{"id":63,"date":"2016-12-16T19:01:33","date_gmt":"2016-12-17T00:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpinghands.royaldiademmedia.com\/?page_id=63"},"modified":"2023-04-21T13:45:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T19:45:48","slug":"our-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/helpinghands.royaldiademmedia.com\/?page_id=63","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22.3″ background_color=”#D5D5D5″ custom_padding=”|||”][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb title=”Our History” image_max_width=”none” admin_label=”Blurb” _builder_version=”3.0.87″ header_font=”Droid Serif||||” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”28px” header_line_height=”1.2em” body_font=”Droid Serif||||” body_text_color=”#ffffff” body_font_size=”18px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” saved_tabs=”all”][\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22.3″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” module_alignment=”center” text_text_align=”left”]<\/p>\n

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Helping Hands began as, and remains, a family owned and operated business. It was initially opened by Harvey and Marlynn Swallow in 1995, and since purchasing the home in 2001, their daughter Heather Monaghan has continued operating the home with the same standards of excellence, as well as with many innovative ideas. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Swallow era\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1995 Marlynn and Harvey opened their family home in Regina\u2019s Walsh Acres to residents in need of personal and\/or nursing care. They named their business \u201cHelping Hands Personal Care Home. Their daughter Heather was working full time as a teacher and decided not to be involved with the business at that time.<\/p>\n

As Helping Hands grew to have a stellar reputation in Regina, there were more requests for care than there were rooms in the home.\u00a0 In 1996, Marlynn and Harvey purchased a home in Regina\u2019s\u00a0Normanview West at 226 Hansen Drive for the purposes of opening a second Helping Hands.\u00a0 The home was renovated to accommodate 10 residents, while retaining its home-like qualities.<\/p>\n

In Summer of 1997, Heather agreed to watch over Helping Hands while Marlynn and Harvey went on a month-long trip to Europe. Heather found her time at Helping Hands that summer to be extremely fulfilling, and realized that she did in fact have a calling to work with seniors.\u00a0 She took a leave of absence that fall from her teaching job to enter the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Program. After completing the LPN program while working part time as a caregiver for Helping Hands, Heather began managing the Walsh Acres Helping Hands. Marlynn managed the Hansen Drive home, and oversaw both homes.<\/p>\n

In 2000, Marlynn and Harvey began looking to the future. Harvey was retiring from teaching, and he and Marlynn wanted to be free to do some traveling.\u00a0They decided to sell the Walsh Acres house to Marlynn\u2019s sister in 2000, and in 2001 sold the home on Hansen Drive to Heather. This left them free to pursue hobbies, traveling, and other vocations.\u00a0 Marlynn retained involvement in Helping Hands until 2016, when she retired as their consulting registered nurse and as their Palliative Care Specialist.<\/p>\n

The Heather era\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Heather Monaghan has owned and operated Helping Hands at 226 Hansen Drive since 2001.\u00a0 She strives to consistently offer the highest quality care, and this has not gone unnoticed by those in the Regina-Qu\u2019appelle Health Region.\u00a0 Indeed, we are often told that Helping Hands has the best reputation of any personal care home in Regina, and our home is routinely recommended by physicians, nurses, and health care professionals. \u00a0Helping Hands has maintained this reputation by consistently adding value to our residents, and by thinking \u201coutside the box\u201d to do whatever necessary to provide care to all residents, regardless of the complexity of their care, or the difficulties they may initially present with.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf Helping Hands can\u2019t manage this person\u2019s care, then no personal care home can,\u201d is often a phrase we hear repeated to us from residents\u2019 families who have been referred to us by health professionals.<\/p>\n

Heather\u2019s commitment to staffing excellent and professional development for herself as well as all of the Helping Hands team is evident.\u00a0 As an instructor of the St. John\u2019s Ambulance Personal Care Worker Course, Heather ensures her own staff as well as caregivers from other homes are thoroughly trained in the field of senior care.\u00a0 She also serves as a guest speaker for the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, as a board member for the Saskatchewan Association for Safe Workplaces in Health, and as the president of the Association of Personal Care Home Operators of Saskatchewan.\u00a0 Heather has become an expert in the field of senior care and personal care homes, and brings that knowledge to Helping Hands, which benefits the residents as recipients of the highest quality care, and benefit the staff in the expansion of their knowledge and abilities, and in support for their professional development.<\/p>\n

The Original \u201cIntergenerational Environment<\/em><\/strong>\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n

Even before it was \u201con trend<\/em>,\u201d Helping Hands provided an intergenerational environment for our residents.\u00a0 *Insert pictures of Brea on walker* When Heather initially purchased the care home, her 2 children, Brea and Sydney, were very young.\u00a0 Heather created comfy bedrooms and a playroom for the girls in the downstairs area of Helping Hands, and her \u201cmother\u2019s helper\u201d watched over Brea and Sydney at the care home.\u00a0 Brea and Sydney regularly participated in crafts, activities, and meals with the residents, which was of great benefit to both them, and the children. In 2005, Shaemus was born and joined the family business with much celebration, and was even the guest of honour at a baby shower attended by staff, residents, and their families.\u00a0 All three children have grown up taking part in both work and play at Helping Hands.\u00a0 Brea is now working and attending University of Regina in the Computer Science field, so she has no time to join Mom at work these days.\u00a0 However, Sydney helps out with office and book-keeping tasks and comes to visit the residents frequently, and Shaemus loves to come to Helping Hands and play checkers or cribbage with the residents who enjoy games. \u00a0Residents\u2019 grandchildren and staff\u2019s children are always warmly welcomed and invited to join in with activities, baking, meals–whatever is going on at Helping Hands on the days they visit–and staff are able to bring older children with them to work who interact with the residents.\u00a0\u00a0 In addition to our \u201cyoung visitors\u201d, Helping Hands participates in many community programs that bring high school students, childrens\u2019 dance and music groups, \u00a0and church youth groups into our home.\u00a0 The teenagers who visit us are fantastic with helping residents with our Wii sports games, ipod music downloading for our personalized music program, and Skyping their families who live out of town.\u00a0 We also facilitate opportunities for our residents to be involved with local school programs, reading to young children and helping with homework.\u00a0 *Insert picture of Rose reading to schools students*<\/p>\n

Forward Thinking\u2026.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since she purchased the business in 2001, Heather has steadily increased and improved the features available at Helping Hands. \u00a0During the time she has owned Helping Hands, Heather has:<\/p>\n