Service brings care into ML homes

Office open, has plans to expand coverage

Teresa Michielli has an analogy that she likes to use to explain her business' desire to help its patients.

"If they want their dishes washed a particular way, we will go out and teach the care giver how to do that," said Michielli, regional director of the Home Care of Washington. "We really cater to their needs. We provide care their way."

And now the business is providing care the Moses Lake way.

Home Care of Washington recently opened an office at 1555 S. Pilgrim St., Suite B.

"We provide in-home services to a wide variety of populations," explained Michielli, regional director.

Those include services for the developmentally disabled, aging and adult services; working with insurance companies, veteran affairs, labor and industries, and privately with individuals in the community.

"Anybody who needs personal care in their home, whether that be coming from the hospital and needing extra support, or long term support," Michielli said.

The office employs three people, and there are about 12 care providers on staff, but Michielli said that that number can grow as the company grows.

"We have about another 20 applications ready to go when we get more business going, but we just opened, so we're still building and growing," she said.

A person will call Home Care of Washington to inform them of his or her need. A supervisor interviews with the client to get an idea of what their needs are and what they are looking for. Then the business looks to match up the client with a care giver, comparing such qualities as skill level, personality, level of housekeeping, transportation to the need of the person.

Qualities Home Care of Washington is looking for in a care giver are "somebody who's compassionate, who's caring, skilled in transfers, bathing, cooking, somebody who's willing to serve and do a good job," Michielli said.

Through affiliations with sister companies like A Full Life, Home Care of Washington also has offices in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Nevada, Michielli said.

Services will be available in Lincoln, Adams, Douglas and Chelan counties through Medicaid beginning in September, and are already available throughout Washington for developmentally disabled and other insurance services.

As regional director, Michielli oversees central and eastern Washington personally, and there's another director who oversees the southeastern part of the state.

Since opening, Michielli said that the community has given them a warm welcome and are very excited to have the services here.

"There seems to be a great need, especially as the population grows and matures," she said. She first began looking at the area because she knew the area through a friend, and was well-received as she was doing market research, she said.

"A lot of people generated an instance that they need those kinds of services, so I thought it would be a good match for what we are trying to offer," she said.