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Spotlight: Bridging the Health Care Gap for Seniors

7/27/2010 5:09:08 PM

Overview: Homewatch CareGivers' Community Outreach Coordinator, Nicole Bruno, has been working hard to build a strong referral network in North Carolina, helping families to secure the continuum of care that they need. In this exclusive interview, Nicole shares her experience with building a senior health care network from the ground up.

How does Homewatch CareGivers help to bridge the health care gap for senior citizens?

 

Homewatch CareGivers in North Carolina is committed to positively affecting the interaction between different groups of elderly health care providers, creating a better end-result for senior clients and their families. Aside from building a reliable referral contact list and sharing that list openly with our community, our most important initiative is called “Easing Transitions”. Easing Transitions is a networking group for health care professionals across the spectrum. Our meetings provide a space for professionals to come together, break down barriers, and brainstorm collaborative ways to improve client outcomes. At the beginning of each meeting, we tour a new organization, which provides first-hand knowledge and trust and helps us to identify the differentiators between companies (for the referral process). We also host guest speakers and round-table style brainstorms to build upon our knowledge and help each other with challenging cases or clients.    

 

What has been your greatest networking challenge, and how have you overcome it?

 

I had only lived in Raleigh 5 months before I became the Community Outreach Coordinator at Homewatch CareGivers. I didn’t know anyone — I was new in town — which meant that my first task was to "make the cold doors warm". I immediately grabbed a local resource guide and made a personal visit to every home health company and assisted and independent living community, introducing my company and myself. Through this process, I came to realize that partnering with — or "co-marketing" with — organizations of excellence is extremely effective. With a focus on collaboration and excellence, doors opened up. Eventually, Homewatch CareGivers (and me) became the go-to referral source for other organizations and individuals, which is very important. I will have been with Homewatch for 2 years this November, and now I do the introducing — now, people trust me!  

 

What is your vision for Homewatch CareGivers around the world?

 

My hope is that we continue to think outside of the box and become the top community referral source in our territory. Gaining trust in the community is key, and we can do so by staying connected to the relationships that are most important to our collective success. I use my knowledge in social work to facilitate four support groups in my area — and it helps us. The families who attend have come to trust me and they’ve come to trust the Homewatch CareGivers brand.  

 

Nicole Bruno is a Geriatric Social Worker and Community Outreach Coordinator for Homewatch CareGivers serving the “triangle”, in North Carolina. Nicole has a passion for working with the elderly and believes in the law of “plenty”. She enjoys the challenge of breaking down the silos of health care organizations by creating and participating in consortiums of the health care providers that actively discuss issues facing the seniors that they are serving and how this fragile population can have a better quality of life through education, resource sharing, and problem solving during meeting times.

Homewatch CareGiver Staff

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