Business Spotlight: Aging Excellence

By Abbey Davies, Owner

Aging Excellence is Maine's premier in home non-medical agency. The mission of our company is to
help our clients stay independent, active and in their own homes. Aging Excellence began in 1999 long before this was the popular industry to get into and our track record speaks for itself. We pride ourselves on hiring exceptional caregivers that are reliable, intelligent and passionate about their jobs.

Our caregivers range from retired businesspeople, nurses, moms and students. Our oldest employee is in their 80's and our youngest is 18. Aging Excellence remains unique in offering our clients a one hour minimum and our caregivers are well taken care of with highly competitive pay, paid time off, benefits, a SIMPLE plan and the most important benefit; a flexible schedule.

At Aging Excellence our services include Aging Life Care Professionals who assist with medications, doctor appointments, advocacy and evaluation of competency and/or Personal Support Specialists (PSS) who are able to assist our clients with hands on needs such as showering, toileting, dressing, transfers and respite time for loved ones. 

All of our PSS caregivers are certified, and Aging Excellence is registered with the State of Maine as a PSS company so we will only send in a caregiver trained to care for the client’s needs. The Social Companions can assist with transportation, meal preparation, light housekeeping, pet care and socialization. Our handyman is able to assist our clients with any home maintenance needs. All caregivers attend 10 hours of Habilitation Training as presented by the Alzheimer's Association and we have ongoing training to help caregivers meet the changing needs of clients. 

I personally got involved at Aging Excellence around 2001 when I was doing the monthly bookkeeping for Beth Lawrence, the founder of Aging Excellence and at the time, the owner of the Portland office. Beth and I hit it off and although I had no real experience in health care, I bought the Portland franchise of Aging Excellence in 2005. Later that year the Saco office became available and I purchased that office too. Some years later the opportunity to purchase Bangor came up and because of my love for what we do, I jumped on it! This is the most rewarding work you will ever do. Every day you make a significant difference in the life of another person - how can that not be rewarding?

Every day is a learning experience and I am continually amazed by the wonderful caregivers we have and the extent they will go to for the benefit of our clients.

As the older population continues to grow, we have more and more inquires for our services. Many older Mainers want to stay in their own home as long as possible and our company’s mission is to make that happen. It is not always necessary for an older person to go to a facility and with increasing demand there are not enough independent, assisted or skilled beds available in Maine. 

So that is where we step in - maybe your parent or loved one needs a little time in the morning to get dressed, in the afternoon for lunch or the evening for dinner; maybe they just need someone to help with grocery shopping and sweeping the floor; maybe they can't shower on their own....we can do all of that and more. Maybe you're being pulled by the need to help your parents but raise your children (this is now known as the Oreo Generation); maybe you're exhausted by the demands of a loved one with dementia; maybe you want to go away for the weekend but can't.....we can help with all of that and more.

Additionally, if you are looking for a rewarding job that meets your need to serve and help others or perhaps you are looking for a part time flexible job that will allow you the freedom to care for your family but also earn a living? At Aging Excellence we have employees that work 10 hours a week to individuals who work full time and more. As an employee, you can feel good about the paycheck you receive and there is no special training required just a compassionate heart.

I recently attended the funeral of a client we assisted 24/7 for a couple of years and the daughter said that without Aging Excellence she would not have been able to grant her mom’s wish of aging and dying at home. That's the difference we make!

To learn more about Aging Excellence, either as a client or as an employee, contact us at: 866-771-0991 or www.seniorsonthego.com