Looking Forward Our Way

The home health care industry's workforce shrank by about 3.1% from February 2020 to February 2021, according to the nonprofit research and consulting firm Altarum. In terms of raw employment figures, that translates to an overall loss of about 47,000 home health professionals.

At first glance, a loss of 47,000 home health workers may not seem too steep, especially considering the extraordinarily difficult circumstances of a global pandemic.

But home health operators had already been feeling labor-supply pressures long before the public health emergency, with recruitment and retention being top priorities for practically all agencies.

Our guest is Kathleen Carmody, Owner of Senior Matters Home Health Care and Consulting. Kathleen comes to us with years of experience in the home healthcare field. She began Senior Matters in 2013.

Many employers are having difficulty finding workers for their organizations in today’s economy. For example, restaurants, factories, delivery drivers, office support. However, this is not a new problem for caregiving companies.

Just getting applications from candidates is a huge step. But there are so many other considerations. Particularly in salary and benefits and in retaining good workers. Kathleen provides us with information and unravels the myths many have over the wages of these workers.

In many fields, there is a disconnect between applicants and the skills needed for jobs in today’s economy. We talk about the type of training that she views as most helpful in the caregiving industry. As well as how and where workers get that training.

She is finding her employees using the STNA training as a stepping stone to other positions in health fields. Those could include LPN’s, RN’s, or even Pharmacy Techs. Also, those trained in other health fields are going into caregiving roles.

Families need to also do “their homework” when hiring an agency and/or individual caregiver. They need to ask all the appropriate questions and receive solid answers. The consequences of not making the right decisions could put their loved ones in danger. And the crucial question – how does a family afford such care? Kathleen offers her suggestions.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

The home health care industry's workforce shrank by about 3.1% from February 2020 to February 2021, according to the nonprofit research and consulting firm Altarum. In terms of raw employment figures, that translates to an overall loss of about 47,000 home health professionals.

At first glance, a loss of 47,000 home health workers may not seem too steep, especially considering the extraordinarily difficult circumstances of a global pandemic.

But home health operators had already been feeling labor-supply pressures long before the public health emergency, with recruitment and retention being top priorities for practically all agencies.

In our next episode, we speak with Kathleen Carmody. She is the owner of Senior Matters Home Health Care And Consulting. We get more insight into the home healthcare workforce issues. It affects not only home healthcare business owners, but families who are using them to care for their loved ones.

Coming to your podcast player Monday, January 31, 2022.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

The future of transportation involves moving into new, smarter sources of energy, modes of transport, and physical and technological infrastructure to support these transportation innovations.

We have a special guest returning to the podcast to give us even more information on transportation issues in Central Ohio. Thea Ewing is the Director of Transportation & Infrastructure Development, for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC).

We covered the role of MORPC in our community during our first podcast with Thea, which you can listen to as well.

The success of Columbus, and other major markets around the country, is dependent on transportation gateways. If we can't get to work, to entertainment, to necessities, our economy will not grow. We’ve seen how easy it is for us to stay home and order groceries online, however, that doesn't lessen the critical need for a safe, smooth transportation system. Thea covers the Master Plan for the region and its highlights.

With the transportation bill approved, many projects will move forward. Thea covers what funding we will start to see, and what projects will finish, continue, and be started.

Our communities need equity in their access to good transportation. Every method won't be the same in every community, but those in need should have affordable access. MORPC is doing its part to move our systems toward a fair and affordable transportation program in Central Ohio.

There are urban and rural differences in our transportation system. It's difficult to cover vast space when the ridership is limited. So, we often have inadequate services in our rural communities. How do we balance the two?

A new program “LinkUS” connects the outer edges of the community, was launched last year. This program is a collaborative effort – bringing private sector and neighborhood partners together to better serve communities, and concentrates the efforts under a common umbrella. One really important aspect of this program is the development of transportation corridors that run across Columbus.

We talk about trains and the expansion of the Amtrak passenger rail service. Is this really going to happen?

Many wonder about the future of electric vehicles. It seems that much is happening, but many are concerned – they fear not finding power to recharge their cars. Central Ohio is working to make electric transportation more user-friendly.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

We have a special guest returning to the podcast to give us even more information on transportation issues, and the future of transportation, in Central Ohio.

Thea Ewing, Director of Transportation & Infrastructure Development, for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), joins us again to talk about the future of transportation.

From buses, bicycles, electric cars, to Amtrak, we cover a number of transportation modes that are on the planning table in and around Central Ohio.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

Women-owned firms made up only 19.9% of all firms that employed people in the United States in 2018 but their numbers are growing. There were 6,861 more women-owned firms in 2018 than in 2017, up 0.6% to 1.1 million, according to the Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey (ABS).

Our guest is Darlene Ziebell. As her LinkedIn profile states,

Women and men can successfully own businesses. Darlene covers the top elements needed for successful business ownership.

Often individuals are encouraged to create a business as a spinoff of a hobby or specialized skill. First, they need to understand how/if that hobby can actually become a saleable item. But at what point does an entrepreneur need to shift their focus from a fun hobby and create a “real” business plan, with financing, structure, and possibly even leading to the hiring of employees?

There are so many challenges working against women to be business owners. Darlene discusses what led her to business ownership and how did she beat those challenges. How can women be successful as business owners?

