Angels at Home Owner and CEO, Stephanie Henson. Her father, Royce Costic, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in early 2011 and her mother, Lu Costic, started showing signs of Alzheimer’s soon after. Royce retired from the Navy which led the couple to settle down in Virginia Beach. He was most affected by Parkinson’s in the functioning of his legs and speech, leading to occasional falls. Stephanie said, “My dad could compensate for my mom’s confusion, but my mom couldn’t quite compensate for my dad’s inability to walk.” This led Stephanie to move her parents down to Warner Robins, GA to enable her to care more closely for them.
About Her Parents
Married on March 28, 1959, Royce and Lu Costic were sweethearts who met in their late 20’s and shared a sweet, sweet love story. Royce was convinced Lu was an answer to prayer and a gift from God.
In the Summer of 1958, Royce was stationed at the Navy base in Brunswick, Georgia. Lu took a trip from her home in Asheville, NC with a friend down to St. Simon’s, very close to the Navy base. They met on the beach, and he courted her long-distance after she went home.
The Costics shared a love for plants and gardening, Scrabble and cappuccino, were very active in their church and Sunday school, and Royce loved his wife’s cooking.
In 2016, Stephanie’s father passed away, and September, 2018, her mother passed. Over the course of their last few years of life, Stephanie navigated the many facets of overseeing and caring for her aging parents, and the many stages of grief once they were gone. “All they wanted in their last years was to be together, and I’m so thankful that, because I own Angels at Home, I was able to provide that for them.”
“Try to let your parents be involved in their own care ahead of time,” advised Stephanie Henson.
There was a steep learning curve at the beginning of her parents’ decline. “There is a lot you don’t know that you don’t know,” said Stephanie. She reflected that she and her brother Lee had to, in a hurry, become students of her parents and their illnesses in order to make informed decisions about how to balance their preferences, their needs, and their resources to keep them safe, healthy, and happy.
When asked what she’s learned about in home care since her parents’ passing, Stephanie advised on two important things,
Talk to your parents sooner about future plans before there is any health decline. That way, you won’t be in a position of crisis after that first major hospitalization, diagnosis, fall, or other event that signals that it’s time for a change right now. Ask questions about long term care insurance, assets available to help pay for care, what family members would be best suited to care for them, where they want to live, and when it’s best to move them there.
Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do everything you think you should be doing for your parent(s). It is a huge job, and it takes a toll - physically, mentally, and emotionally, so don’t be afraid to get help from other people. You can enjoy the time you have with your loved one so much more if you’re not exhausted.
Stephanie’s experience with professional and personal in home care for her aging parents has equipped her to relate on a personal level to those living through similar circumstances.
“I would not hire someone to work for you if I wouldn’t welcome them to work for my parents.” Stephanie still asks each caregiver why she would want to hire them to take care of her own mother because she seeks to represent a client’s family as she would her own kin. “I had my own employees in my own house taking care of my mother 24/7, so I’m intimately familiar with how important it is to have caregivers that are not just skilled, but compassionate and reliable and devoted to caring for people.”
When asked how her life experience assists in improving other families’ experience with their aging parents, Angels at Home Owner, Stephanie Henson, said:
“Both of my parents needed different forms of care, so I’m very familiar with the 2 major diagnoses we see in our clients - Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.” Over the span of 7 years, Stephanie walked through the process of her parents’ aging, decline, and illness which has equipped her not only with sympathy, but empathy. “Everyone’s story is unique, but I’ve been through this, and I can understand some of what you’re going through.”
The service Angels at Home provides originates from a place of understanding, empathy, and a desire to help you.
We want to improve your life and lighten your load as you seek to take the best care of your aging parents. We would be honored to serve you.
To find out more about our home care in Warner Robins, GA and the surrounding areas for older adults, give us a call at 478-746-1011 or email us at hello@angelsathome.org.