In The News:
Care Source Adult Services, a company that cares for mentally and
physically-impaired individuals so they can remain independent in their homes,
became accredited by The Joint Commission (JCAHO) in November. JCAHO, an
independent, not-for-profit organization, is the nation’s leading
standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Their mission is to
improve the quality of care provided to the public by setting high standards and
evaluating health care organizations against those standards. By taking the time
and effort to submit to JCAHO’s rigorous screening process and obtain
accreditation, Care Source Adult Services has demonstrated that they share
JCAHO’s commitment to quality. They are one of only two in-home care companies
in Camden County that have received JCAHO accreditation.
“There is no requirement that an in-home care company be accredited by The
Joint Commission,” says Sandra Batdorf, founder and director of Care Source
Adult Services, “but I want to run our company in accordance with the best
practices in home care so I pursued accreditation. Now our clients can feel
secure knowing that we follow the strict policies and procedures set forth by
The Joint Commission.”
Care Source Adult Services took about nine months to go through the
accreditation process which involved writing and implementing policies and
procedures in accordance with JCAHO’s standards. Then JCAHO inspectors spent two
days to review all areas of the operation and to talk with Care Source’s
clients. Inspectors not only looked at record keeping and personnel management,
but also patient care. “With the JCAHO stamp of approval I am confident that we
are offering the best home care service available,” says Batdorf.
Care Source Adult Services enables individuals who need assistance with daily
living activities to live independently in their homes. The company provides
home health and companion aide services in Camden, Gloucester and Salem Counties
as well as surrounding areas in New Jersey. Caregivers and Certified Home Health
Aides provide assistance with errands, transportation to doctors, medication
reminders, housekeeping, laundry, grooming, dressing, bathing and safety
monitoring and more.
To learn more about Care Source Adult Services, contact 1-888-239-3162 or visit
http://www.thecaresource.com/.
Contact: Carolyn Frith, Carolyn Frith Marketing, cfrith@carolynfrith.com, call:
610-340-0622
__________________________________________________________________
For: Care Source Adult Services, 200 Federal Street, Suite 208, Camden, NJ
08103
Contact: Carolyn Frith, Carolyn Frith Marketing, carolynfrith@verizon.net,
610-340-0622
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Care Source Leads in Job
Creation among Rutgers-Camden Business Incubator Companies while Caring for
Those in Need
Camden, NJ, November 18, 2010. Care Source Adult Services, headed
by Sandra Batdorf, cares for mentally and physically-impaired individuals
enabling them to remain independent in their homes. When Batdorf started her
business in 2006, she recognized Camden’s potential to supply a labor pool of
caregivers. The Rutgers-Camden Business Incubator, which encourages
entrepreneurs to locate their businesses in Camden by offering low-cost office
and conference space, technical support and mentoring, also saw an opportunity.
Care Source would not only create jobs for Camden residents, but they would also
train people for those jobs. Four years after the partnership between Care
Source and Rutgers-Camden Business Incubator was established, Care Source has
created 49 jobs, more than any other incubator company, and has trained many
more people for careers as caregivers.
“Our mission is to attract businesses and help them to get off
the ground,” says Suzanne Zammit, Rutgers-Camden Business Incubator Manager. “We
work with early-stage companies through four years to foster economic
development in the city. Care Source has created the most jobs of any of our
incubator companies and they employ mostly Camden residents. Not only that, but
they do a fabulous job training people as caregivers and home health aides. Once
trained, they can work for Care Source or another agency.”
Jobs and training are critical to a city with high
unemployment and the low schooling levels. Camden city’s unemployment rate in
August was 18.6%i, almost twice the national level. This figure underestimates
the problem as it does not include those who have become discouraged and stopped
looking for a job. Also, according to CamConnect, an organization that provides
access to data on Camden, almost half of the Camden residents (49%) do not have
a high school education. This, of course, limits their options when it comes to
job hunting.
Batdorf provides low-cost training for people to become caregivers, Certified
Home Health Aides (CHHAs) and Certified Companion Aides (CCA). Once people have
learned the skills of caring for others, they gain self esteem and an
opportunity to earn a living in a field that’s blossoming. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the home-care field is
among the fastest growing in the nation, with a 46 percent expansion predicted
from 2008 to 2018. The expected growth is due mostly to the projected rise in
the number of elderly people, an age group that often has health problems and
needs assistance with daily activities.