Darlene has a very unique story about networking, and how she considers it to be most important to grow a business. And we get more information about the “Center for Women Business Owners” and other organizations that support female entrepreneurs.

85% of all startups fail before year five – a statistic that hasn’t changed in over two decades. Business owners need to stay on top of information that will support their organization.

In her book, “A Dozen Avalanches”, Darlene discusses “building a foundation” for a company – a team of experienced individuals to support your company. For example, experts in strategic planning, an executive coach, HR consultants, marketing experts, accounting, banking, legal, even a private investigator.

That is a huge number of consultants, equaling a lot of money!

Darlene answers the question of why a small business needs all of this support, how do they finance it, and most importantly what could happen if they don’t build this team.

Money is the top issue for every business. When Darlene built her companies over the years, she talks about the need for evening the playing field for access to funds, and who was willing to finance a small start-up.

“A current employee today can become tomorrow’s competitor.” Employers need skilled employees – even more so in today’s workplace. An employer can't do every task, or the company will never grow. But bringing on other individuals into a business can be messy. What's the solution?

There are pros and cons in utilizing social media and online communications in a business. Darlene talks about what she has found to work well. And what she sees for the future for businesses’ online presence like online workshops, Zoom Meetings, YouTube videos, even podcasts.

Be sure to make it through to the end to hear some final “words of wisdom."

Learn more about Darlene here.

Why would you want Darlene working with you? The answer is here!

We mentioned numerous resources to help your business grow.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

Women business owners experience more struggles than their male counterparts. Facts are facts.

We welcome Darlene Ziebell to the podcast.

“Darlene is a veteran entrepreneur, Board Director, CEO, and Management Consultant. Her unique methodology brings the entrepreneurs fire and passion and successfully proven business techniques that give business owners a greater chance of success. She uses her enterprise-wide level of experience as a Fortune 100 management consultant and her entrepreneurship to provide a unique blend of business talent.”

It's never too late to start a business - but you need to know what you don't know. Find out more in our next episode, coming to your podcast player Monday, January 3, 2022.

Here's a preview of what you are going to hear.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

As we end 2021, we take a look at what we did this past year. Get some insights on why and how we do this podcast. And what to expect in 2022.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

For the past few years, we have all heard about scams, spam, and hacks. We constantly hear about identity theft. Here in Central Ohio, another type of scam has reached critical levels – the financial exploitation of older adults.

In this episode, we're going to hear more about this issue and how we can protect our vulnerable seniors. We welcome from the Franklin Office on Aging, Orvell Johns, Director of the Agency, and Caroline Rankin, Assistant Director of Support Services.

Our primary message in this episode is defining, pinpointing, and reporting presumed cases of financial exploitation. Director Johns defines financial exploitation for us and describes the extent of this crime in Central Ohio.

FCOA has a campaign through adult protective services to fight the financial exploitation of seniors. Caroline goes over more details on this campaign

What are the signs which may be evident? How do we report such cases? What is the process of reporting?

And then to close out the episode, Director Johns talks about 2022 projects underway at Franklin County Office on Aging.

• National Center on Elder Abuse www.ncea.acl.gov State Resources: Helplines, Hotlines, and Information.
• FBI www.fbi.gov Provides information on fraud schemes and how to avoid them.
• National Center for Victims of Crime– www.victimsofcrime.org Financial Crime Resource Center Helps victims of financial crime recover their assets and recover control of their lives.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau www.consumerfinance.gov Ensures that consumers get the information they need to make sound financial decisions. 
• Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov Protects consumers from unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices.
• Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force www.stopfraud.gov Investigates suspected financial fraud.
• Postal Inspection Service www.postalinspectors.uspis.gov Investigates domestic and international fraud which uses the U.S. Mail.
• The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) www.investor.gov Investigates securities and investment fraud. 1-800-732-0330
• U.S. Administration on Aging www.eldercare.gov In partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

In our next episode, we're going to hear more about this issue and how we can protect our vulnerable seniors. We welcome from the Franklin Office on Aging, Orvell Johns, Director of the Agency, and Caroline Rankin, Assistant Director of Support Services.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.

We have all had a couple of crazy, frustrating years. Now, we are drawing in a deep breath, ready to take on the new one.

But wouldn’t it be better to begin this new year with a new attitude?

How does a person know if they have emotional intelligence? And why is it important for an individual?

With us today are Eric Pennington and Jeff East, both partners with an organization called the Spirit of EQ in Central Ohio.

What is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. It is important for an individual to reach this goal, but why is it important for an organization?

Spirit of EQ provides EQ assessments of an organization. Jeff and Eric explain more about that assessment and what steps are produced as related to the evaluation.

Eric provides some great examples of the types of organizations that have utilized their company. Eric talks about the journey of where they were when they started working with them and how this moves toward a high EQ level and success.

Spirit of EQ finds the employees at various levels of EQ. Some are more advanced while others may be a bit behind. Jeff and Eric talk about if it's possible to get everyone on the “same page” at the same time.

How can you build EQ into your organization? Contact Spirit of EQ for more information.

We would love to hear from you.

Email us at [email protected].

Find us on Facebook.

Please review our podcast on Google!

And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way.

Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios. A production of Circle270Media Podcast Consultants.