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Someone to Watch Over Them, Lovingly
By Nicole Canfora Lupo Published: 11/25/2009
When an ill or aging family member can no longer care for her or himself, many of us take over the care ourselves, desperately trying to juggle that responsibility and our other family and work obligations. At some point, however, we realize that we need a professional caregiver. It’s not a decision we take lightly; we want to know the caregiver truly cares about our family member.It can be a heart-wrenching time—or it can be a time of comfort. Seeking—and finding—that comfort is what brings so many people to Visiting Angels of Suburban Essex.
Opened by Marilou G. Villareal, a registered nurse, and her sisters, Nancy and Christina, also RNs, the home-care agency has a very specific aim: to help clients with rehabilitation and personal care—such as meal preparation, errands, housework, and personal hygiene—and to do it in a way that maintains the client’s dignity. Many Visiting Angels’ patients suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or are recovering from a stroke and require at-home assistance with everyday needs.
Villareal helped to start Visiting Angels in hopes of continuing her decades-long history of helping others. In the 1990s, she oversaw an Alzheimer’s unit at Seacrest Village Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Little Egg Harbor, and was named Nurse of the Year in 1999.
She is equally dedicated today. All caregivers are well trained, certified nursing assistants and home-health aides; they are also bonded and insured. And because Visiting Angels wants to match each patient to the right caregiver, they are sent to clients’ homes only after undergoing a comprehensive review and matching process.
“I’m hands-on,” Villareal stresses. “I won’t just send anyone.” Indeed, Villareal first goes to the home by herself to meet and assess the patient. “Then I interview the caregivers personally,” she says. “This way, I know the quality of the caregivers. Are they compassionate? Can they meet the needs of the patient?”
Once a caregiver is chosen, Villareal personally introduces him or her to the family and patient. “The caregiver gets a better reception from the patient if he or she gets to know the person first,” she explains. It shows that the caregiver is also a friend, someone who sees caring for the client as more than just a job. “You stand out to the patient and family members. That’s how I do it, and it’s always worked.”
Villareal make rounds every few weeks to ensure that everything is going smoothly, bringing flowers and visiting with the patients. And she almost always find that her caregivers are well matched with the clients.
Word-of-mouth referrals attest to Villareal’s dedication to serving the needs of her patients. Visiting Angels assists people in the Caldwells, West Orange, Verona, Cedar Grove, Bloomfield, and Montclair areas. When the work day ends, Villareal and her sisters discuss how things are going, and discuss possible ways to improve their services even further. “We just don’t stop,” Villareal says.
And if a family needed any further proof of Visiting Angels’ dedication, it may be found in what Villareal calls her “open-door” policy: She can be called any time of the day or night.
“We work 24/7,” she says. That, indeed, is dedication.
Visiting Angels of Suburban Essex
14 Forest Avenue, Caldwell
Office: 973-226-9090 • Cell: 973-738-9551
VisitingAngels.com
