We got the chance to sit down with Samantha Loy, agency owner and director of Always Best Care Senior Services in Burlington, Chapel Hill, and Durham, North Carolina to chat about how she got her start in home health, her best leadership advice, what’s to come for her businesses, and of course, ImmediatePay.
What drove you to get into the home health industry?
“When I was in college, I was doing an internship for a home health agency and my mom was in the process of starting her homecare agency. She said, ‘forget that internship and come intern with me’. So I wrote her business plan and handled all the nitty-gritty behind the scenes – from operational management to scheduling to billing and beyond. When I took over the agency in 2017, I had the opportunity to expand to the Chapel Hill Durham market and we’ve been thriving out that way as well.”
What are the key values for a healthy work culture?
“I really try to make it a fun environment here because when push comes to shove, home care and health care can be really tough. When it comes to the nitty-gritty, we get our job done and clock out at 5:00 to go home. I really strive to be a good leader for my team and give them creative control to do what they want to make their jobs easier.”
What is difficult about the home health and healthcare industry?
“Giving employees a place to provide the company with feedback is “We’re not matchmakers per se for love, but we do have to find the right people to go into the home of our clients and that’s a big part of what we do. It can be difficult because you may not find the right person, but once you find that match, it’s a happy moment in-home care when both your clients and caregivers are thriving.”
What’s the best business advice you’ve given or received?
“Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. I say that a lot to everyone. Everyone here can’t control a person getting a flat tire on the way to work. That’s okay. Let’s manage that. Let’s get through it. But don’t let those things bring you down.”
What are you most excited about right now?
“I think the expansion of Chapel Hill and Durham. I’m also in the process of looking to start a certified nurses assistant (CNA) school here in Burlington! More CNAs mean more education to getting strong, skilled people who are able to help clients in their homes.
Even if I’m able to do it for the community… by all means, let’s help the community we live in. There are plenty of seniors here that we can all take care of. We’re all here to do the same thing and just take care of the seniors in our community. So let’s work together to do that.”
Why did you decide to offer Immediate?
“We started the process with another company and the start-up, the support, none of it was there and then Mallory says, let’s go with Immediate – it’s going to be a good thing for our caregivers – let’s do it. And from start-up to today, it’s been absolutely excellent.
[Immediate] is one of the most used benefits that we offer. I think it’s just really great to have in a bind. Gas prices are really expensive right now. Do you need a few extra bucks to put gas in your car? Here’s Immediate. That’s simple. Your education is there, and your support is there. Things are really good. I’m very happy.”
