The Private Duty Home Care Advisory Board is made of some of the most experienced and talented leaders in the private duty community. Each of our Advisory board members is committed to the mission and vision of the organization and ensuring our members are well represented and receive the tools, support, and resources you need to provide the highest quality and caliber care and services to your clients and families.
In our reoccurring Advisory Board Profile series we invite you to get to know our advisory board members better through a short Q&A interview, and learn more about why they choose to dedicate their professional lives to the private duty home care community.
A few weeks ago, we introduced you to Jeff Salter, Founder and CEO of Caring Senior Service. This week, we have the pleasure of sharing a little more with you about Stephanie Johnston, President and CEO of Transcend Strategy Group, one of the newest members on the Private Duty Home Care Advisory Board.
Stephanie, Tell me how you would describe what you do to someone you just met.
At Transcend, my colleagues and I help senior care providers grow their businesses so more patients and families have access to the best possible care. We also help providers create outstanding experiences for patients and families so their reputations attract more referrals. For nearly 20 years now, Transcend has been helping senior care organizations consistently grow revenue 100 to 400 percent.
Tell me about how you ended up working in home care/private duty. How did your professional journey bring you to where you are today?
I spent the first 20 years of my career working in marketing and business development in corporations and communications agencies. At the same time, I was helping care for sick and aging family members. Finding the right providers to fit my family members’ needs was a constant challenge. But, when we’d find that fantastic provider, it was life changing. I wanted to help more families find great providers. The opportunity to work in senior care has created this perfect marriage of life experiences, professional skills and personal passion.
Why choose private duty home care? Why not something else, or some other part of home care?
While my team and I work with providers across the senior care continuum, private duty and personal care have a special place in my heart. The aides who cared for my family members were with us for several years. They laughed and cried with us at birthdays, anniversaries and funerals.
And, private duty and personal care services are on the front edge of consumer healthcare trends, more so than any other aspect of home care. This sector has the ability to be innovative, dynamic, creative – as well as highly personalized for each individual’s exact needs and wishes. A strategic futurist like me is always drawn to places where innovation can thrive.
What do you find to be the most rewarding about your job?
Watching providers grow to serve more patients and their families. I know firsthand the difference great care can make in someone’s quality of life.
Conversely, what do you find to be most challenging?
Right now, not being able to travel to NAHC conferences and other events.
What Is your favorite memory working in Private Duty Home Care? Why?
Five minutes into my very first NAHC conference I met Denise Schrader of Mosaic Life Care. Denise’s team had cared for my beloved grandmother and, at the time, were caring for my father and grandfather, too. Hugging Denise and telling her how much her team had meant to my family over the years … I won’t forget that.
What is the one thing that keeps you up at night professionally?
Knowing that whether someone has access to great care still depends so heavily on where they live.
What made you first get involved with Private Duty Home Care at NAHC?
I first got involved with NAHC because I wanted to deepen my knowledge of the industry and I wanted to build my network. I’ve been lucky to find generous and thoughtful leaders like Bill Dombi, Brittnei Solerno, Jeff Salter, Sam Smith, Summer Napier, Erin Begin, Emilie Bartolucci and so many others who have been open with their time and expertise.
What would you say to someone considering becoming a NAHC Private Duty Home Care member?
NAHC is a rare community in senior care. By covering the span of home-based care, the association gives members unique insight, perspectives, inspiration and connections they can use to build their businesses. Partnerships and collaboration can flourish here. This is fertile ground for innovation and NAHC creates an environment that fosters bold and creative thinking, and the membership are open and welcoming to new perspectives.
What would you say to someone who was considering a career in private duty nursing or personal care services?
This is a fast growing industry that welcomes big ideas, creative minds and open hearts. You will have the opportunity every day to make a profound difference for the better in people’s lives – and find deep fulfillment in doing so. The challenges the industry faces are mighty, but so is the community dedicated to taking them on. If you’re ready to give your best to the team and the families they care for, come on in and get to work!
On behalf of everyone at the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, we thank Stephanie for her detailed and candid responses. We are honored to have her as a distinguished member of the PD Advisory Board and thank her for his dedication, commitment, and passion for the Private Duty home care community.