A helping hand right at home

Every Friday, an In Home Care Solutions senior companion arrives at Lois Laquidara’s door in Newport Beach, allowing her to take a four-hour break from caring for her husband, Jack.

Laquidara, 80, said it was the voice of the program’s founder, Gina Kay, that helped her choose a companion service for her husband.

“I got a little pamphlet in the mail. I called and the sound of her voice made me feel safe. She wants to make sure everything is perfect,” Laquidara said.

Jack Laquidara suffers from congestive heart failure. Because of his condition, Lois Laquidara found she was unable to leave her husband unattended.

Jack Laquidara has mixed feelings about needing the service.

“I don’t like to be baby-sat,” he said. “Nobody does.”

Lois Laquidara, who worked for the Daily Pilot from 1980 to 1991, said In Home Care allows her to do her shopping and meet with friends for a monthly lunch.

Each companion has offered something different.

“One caregiver showed us how to make Argentinian beef stew,” Lois Laquidara said. “It was wonderful.”

She found that Kay worked with her scheduling needs, offering hourly, part-time and live-in caregivers for a reasonable price.

“I picked her because she followed through with what she said she would do,” Laquidara said.

Kay has worked with the elderly since coming to the U.S. from Brazil in 1964.

“I came in on a student exchange. I got a job working with the elderly and learned to respect and care for them,” she said. “Some of these people are so alone.”

While working in senior care facilities, Kay said she became discouraged by the lack of heart she saw in some co-workers.

“Some people working there wanted to work fast and not give these people the time of day,” she explained.

One day, she said, a patient lay screaming in pain while the nurses on break in the next room ignored her. The incident brought Kay to the conclusion that the elderly would benefit from remaining at home with specialized, individual caregivers.

“I don’t believe in keeping anyone in a facility,” she said. “One-on-one is where it’s at, not one per eight to nine patients.”

In 1995 she started In Home Care Solutions ? now based in Newport Beach ? which allows elderly clients the comfort and familiarity of living at home while providing them with medical and emotional care.

Caregivers have at least two years experience and undergo thorough background checks. They also receive full psychological profiles so they can be matched with the appropriate clients.

Companions perform such services as light housekeeping, bookkeeping, medication reminders and transportation for shopping and doctor appointments.

“Our greatest achievement is to get seniors involved in activities,” Kay said.

Lois Laquidara said she remains impressed by the standard of service Kay provides.

“I like them and I trust them,” Laquidara said. “They tend to him like I would. They make me feel safe in leaving my home.”dpt.25-boomer-CPhotoInfoTQ1OBVCO20060225iv7t9sknMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Lois Laquidara, left, sits beside her husband, Jack, who is holding their dog, Sandy, and Joshua Flaum, a companion from In Home Care Solutions.