When Northeast Philadelphia native Peggy Offenback hired an in-home care provider to watch over her father Larry after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she was disappointed, to say the least, with its services.
“A lot of the aides that they sent him didn’t show up half the time. Or they would show up late. My parents didn’t have a whole lot of money, and I know that she [my mother] had bought gift cards for the grandchildren for Christmas. They disappeared,” Offenback said. “They didn’t know how to make him food. They didn’t really listen to him. It was terrible. I thought, ‘I’ve got to make this better.’”
Offenback knew there had to be other families in the same situation, and set out to ensure senior citizens throughout Lower Bucks County and Philadelphia were given the best in-home care possible.
After working with Caring Companions for four years and obtaining her social work degree from Holy Family University, Offenback opened the doors to her very own in-home care organization – Unique Care.
Originally located on Napfle Street in Northeast Philadelphia, Unique Care is now situated at 1230 Bristol Pike, Bensalem, and is celebrating 30 years of aiding local sick and elderly residents.
In honor of this milestone anniversary, The Times stopped by Offenback’s quaint, homey office, where she reflected on the joys of operating the family-owned business with her husband, daughter, sister and friends.
“It’s a long time, right?” she said with pride.
For the last three decades, Unique Care has provided personalized in-home care services for the homebound, elderly and those recovering from illness. More than 70 home health aides, CNAs, nurse aides, homemakers, companions and live-in caregivers are available 24/7 to meet individual needs.
“We help the elderly and the handicapped in the home. We assist them with personal care, meal preparation, light housekeeping and companionship. So if you needed help for your mom or dad or grandmother, we would come out. You tell us the time, you tell us the day. You can pick the schedule and then you tell us what you want us to do,” Offenback said.
The caregivers, also known as “angels,” work to determine what each person enjoys, whether it’s playing cards or running errands.
“If the client likes to cook but really can’t use the stove anymore, maybe they’ll prepare a meal with them,” she said.
According to Offenback, several aides have been with Unique Care since its inception. Awards are distributed for “Aide of the Month” and “Caregiver of the Year,” though most will say they’re not in this role for the recognition…or the paycheck.
“We started hiring people that had a heart for helping others, who wanted to help people and cared about helping them, not just, ‘I’m here to make money,’” said Offenback. “If somebody calls us up for a job and says, ‘How much do you pay?’ that kind of throws us off because we want to know that you care about helping people.”
For Morgan Donovan, a recruiter at Unique Care, her past experience as an aide was unforgettable. Donovan recently attended the funeral of Betty, a client she assisted for 40 hours a week for three years.
“She was my best friend,” said Donovan, adding how she can’t emotionally take on a new client until she fully grieves the loss of Betty. “They really do become your family.”
Offenback said it means the world when the child of a deceased client sends her a letter, thanking Unique Care and its “angels” for making their parent’s final days enjoyable.
“You have to listen to the client, see what they need and want and be there for them. Dependability is important,” she said.
According to Offenback, she works to match each client with a caregiver from his or her own neighborhood, in addition to keeping rates affordable. Because of its work, Unique Care was awarded the “Best of Bucks In-Home Senior Care” title several times. ••
For more information, visit uniquecare.biz/index.html or call 215-639-1100.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
