Homecare is a rapidly expanding sector in Ireland. Sociological factors such as increased lifespans and shifting preferences from more traditional routes, like nursing homes and family care, have given rise to a huge demand for the service.
This is where Pioneer HomeCare can help. As an Irish family-owned and run company, it provides a wide range of services to people of all ages and abilities, allowing them to continue living independently and happily in their own homes.
As Ireland’s population ages – a projected 17.6 % of the population is due to be over 65 in 2030, homecare is an essential part of the infrastructure that can significantly benefit our elders. There has been an increasing move towards enabling people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible and, over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, homecare fared particularly well, with consistently low rates of infection when compared to the nursing home sector and general population.
Where assistance is provided by a professional, well-trained caregiver, it can facilitate a client’s ongoing independence and support them to live fulfilling lives in their home environment and continue to be active members within their communities.
PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART
Louise Whelan
For Managing Director Louise Whelan, people are at the heart of everything that Pioneer HomeCare does. The company’s mission statement focuses on the provision of a high-quality personalised homecare service to its clients and their families, in a compassionate and respectful manner, thereby enhancing the clients quality of life in their own home. Equally, Whelan recognises that the company has a paramount duty of care to all members of the Pioneer HomeCare team and she is committed to ensuring their wellbeing, dignity and job satisfaction.
A professional homecare service can also benefit the wider family circle: “Homecare gives families the chance to have some much-needed respite. They are safe in the knowledge that they can take a break and a well-qualified professional healthcare assistant will be there to support their loved ones,” notes Whelan.
Pioneer HomeCare has been in business since 2016 and in that time it has been nominated for the Irish Healthcare Centre Award, while Whelan herself has been awarded the Homecare Personality of the Year in tribute to the contribution she has made to the homecare field. The company has also been accredited by the All-Ireland Business Foundation in recognition of its conduct in the areas of trust, performance and customer centricity.
The Dublin-based company has over 400 staff and has shown strong rates of retention, despite the many challenges that the industry has faced over the last number of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Whelan explains: “As a carer, you can be looking after somebody up to three times a day, five days a week, so you build up very intense relationships with these people and they become a huge part of your life. This isn’t easy and we recognise the emotional toll that the job takes on our staff. We support them in a very direct way through training and hands-on guidance. We have also created a wellness space in our office that is solely for the carers to relax and take time out between clients.”
VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Fully Electric Fleet
Pioneer HomeCare is looking towards the future and its vision is steadfast – to continue to serve the community each and every day with patience, empathy and a personalised approach while maintaining its ethos of placing people at the centre of all that it does.
Whelan states: “We were the first homecare company to have a fully electric fleet, indeed one of the first in a commercial capacity in any industry. That speaks to where the company’s heart is.
The tagline on our electric vehicles is ‘Already looking after the next generation’. We are proud to practice what we preach.”
