By: James Watson
As many of you know, June is Seniors Month and that means a deluge of events to attend for every professional in the field. No different for those of us at Premier Homecare Services.
Anybody in the senior care business within the Greater Toronto Area has probably met Jane Teasdale, has heard about her, or has seen her whiz by like a blur as she travels from the rehab centre in one neighbourhood to the community centre on the other side of the city and then to one of the hospitals downtown. Emails on a Sunday afternoon and a full calendar stretching 6 months ahead, anybody with the experience of working directly with her can testify to her limitless energy and ability to capitalize on any opportunity. Jane is the Business Development Director at Premier Homecare Services Toronto.
Ortho-Walk, Community Hospital
Kicking off the feeling of Seniors Month even before it started, Jane co-sponsored the Ortho-Walk, organized by the North York General Hospital Foundation, on May 31st. Here she witnessed over 300 people come out to support their local, proactive, community driven hospital.
Senior Games
A few days later she attended an awards ceremony for the North York Senior Games. Part of the Ontario Senior Games Association, the games are held in 40 districts through out Ontario from April to June. Over 20,000 seniors participate, encompassing a range of events from chess and euchre to bocce and slow-pitch softball. Premier Homecare Services helped to sponsor the North York games alongside primary sponsor Delmanor Seniors Communities, Delmanor North Town.
Deaf and Blind Fundraiser
Jane is also an active member of the North York Elder Abuse Network (NYEAN) and so on June 16th she was invited to display her information about supports for vulnerable seniors at an event in North York’s Mel Lastman Square. An occasion to raise money for the Canadian Helen Keller Centre, the event boasted a great turnout in addition to the numerous attendees from the deaf and blind community.
Well-Deserved Recognition
All said and done, Jane’s efforts do not go unnoticed. Thanks to her endless support and commitment, the North York General Hospital Foundation awarded her a ‘Certificate of Honour’. It reads: “Mrs. Jane Teasdale is hereby recognized by North York General Hospital Foundation for generously supporting and embracing the health care of our community.” Chalk this up to her already long list of accolades and June is just another typical month in the work of Jane Teasdale.
Community Links:
Here are the links to the organizations and businesses I have mentioned in this article:
North York General Hospital Foundation
http://www.nygh.on.ca/foundation/home.html
Ontario Senior Games Association
http://www.ontarioseniorgames.ca/
Canadian Helen Keller Centre
http://www.chkc.org/main/
Delmanor Seniors Communities
http://www.delmanor.com/index.php
North York Elder Abuse Network
There is no official website available. However, click here to view a brief profile. You can also email the organization at n.y.e.a.n@hotmail.com.
What communities do you service?
Our main cities of service are Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph - Ontario, Canada (Kurt recently acquired the Cambridge & Guelph territory for Premier Homecare Services in addition to his Kitchener/Waterloo territory). We can provide services to individuals living in the rural areas surrounding these cities too, including the communities of Ayr, Roseville, New Dundee, Mannheim, Petersburg, Baden, New Hamburg, Wilmot, St. Agatha, Wellesley, Bamberg, Linwood, Heidelberg, St. Jacobs, Conestogo, Woolwich, Elmira, Elora, Alma, Fergus, Maryhill, Eramosa, Eden Mills, Acton, Brookville, Aberfoyle, Morriston and Puslinch. We can generally serve any area 30 minutes outside of the main city boundaries.
What services do you offer?
We predominantly offer non-medical home care to our clients. We also have two registered medical professional staff to help orientate our Personal Supports Workers, for interpretation of the odd insurance claim and to provide that added peace of mind.
Our list of services includes:
- - Personal Care (bathing, dressing, personal grooming, incontinence care, lifts and transfers, etc)
- - Homemaking (meals, laundry, light housekeeping, grocery shopping, errands and transportation, etc.)
- - Miscellaneous tasks (companionship, medication reminders, pet care, play board games & cards, supervise home maintenance, etc.)
- - Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care (staff specially trained to work with individuals with all types of dementia)
- - Palliative Care (end of life care; specially trained and compassionate caregivers)
We offer our services on an Hourly, Live-In, Overnight or 24 hour Awake & Alert basis. For more information, rates or to book a free assessment, please email us at infowaterloo@homecarephs.com or call (519) 884-1181 (Toll free: 1-888-621-1541).
Who is the owner?
Kurt Wissent started his journey into the franchise world at a very young age by observing his father who worked for a Canadian franchise company. “By the time I was 16 I knew that I wanted to own franchise,” says Wissent. After high school, Kurt moved on to receive his Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Windsor.
While at university, Kurt joined the Commerce Society and became Vice President of the local AIESEC branch (pronounced as one word; originally an acronym for Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales), an international student run organization for helping young people to discover and develop their potential. The experience and confidence he gained from participating in these organizations, and the university experience itself, led him to reinvest his interest in purchasing a franchise.
Kurt also has a passion for volunteering and giving back to the community, mirroring one of Premier Homecare Services’ care values: Community. He is currently Vice President of the Alzheimer Society of Kitchener/Waterloo and serves on many of its committees. He organized a Premier Homecare Services team for the annual Alzheimer’s Walk for Memories, raising nearly $6000 for the local chapter! He is also an instructor for Track 3, a ski program for individuals under the age of 16 with developmental and physical disabilities.
Kurt enjoys spending time with his fiancée, family, friends and his god daughter Paityn. He stays active by going to the gym, walking his dog and playing hockey, golf, baseball and curling. While Kurt remains on-call and available to assist his clients on the weekend, he understands the need for balance between home and his work life: “Sometimes you can become so passionate with what you do at work that you forget about all the important people in your life,” confesses Kurt. “I do my best to balance my two worlds and enjoy the people around me.”
Franchisee since?
Kurt Wissent became a Premier Homecare Services franchisee on April 1st, 2008 after operating under Angel Associates since 2007. The location itself had been in operation under the Angel Associates name since 1996.
The Franchise Story in Kurt’s Words:
In 2007, after finishing his Bachelor of Commerce Degree at the University of Windsor, Kurt purchased an Angel Associates franchise in Waterloo, Ontario (now operating under the Premier Homecare Services name). “I have always been a very independent, driven person so owning my own business was a perfect career path,” says Wissent.
While in my final year of study I helped take care of my grandfather. He had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was beginning to require more care to remain at home. I was able to help out to the best of my ability, offer the time I could afford and assist as much as my grandfather would allow. I was fortunate enough to go to university in the same city that he lived.
A short period of time after he passed away I attended the Canadian Franchise Show in Toronto as I had many times in the past. This time, however, I stumbled upon a franchisor who owned a homecare agency and it hit me: “I need to own a homecare agency and help people like my grandfather“. Less than a year later I was the proud owner of my own home care franchise and I haven’t looked back since.
A Testimonial by Kurt Wissent, Franchise Owner
“There have been a few changes in the last two years that have allowed me to grow as a business owner and as a person in general. The biggest change however, came in the form of new ownership and a new name. David Watson of Premier Homecare Services purchased Angel Associates and its franchised locations in March 2008. Although change is often hard to swallow, this was a positive one. It has been a great experience becoming part of the ‘Premier’ team and the name has quickly become adopted as a trusted one within the community.” - Kurt Wissent, Franchise Owner since 2007.
Contact information:
33 Bridgeport Road East
Waterloo, ON N2J 2J4
Phone: (519) 884-1181 (Toll free: 1-888-621-1541)
Fax: (519) 884-9685
Email: infowaterloo@homecarephs.com
