Home support is all about affinity

Elaine O'Connor and Colette Beausang, founders of Affinity Plus.

When two people get on well together, that's affinity, writes Brian Byrne. When they work well together, that's affinity plus. When they set up in business, it becomes capitals, Affinity Plus.

For the owners of the latest business to locate in Kilcullen, meeting up when they worked for the same Dublin-based home support company was to be the catalyst for them eventually going out on their own as business minnows in a pond full of big fish. Elaine O'Connor was commuting from Newbridge, Colette Beausang had come from her native Cork. 

"We recognised in Dublin how well we worked together," says Elaine, who originally had an Army career and then worked for a time in a family resource centre. "When I started working with the Dublin company I realised that I had finally found my niche in life. I did my college courses from there, got my qualifications in Nursing Studies, and specialised in palliative care and end of life care."

Colette had completed her own Bachelor of Social Science in UCC followed by a Nursing Studies course in the city’s College of Commerce, working in a nursing home while studying. “I really enjoyed that but I wanted to go further in Social Work and started my Masters.” Home support services were always in the back of her mind and she moved to Dublin, where she took a job as scheduler in the same company where Elaine worked.

“We were there for three years,” Elaine recalls. “I had been promoted three times and I knew there was no further room for advancement. It was in early 2020 that the conversation started about going out on our own and working to help make people’s lives more comfortable in Kildare.”

They spent a year and a half doing their research before officially opening Affinity Plus in mid-2021, working out of an office set up at the back of Elaine’s home in Newbridge. They had taken courses with the Local Enterprise Office and a HR-oriented professional development course completed by Colette in UCD ‘helped us to structure the paperwork side of things’.

They didn’t expect it to be easy. And it wasn’t. The duo did prove the demand for another home support service, particularly with the Mother Care and Recovery Care offerings. “When I had my baby I found there was no mother care in the area and I could have benefited from it,” Colette recalls. Affinity Plus also provides Elderly Care and a Concierge bespoke service with appointments attendance, home help and cleaning options. “Elderly care is a big element of our business,” Elaine says. “We firmly believe that older people want to stay in their home for as long as they can, and that is possible with the right help.”

In the initial stages, and for quite some time, Elaine and Colette were doing all the work themselves. Even with the support of their respective partners, that was incredibly tough. “We were working from six in the morning until ten at night,” Elaine recalls. “There were times when you’d have a break for an hour and you’d be trying to decide whether to sleep, eat, or take a shower.” Colette backs that up. “It was a roller coaster, for about a year and a half we were going seven days a week.” She has a little boy of three and a half and admits that she saw very little of him during that time.

Gradually they built up a panel of carers to work with them, now numbering 38. Their core operational area is Kildare and West Wicklow, though they do have clients as far south as near Carlow and into the fringes of south Dublin. From about last Christmas, they felt that they were beginning 'to see the light for ourselves'. "We are growing, the administration and paperwork is growing, and we're also out on the ground with the ladies," Elaine says. "There were a few times we looked at each other, wondering how much more could we take? Was it worth it? Yes. Would we do it again? Yes."

As hands-on people themselves, both Elaine and Colette know that choosing the right carers are key to success not only for their business, but for their clients to have the best possible outcome from their service. Affinity Plus is constantly advertising for recruits, and the owners pride themselves on their ability to correctly match carer with client. "It's personality," Colette says. "Everyone is different, and personalities do clash, it's a fact of life. It's part of our protocols to keep linking with them to see if everything's OK."

If there is an issue, Affinity Plus carers are instructed to refer back quickly to their management. "It's important that they let us know about it so we can be proactive about dealing with any issue, whether personal or professional," says Elaine. "It can be a lonely job out there for them, so we all keep very much in contact. We encourage a lot of camaraderie, it's very important that everyone is happy, and appreciated."

As to recruiting carers, full qualification are the first requirement. But from a personality point of view they also need to be able to operate on their own initiative. "It's no good them finishing a chore, then asking the client — who may not be fully well — what to do next?" Colette notes. "They also need good listening skills, and to be able to 'read' a situation ... maybe notice no dishes left at the sink, which could indicate the client isn't eating properly?"

Home support services is a competitive industry, both for clients and for getting the right people to work in it. Elaine and Colette are very appreciative of the help and the relationship they have with the Kildare Wicklow ETB who provide first-class carer qualifying courses. "They have been exceptional," Elaine says, "and that has helped us employ exceptional people."

It's a growing area, both because Ireland has an increasing number of older people in the population, and also the realisation that people are much better being able to stay in their own homes, whether elderly or recovering from illness, with the right support. That also applies even to end of life care. "We do a lot of that, and we do an exceptional job of it," Colette says. "It's a very special time for the clients, and for their families, and we try and ensure that all their needs — emotionally, spiritual, and physical — are met."

Moving the business to Kilcullen came about simply because Affinity Plus outgrew the original offices behind Elaine's home. "We could have moved anywhere in the area as long as it was central to our needs, but the Meadow Court opportunity came up at the right time, at the right cost, and of the right size," says Elaine. "And we both liked the town before setting up here, so that was a bonus." The office staff include Katie O'Connor, Jordan McCormack and Wendy Scanlan.

Now on the next stage of an endeavour which at its core is the wish to provide support to people in their own homes when they need it, Elaine and Colette are particularly grateful to the families who have entrusted their loved ones into their care. "It is a pleasure to be able to assist so many families in their time of need."

That's affinity.

Wendy Scanlan, Team Liaison; Jordan McCormack, Scheduler; and Katie O'Connor, Office Manager.

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