Georgian College

17 GEORGIANVIEW 2021 SPRING #GCHeroes #GCHeroes Trying to see or care for elderly loved ones who live in their own homes has been almost impossible during the pandemic. While they may get weekly care from paid support workers who come in to assist with bathing and minor medical concerns, the visits are shorter, and some are canceled. This has put undue stress on seniors who are lonely, depressed, and need socialization. It's been a year of stress and fear, but a bit less so for the families who have hired Happy at Home to care for their aging family members in the Orillia area. Georgian College Alumna Sheona Kloostra started Happy at Home in July 2007, running the business independently, with an average of 30 health-care workers (many of them Georgian grads) and four full- time administrative staff. During COVID-19, visits have been adjusted to serve the highest priority for care. Unfortunately, foot care and some transportation visits have been scaled back and have left seniors with fewer options as lockdowns have been imposed. To combat isolation, Sheona and her staff often treat them to a hot meal and baked treats delivered to their door. The clients love it, and it shows Sheona's commitment to their mental health. Sheona began her nursing career as a Registered Practical Nurse in 1992. Since graduating with honours in Nursing from Georgian in 2000, and working at Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, seniors have been Sheona's interest. She soon developed an entrepreneurial interest in senior care. While still at the hospital, she opened a four-bed palliative/respite care home called Cameron House in 2003. In 2007, she sold Cameron House and opened Happy at Home Support Services Inc. to serve more people in the community where she was born and raised. Now, almost 14 years later, Happy at Home has signed a contract with the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) to provide publicly funded health-care services to those who can't afford to hire a private company. The contract marks the final professional goal that Sheona set for herself and her company. From the start, her mission was to meet or exceed $100,000 in business the first year, ultimately reach $1 million in revenue, and finally, join the Local Health Integration Network to provide publicly funded care for those who could not afford private services. Today, all goals have been met on or before the timelines she set. In the beginning, colleagues and friends didn't understand how a nurse could be an entrepreneur. "People think when you're a nurse, you have to just work in a hospital or community setting," she says. "Not true; follow your dreams and do a business. You can be an entrepreneur when you're a nurse." PANDEMIC CREATES NEW OPPORTUNITIES Sheona Kloostra, class of 2000

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