By Lauren Young
After operating under the name Nursing Solution Services since early 2011, owner Elizabeth O’Connor, along with the managing help of her sister Christine O’Connor, recently changed the name of their homecare business to something that better represented their devotion to the medical field.
“We thought, how can we change it to reflect what it is that we do and who we are?” said Christine.
The new name, Legacy Nursing & Homecare, PLLC, refers to a sister-operated business featuring over three generations of medically-trained family members, mostly women. Operating the main office from Elizabeth’s home in Cazenovia, the business’ slogan is “a generation of nurses and caregivers taking care of other generations” — a phrase as natural as their bloodline and affinity for helping others.
From Elizabeth’s daughter Jacqueline Blasier to Christine’s daughter Abigail Jimenez, there are six other relatives working with Legacy, including Jacqueline’s husband Michael Blasier and niece Jillian Sullivan.
“Our whole family is in medicine,” said Christine. “[Legacy Nursing & Homecare] has multiple generations, and we take care of multiple generations.”
A bloodline of nurses
The O’Connor sisters were raised in a “very nuclear” Roman Catholic and Irish family, said Christine, their mother working in nursing and their father as a general contractor. While their extensive family line consisted of many medical and healthcare professionals, that only partially influenced them to pursue medicine.
Despite working in different fields, like in construction as an assistant to her father, Christine always managed to return to the medical field.
“We were always raised to help those that need help,” she said.
The sisters manage different aspects of the business: Elizabeth, who lives in Cazenovia and uses her house as the office, does a lot of administrative paperwork and Christine, who lives in North Syracuse, mostly handles patient care, she said.
“We’re a small business— we do the best we can with what we have,” said Christine. “Clients that we’ve had have always been happy with the services supplied.”
The sisters have about 60 years of experience between them, first attending nursing school together at The Institute of Technology, or Central Tech, in Syracuse and graduating in 1991. They both have experience working as nurse aids at various facilities, like Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, general hospitals, doctor’s offices and multiple homecare agencies.
The trust Christine and Elizabeth share as sisters makes it easier to rely on one another as business partners, said Christine.
“We trust that the other is doing their part, and that has worked out very well so far,” she said.
“A family affair”
The O’Connor sisters were inspired to first launch their own homecare business “because there was such a great need for it,” said Christine. “People want to stay in their homes, where they live and raised their kids.”
Treating clients like family is a crucial part of the job, and is expected from their staff, she said.
“I treat everyone as if they were my parent, grandparent or kid,” said Christine. “I would expect nothing less from my staff.”
Not only do they treat clients like family, they also work with family. When problems in the business are encountered, Christine said they “collectively troubleshoot” to figure out the best solution.
Allowing aging family members to stay home instead of going to a nursing home, she said, is what they were taught growing up.
“Family members stay home, that’s how we were raised,” said Christine. “Family sticks together — that was something ingrained in us at a very young age.”
Serving clients across Central New York
The business currently has about 25 caregivers and serves over 15 clients, spread out across Central New York.
“We’re not confined to just Onondaga County or Madison County,” said Christine.
Because the business has staff spread throughout both counties, she said their business can match clients with caregivers who live near them.
Before a client meets a caregiver, the O’Connors go through the client intake process first then do a meet and greet to review policies and procedures. Christine said they want to make sure everyone is informed and comfortable, stressing the need to “adapt” to clients.
“We ask them about what care is needed and we try to match [the client and caregiver] personality-wise,” she said. “Every staff that goes into a new house gets orientated before their assigned shift — that’s a given.”
She said “Legacy” caregivers also help with daily activities or chores that some other homecare agencies discourage, like bringing clients to appointments and grocery shopping, which alleviates stress for both the client and their family.
The ability for relatives to periodically check in on their parents, she said, also makes them more comfortable with staff, giving them “peace of mind.”
“We pride ourselves in that,” said Christine.
Providing that security, she said, is her favorite part of being a homecare provider, “knowing that they are where they want to be, and I’ll be there as long as they want me to be there.”
Certified caregivers
To insure a reliable caregiving staff, caregivers are hired depending on their certifications, experience being a home healthcare aid and having “some type of working knowledge,” said Christine. The business also performs background checks and drug screenings.
The most important elements of providing the best care, said Christine, are honesty and loyalty — “Not just for the client, but for your own moral compass, which is always steering in the right direction.”
From theft to medical accidents, there are a range of concerns families have about leaving their loved ones in the hands of a caregiver — one Christine experiences most is the “fear that they are not going to get the right care or personalized care that a family member would give,” she said. But she assures that “Legacy” caregivers, especially herself, care for their clients as if they were their own relatives, recalling her past friendship with one client in particular, Rose, who she worked with for three years.
Rose has since passed, but Christine said she was like a foster grandparent to her. Rose’s family was also comfortable with Christine and would call her if they had any questions, she said.
When Rose was at a rehab facility for some time, Christine said she was over-medicated and not walking, but after bringing her to a doctor and returning home for homecare, Rose soon began to feel comfortable and trusting with the staff, lifting her spirits and finding the energy to walk again.
In her time spent working at several homecare agencies and nursing homes for nearly 30 years, Christine said that homecare makes clients the happiest, retaining their daily routines and familiar environments.
“It does make the quality of life better, and it does make them happier,” she said.
Despite the long, irregular hours and unpredictability, Christine said she loves her job and feels she was meant to help others, “knowing every day that when I come in and leave that I did that best I could and [the client] is happy, content and safe,” she said.
For more information about Legacy Nursing and Homecare, PLLC, call 315-256-3210 or email Owner Elizabeth O’Connor at [email protected].