Besides needing caregivers to help her clients, Batdorf has two other
motivations to train others. First, she wants to pass on her caring philosophy.
Second, she believes in giving others the opportunity afforded by education.
“The elderly should live fulfilling lives in their homes as long as they want
to,” she says. “They should have dignity, choice, and a feeling of self
reliance. Whether my trainees work for me or another in-home care company, I
feel better knowing that those in need are being cared for according to my
principals. Also, when I was young, I was always supported by my family and they
gave me the advantage of education. I want to give others the same opportunity
through teaching. Some Camden residents may not have good reading skills or
might be challenged by a second language, but that does not mean they are not
intelligent. They deserve a chance. My belief is: if you know it, you should
share it.”
Gloria Rodriquez, from Puerto Rico, studied under Batdorf and received her
license as a caregiver from the State of New Jersey. She is appreciative of how
Batdorf accommodated her limited English by talking slowly. “I am very happy and
grateful that Care Source gave me the opportunity to get my license so I can
have a good job,” she says. “I was able to grow and achieve something I never
dreamed of.” Rodriquez cares for David Diaz, a veteran who suffers from Lou
Gehrig’s disease (ALS). He is bed bound with a ventilator and appreciates the
benefits he receives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). “I’ve
been blessed to have Gloria help me because she goes the extra mile. She’s
understanding and I like her,” says Diaz. Sandra Batdorf and her son, Ron, also
visit Diaz periodically. Ron Batdorf Sr., who like Diaz is Veteran, enjoys weekly
phone conversations with him. Diaz explains that "it feels more like one family
helping another than a sterile professional arrangement.”
Care Source Adult Services offers home health and companion aide services in
Camden, Gloucester, Salem Counties and surrounding areas. Caregivers, CHHAs and
CNAs provide assistance with errands, transportation to doctors, medication
reminders, housekeeping, laundry, grooming, dressing, bathing and safety
monitoring and more. To learn more about their services or caregiver training
programs, call 1-888-239-3162 or visit
http://www.thecaresource.com/.
i U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics
_________________________________________________________________
2010 Women of Distinction
Nomination
Philadelphia Business Journal
Nomination
Sandra Batdorf has driven business
success in a non-traditional way: as a byproduct of her overriding desire to
give back to others. She gives back by caring for those with health needs and
educating people who seek opportunities to better themselves.
Batdorf thinks the
elderly should live fulfilling lives in their homes as long as they want to.
They should have dignity, choice, and a feeling of self reliance. She also
believes that because she was given the advantage of education, she should give
others the same opportunity by teaching them. Her philosophy is: “if you know
it, you should share it”.
In 2007 Batdorf
founded Care Source Adult Services, the perfect vehicle to combine caring and
educating. The company provides home health and companion aide services in
Camden, Gloucester, Salem Counties and surrounding areas. Caregivers and
Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) provide assistance with errands,
transportation to doctors, medication reminders, housekeeping, laundry,
grooming, dressing, bathing and safety monitoring and more.
Batdorf
provides training for caregivers and home health aides through Care Source Adult
Services and Camden County Technical Schools. In addition, she offers
the
Certified Companion Aide (CCA) Program to her caregivers which raises a
caregiver’s skills to professional status and sets them apart as members of a
select group of CCA’s in the nation.
Through her
training classes she is able to pass on her caring philosophy. She teaches her
students to show their clients that they are as important as they were when they
were younger and healthier. Many of Batdorf’s clients are veterans who have had
debilitating physical injuries and are mentally scarred. Batdorf imparts to her
students what these veterans have given to their country and how they deserve
caring attention. It is little to ask given what they have done for us.
Batdorf’s
training not only spreads her caring ideas, it provides an opportunity for
individuals who may lack a formal educational background to establish rewarding
careers. While some may not have good reading skills, Batdorf understands that
it does not mean they are not intelligent. They just have not had the
educational opportunities that many of us take for granted. Most importantly,
they do have the ability to care. So, she will take the extra steps to assure
that they understand the material. With Batdorf’s help they are able to attain
the skills and earn certifications required to work in the home caring for those
in need. They gain self esteem and an opportunity to earn a living in a growing
field.
