Pleasure Doing Business: Senior Solutions of Pinellas County

Jane Ogilvie founded Senior Solutions of Pinellas County, based in Gulfport, 13 years ago to answer the demand for a much-needed service.

The business assists individuals and families in need of geriatric care by arranging for assisted living, medical care and being there to assure the well-being of loved ones. With the number of elderly residents in Florida and the fact that many of their family members are out of state, it is a service much needed and appreciated.

She describes her position as care coordinator and consultant and will speak with anyone regarding issues pertaining to the elderly before, during and after a crisis. It is an individualized service not to be confused with what some would refer to as case management.

Originally from Maryland, she did her schooling and nursing in South Dakota in the 1980s. She founded her business to address a gap (that still exists) in what she felt were necessary services for the elderly, particularly after a stay in the hospital.

“The social workers would get their discharge paperwork together and call in oxygen or medical companies for followup visits but those people only come in and they leave,” she explains. “Who takes care of the person the other 22 hours a day? Will they eat right, drink enough fluids, be able to take care of routine household chores, get to the pharmacy, remember their doctor appointments or be able to get there? These are the kinds of things that Jane takes care of.”

She recites a common dilemma from the out-of-state children of elderly parents:

“They get a call saying mom’s going to be discharged tomorrow and they are frantic. They’re confused, and scared. They’re given a list of service providers to call and don’t know a thing about them. Sometimes they leave messages with service providers but don’t get called back. When they call for help, they need it today, not tomorrow.”

Some families are caught not knowing what choice to make whether it be assisted living, home care or a nursing home, but she will help them through.

“I just go wherever I'm needed when people are most confused and really need help setting things up. Once we do I oversee the care that's being provided.”

If a care giver is supposed to be there three days a week she will see that they keep with the schedule and do what they're supposed to be doing and what the family is paying for. She reports all of the information back to the family, typically that same day.

She limits her case load to be able to provide the necessary care, well aware that health issues can change from hour to hour. She's had several clients in the emergency room at the same time throughout county and that experience taught her that she can only care for a certain number of people at the same time.

She is a one-woman operation and does not farm any work out.

“I'm it. That way I can control the quality of care I provide for my clients,” she assures. “It was my bottom line when I started and my bottom line today. I want to be able to do for my families what I would be doing for my own parents.”

She charges an hourly fee for the service and there are a lot of variables in the amount of service required. She works out of her home and face-to-face with her clients in consulting with them and their families, often giving rides and attending medical appointments. She has been licensed in nursing for nearly 30 years, allowing her to anticipate needs that others can’t and seeing problems arising that others miss.

“Some I take to all of their appointments,” she said. “Their families don't ever go with them. That's part of my job. I sit in the room with them when the doctor is seeing them. That way I know exactly what he's talking about. I call it speaking medicalese and I know how to cut to the chase if we need some answers.”

Ogilvie is one of the original founders of the Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center Foundation, president for six years and still on the board of directors. She has also done work for the state-sponsored Department of Elder Affairs Coming Home Program’s working group, making policy recommendations to improve the availability and affordability of assisted living in Florida.

She also has a great interest in research and technology as it relates to the elderly and keeps a sharp eye on upcoming changes in the health care industry as it relates to seniors.

In her spare time she participates in the Audubon's Great Back Yard Bird Count program and sees it as an excellent activity for seniors.

“I started to promote it as a really good activity for the elderly and I've been doing it every year,” she said of her part-time passion. “Little by little we've been getting people here in Gulfport to participate in the bird count and that's been fun.”

Has she accomplished what she set out to do?

“Oh yeah. The families don't hesitate to tell me and it means a lot.”

Her parents are out of state and in their 80s so she knows what it's like to walk in the shoes of her clients. She will make recommendations for attorneys dealing with elderly law but maintains her own quality control in recommending help for others.

“I don't refer anybody to anyone for anything that I have not worked with and found them worthy of taking care of my own parents for whatever problem that might be. That eliminates a lot of people and things.”