Tammy Barkho

I attribute my success to the feedback I receive from the residents and their family members. My proudest moments come from hearing that sigh of relief in someone's voice, when they tell me they feel like a weight is off their shoulders because now they have a sense of direction. There are so many options out there that families just don't know how to decide, so for me, it's really about breaking it down and making it easy to understand what the best placement option is. In the beginning of a phone call, families are very stressed out because their loved one fell and is in the hospital, they're discharging tomorrow, and they don't know where to take them. I tell them, okay, let's break this down, don't worry, we've got this, let's do it together. By the time I'm done with my phone call, there's that sigh of relief. That positive feedback helps me keep going in this industry, because it's tough, there's end of life, and unfortunately after you place someone and get very close with these families, their loved ones pass away. Even with that, I still pay my respects and go to the funeral, doing what I would do if it was my own family. It's a whole different side of being compassionate and just helping families navigate these options and making a meaningful difference in their lives.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is to let my personal experiences guide my purpose, because the care and lessons I learned while supporting my family—especially after the loss of my mother—taught me to help others navigate the senior care system with greater compassion, clarity, and understanding.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, most importantly. Follow what you love to do. I always say this, it's easy to teach someone tasks, I can teach anyone to do any type of task, but I can't teach you to be compassionate, I can't teach you to care. Either it's something that you have within you, or you don't. This job is not for everybody, because there are many ups and downs. But most importantly is just having that compassion and that drive to truly help others, and to put them in front at all times. There are people who like receiving things, and there are others that like giving - I'm more of a giver than a receiver. So love what you do, and this comes deep within your heart. It's not for everybody, but if your heart is in it, then the sky's the limit.

The biggest challenge I see is that these types of placements are out-of-pocket expenses unless families have certain policies that would pay for their stay in the community. We have more seniors who don't have the financial means than those that do. It's heartbreaking, because a couple hundred dollars can make a difference and waver them in one direction versus the other in terms of quality of care. I'm navigating through finding appropriate placements that I would place my own mom in, something that would provide good care, even if they don't have the $5,000 or $6,000 a month to pay for it. You treat everybody the same whether they can afford it or not - I'm here to serve them, and it's my honor to serve them. The opportunity I see is in creating solutions to bridge that financial gap. My ultimate end goal is to create a nonprofit organization that will help pay for those residents that fall short, like those who are $500 short a month. If I can give them that quality of life through a charity, that would make a real impact. I'm in the stages now of understanding how the 501c3 works, getting information about seed money, certain grants, and programs that can help our seniors. I hope to launch this by the end of this year or beginning of next year, in about 6 months or so.

Compassion is absolutely foundational to everything I do - I can teach someone tasks, but I can't teach them to be compassionate or to care. That either comes from within you or it doesn't. I'm more of a giver than a receiver, and I believe in putting others in front at all times. It's always been important to me to pay it forward and make an impact in this world, not only for myself, but for my kids and my family, so they can see the importance of paying it forward. I treat everybody the same whether they can afford care or not, because I'm here to serve them and it's my honor to serve them. What keeps me grounded is quality time with my family - my husband and my two school-age boys. We love outdoor activities like fishing, swimming, and boating, just time to relax and connect away from all our electronic leashes. Being surrounded by our loved ones really is what helps me stay grounded, especially given how emotionally demanding my work can be.