About: Joan Vaughn

I’m Joan, and I know home care from the inside out. I’ve navigated my daughter through 24/7 home care nursing and managed her PCA’s. I’ve helped my parents move into (and out of) assisted living, Medicare episodes, skilled nurse visits, home health aids, and PCAs. Sandwiched in all of that, I’ve helped coordinate home care equipment and supplies, physical therapists, occupational therapists, county workers, and medications (oh, the medications). I know emergency departments, children’s hospitals, cancer wards, cardiac floors, and specialty units. I can recite health insurance policies (and call their bluff). I know a lot of other things in life too, like Shakespeare, where to sit to see a great sunset over a lake, how to keep myself healthy, how to read a profit/loss statement and state statutes, when to use a comma, and that gratitude is one of the keys to success. So I’m going to have this blog and write about home care from time to time. I’ll include topics like current legislation, professional boundaries in a tricky environment, and being a caregiver. I’ll also post some guest blogs from clients and nurses. Join me in the conversation.

Spotlight: Janelle, Director of Nursing

This week we wanted to introduce another key member of our office staff, our Director of Nursing, Janelle! Janelle is driven, whip smart, and is an amazing problem solver! She’s lived in the Twin Cities her whole life, but working for COC gave her and...

Improved Communication Through Technology

Communities of Care has always been proud to communicate effectively with our nurses, and newer technological options make it even easier. Our HR specialist Lyndsay communicates with 15-20 nurses a week on average, and recent improvements in technology have made her job easier. 75-80% of our communication with nurses is through email...

At Communities of Care, we put the client first. We design a home care community of support for the client, including their family, physician, and nurses. We strive to see the client holistically and support them in the larger community. This includes connecting them to mental health support, economic support, and anything else that meets...

Home care is a unique industry, and staff must keep a balance between professional and personal communication in the workplace. With the ever-changing landscape of social media, the balance can get tricky. At Communities of Care, we are committed to providing professional communication training and professional boundaries training to our staff to protect our clients...