While Care
Source Adult Services offers low-cost training, Batdorf does not require that
her graduates work for her. She is happy in the knowledge that she has passed
on her philosophy. Whoever they work for they will respect aging adults and
veterans. They will provide the support necessary for health-impaired
individuals to live a fruitful life in their homes surrounded by loved ones.
Professional
Accomplishments
Sandra Batdorf has been in nursing care for 36 years. She graduated from the
Cooper Hospital School of Nursing, Camden, NJ, in 1971. In 1981 she earned a
BA from Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, where she also obtained her Teaching
Certification and Allied Health training. In 1984 Sandra received her Master
of Science degree from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
From 1971 to 1983 she was on the
nursing staff at several area hospitals: Our Lady of Lourdes, John F. Kennedy
Hospital System, and Underwood Memorial. Her experiences included Surgical
Services, Emergency Room Nursing and In Home Care Nursing. In 1981 she became
Operating Room Continuing Education Instructor at Metropolitan Hospital Central
Division in Philadelphia. From 1983-84 she was Director of Surgical Services
at the Parkview Division of Metropolitan. From 1984 to 1985 she was Director of
Operating Room Services at Saint Agnes Hospital in Philadelphia and Humana
Hospital in Kissimmee, Florida. In 1987 Sandra became Assistant Director of
Nursing at Rolling Hill Hospital. Elkins Park, PA.
In 1989, as Director of Nursing at
the Jewish Geriatric Home (JGH) in Cherry Hill, Batdorf managed the residents’
care. While there she developed a revolutionary staffing program that
eliminated the need for temporary staffing, improved care, saved money and
provided opportunities for employment for teenagers seeking opportunities in
health care. This staffing model blazed a trail and became the standard for the
nursing-home industry because it provided better care and lower costs.
The program tapped an unusual
source for labor – teenagers. Her Teen Nurse Trainee program (TNT) enabled
young people, usually high school juniors and seniors, to train to become
certified nursing assistants (CNAs). TNT created a pool of part-time nursing
assistants, well-trained and eager to continue working with the elderly.
Prior to the program's inception,
JGH employed full-time nursing staff. Two days each week it was supplemented by
temporary-agency personnel. One year after the program’s creation, JGH was
fully staffed because of the part-time TNT complement. Due to decreased overtime
and no need for agency staffing, the home had realized a six-figure savings.
While the cost savings were
important, the motivator, as in all of Batdorf’s accomplishments, was her desire
to improve care and educate others. Because Batdorf trained the recruits, JGH
was assured that their staff functioned according to her philosophy of providing
comprehensive nursing care with a loving attitude. The youngsters built their
skills and self esteem.
Since 1992 Sandra has been on staff
at the Camden County Institute of Technology. She coordinates the Adult
Division Multi-Skilled Program as well teaching Allied Health Careers. Through
these programs she assists many young people attain their Homemaker Home Health
Aide and Nursing Assistant Certification.
She founded Care Source Adult
Services in 2007 and is now enabling many mentally and physically-impaired
individuals, including 59 veterans, to live independently in their homes. She
employs 49 caregivers, many of whom would not have had the opportunity without
the benefit of Batdorf’s low-cost training classes.
Community Involvement
Everything Batdorf does is based on her devotion to
the community. She helps the elderly and those with health challenges by
spreading her philosophy of care and respect to all those she trains. She
helps those of working age by training them for a career in healthcare, a field
where opportunities are opening up every day.
Besides the low-cost education she provides at Care
Source Adult Services and teaching at Camden County Institute of Technology,
Batdorf has conducted community educational seminars on “Fall Prevention” to
keep seniors safe, and “Managing Caregiver Stress”, an increasingly relevant
topic for the sandwich generation which is caught between the demands of their
children and aging parents.
Awards and Milestones
·
Batdorf has received the Director of Nursing of the Year
Award in Long Term Care,
·
She was named in the “Who’s Who of American Teachers”.
·
In 2007 she founded Care Source Adult Services which now
employs 49 people in the Philadelphia region.
