Holiday visits with family are a standard time for people to realize that their loved ones require a bit more help than they used to, so if you are currently looking for a home healthcare provider, you are not alone. The team at Interim Healthcare here in Conroe is one you should put at the top of your list.
Katie Wenglikowski has been a nurse for 19 years, 12 of which have been centered on in-home healthcare. She didn’t dream of nursing while growing up. In her youth, she saw herself as becoming an interior designer or lawyer but caring for others is something she came to love. Several years ago, she worried that this was no longer the case until her daughter helped her find a new way to rekindle the joy she finds in helping others.
Over the past two decades, Katie has witnessed many changes in the healthcare industry, most of which she doesn’t think are for the better.
“It has gone from being patient-centered, and staff being appreciated, to staff being less appreciated,” says Katie Wenglikowski, owner of Interim Healthcare. “Patients were still being cared for appropriately- and then it became more about trying to make money and corporations taking over. There are very few doctors who own their own practices anymore; they've sold to corporations, and so then it gets away from caring about the staff, caring about the patients. Patients become a number- a dollar sign.”
For her, it was working in a hospital throughout the pandemic that nearly broke her spirit and made her think she had to make a change.
“Being pushed to the brink every single day while CEOs, CNOs, and CFOs are all sitting in their houses away from COVID because their lives are more valuable- but still collecting their paychecks and their bonuses. I said I have to get out of health care or do something different.”
This is when her daughter, Victoria, suggested an alternative. What if they started their own business to run things as they saw fit?
At the time, Victoria’s great-grandmother, who had also been a nurse, was 106. She could still get around reasonably well, but by the end of the day, she needed some help. She only wanted someone to help for an hour a day, but most services require you to pay for at least four. Victoria watched her mother’s frustration build while trying to help her great-grandmother, and navigate being a caring person in an increasingly uncaring profession. Interim Healthcare proved to be the solution they were searching for.
They hold a license in the state of Texas for skilled home health and personal care support services. They provide their clients with physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, nurses, and medical social workers. Whether someone needs care following surgery or injuries, for short- and long-term, they can help anyone ages 18 and older. Helping people around the house, from cooking meals to helping them get dressed, are also services they provide. The ability to have just the services you need is one of the things that sets Interim Healthcare apart. They develop a personalized schedule with each client. “The whole goal is to keep people in their own home, comfortable, for as long as possible,” says Katie.
“Most seniors are living on very limited funds with no idea how long they are going to live and worry whether they are going to outlive their financial means. So we try to make sure they just get the services they need.” says Katie. “If people only need two hours or an hour of service a day, that is all they need, and I’ll have to make it work.”
Victoria not only enjoys working with her mom, but she is happy to see the renewed love of her profession again. Running their own business allows them to advocate and protect their clients and continually teach new skills to their staff.
“I feel like I'm making a difference and being authentic to myself.” Katie said, “I love all of our clients. I’ve adopted them all! And my team is made up of super sweet, caring people.”
" it became more about trying to make money and corporations taking over... It gets away from caring about the staff, caring about the patients. Patients become a number- a dollar sign.”
They develop a personalized schedule with each client. “The whole goal is to keep people in their own home, comfortable, for as long as possible,” says Katie Wenglikowski, owner of Interim Healthcare