Making pudding from scratch.
Not many can say they’ve attempted that recipe.
For one employee of Stay at HomeCare, making pudding is one of many new things she’s learned while visiting an elderly client to provide in-home care.
For clients of Stay at HomeCare, having someone stop by can make all the difference in the world, said Lisa Deviley, owner of the home care agency that opened last month in Lena.
“I’ve been passionate that home care should be the first choice for people,” she said.
State certified, Stay at HomeCare provides hands-on care services such as bathing, dressing and grooming.
“People who have long-term needs, that’s what they need help with to stay in their home,” Deviley said.
The agency serves the target populations of the frail elderly, developmentally disabled and physically disabled and can provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, depending on staff availability.
The agency also provides supportive home care services such as housekeeping, grocery shopping, meal preparation and companionship, plus respite time for caregivers. It doesn’t provide skilled nursing services.
Deviley, of Suamico, is a registered nurse who has worked in home care and home health care since 1994, primarily in Oconto County. She became interested in the field when she picked up a few hours to supplement her work in a hospital rehabilitation department.
“I applied at a home health agency in Green Bay, and I just loved going into people’s homes,” she recalled. “It was so eye-opening, and it was so wonderful to know that by my coming in and the aides coming in, that they could stay in their home.”
Effective Jan. 2, Deviley acquired several provider agreements and clients from her former employer, Visions of N.E.W. Stay at HomeCare serves 41 clients, from ages 11 to 96, and employs a staff of 43.
Deviley said the biggest employment benefit is flexibility. Some employees work only six hours a week, while others work full time. No experience is necessary.
“If they’re a certified nursing assistant, that’s a plus, or if they have their personal care certification, but that is not a requirement,” Deviley said.
In some cases, family members can be hired to provide care for a loved one, she said.
Deviley said her staff finds the work very rewarding.
“I think they love doing what they’re doing because they’re given an adequate amount of time to provide care,” she said. “It’s not like when a CNA that works at a facility is assigned to get 15 people up in a two-hour time.”
Stay at HomeCare schedules a minimum of two hours per visit.
“They have the time to sit down and have a cup of coffee and do some of the social interaction that is so desperately needed, too,” Deviley said.
For each new client, Deviley visits the individual’s home and completes an initial assessment. She’ll recommend safety changes, such as removing scatter rugs to help prevent falls, or structural changes at a home, like widening a doorway to accommodate a wheelchair or adding a bench to the shower.
Deviley also looks for funding sources to pay for adaptive equipment and home improvements.
In many cases, funding is also available for personal care services via medical assistance, the Veterans Administration, county health departments or the local commission on aging or a long-term care insurance policy, and eventually, Family Care.
Deviley opened her business in Lena because of its location in the county, she said. She leases the back room of Vintage Insurance Agency, recently opened by Kaila Vorpahl, whose office is jam-packed with antiques.
When Deviley toured the building and found an antique wheelchair in a back room, it was karma.
“I knew it was meant to be,” she said.
Stay at HomeCare will move to a larger space in the building once renovations take place.
Deviley has ties to Lena through her great-grandparents, last name Pries, on her mother’s side of the family. They ran a butcher shop in the village years ago. Other relatives ran Pries Apparel stores in Oconto County, she said.
Also of note is Deviley’s love of the Green Bay Packers. She was 16 when she put her name on the waiting list for Packers season tickets. Last year — 30 years later — she finally got her tickets.
“I’m a big, huge Packer fan. That’s probably my biggest hobby,” she said.
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