When families make that crucial but often difficult decision to hire a home health aide for a loved one, Michele Thomas and her staff at Osborn Health Care work diligently to match the client’s needs with the right individual. Serving as the executive vice president at Osborn for the past five years, Thomas manages 600,000 hours of home healthcare annually, which translates to roughly 225 clients and 415 caregivers and staff. She’s also played a pivotal role in helping nearly double the business’s earnings, to almost $20 million.
Self-described as a “devil in the details” type of person, Thomas prides herself on helping seniors age in place safely while maintaining a high quality of life. After joining Osborn, Thomas conducted extensive client-satisfaction surveys and immediately implemented a proprietary five-star training course for home health aides. The results speak loudly: “We have never had a complaint regarding care or quality of the aide,” Thomas says, explaining that common things, like clients wishing aides would ask them how they like their coffee, were at the top of the list. “It was about building confidence, so caregivers could ask clients about questions related to care or personal preferences.”
Thomas believes in the importance of “meeting people where they are,” so whether it is discussing physical limitations with a client or acclimating an employee to a new family, Thomas’ focus on listening to individual needs has made a clear impact.
