Staying independent with a little help

Nurse puts experience to work for those who want to remain at home, By Mark J. Yablonsky VERNON — If owning a home is the American Dream, then remaining at home through old age may be the new addendum to that dream. That’s where Debbie Merz and her new business, Independence at Home Services, LLC, come in. Merz, 54, has 36 years of nursing experience, so she has seen firsthand just how tough it can be when people age or are plagued by illness and injury. Her new business, started in February, provides companionship and help to people unable to attend to the formerly mundane household tasks. Merz feels that some people can remain at home, rather than move to assisted living facilities, if only they had help with some of their household chores. And, not everyone has a family member who can be on call for their mother or grandmother, for example. “Some families feel they can’t do it, but maybe they can if they have the assistance,” said Merz. She relied on her background — a nursing career that includes 17 years at Dover General Hospital and other years in insurance case management — to put her new business together. “My goal is to make living life more comfortable. I’m very passionate about this job. We’re all living longer. I’ve just seen so many people in facilities that don’t need to be there,” she said. “And it’s much more cost effective to have people care for them at home. And people are happier at home, too.” Merz, who says her “strong background” is in case management and discharge planning, does more than just visit clients at home. Her non-medical home care company provides home companions who do anything from picking up prescriptions to escorting people to special events such as weddings and other social occasions. They have licensed, in-home beauticians, they mow lawns. “I’m a notary, so I can do any kind of notary work, and I do consultant work for medical applications, insurance referrals and insurance appeals.” With a staff of about 35 aides, she is available to people living in Sussex, Morris, Warrren, Passaic and Bergen counties. Balancing needs “I want us to form a bond with these people,” Merz insists. “I don’t want my aides to go out there and sit, I want them to try to get them involved, try to listen to their stories, teach them something. My aides are getting paid to help increase their way of life, to become a friend. I want my clients to be happy and their needs to be met.” “We have a very strong, special hiring system,” she says. “It’s not just a job, it’s about people who want to make a difference in other people’s lives. That’s important to me.” Before aides are matched up with clients, Merz says a case manager sits down with the client and family for a personal discussion and to custom-fit the services. Looking at the situation from all sides, she also recognized that sometimes people are forced to move from their homes because they cannot get up the front stairs or manage bathrooms, for example. Adapting the home for the dweller is one way to stay there. Merz’s husband runs a separate company called Steve’s Custom Renovations and offers contracting services that do just that. Sometimes, though, people do have to move to a residential care facility. In that instance, Merz offers a “watchful eye” service. “I go into assisted care facilities for families who are out of town, and actually tell the family how that person really is,” she said. “I want my people to go out there and be the connection to the world because a lot of these people don’t have anybody.”

It’s simple things in life that keep people independent.” Debbie Merz