03 Feb When Care Comes Full Circle
Emily Schultze found herself at a crossroads when her father, Gary, needed round-the-clock care at his Brooklyn home and did not know where to start. It was during the height of the pandemic where she was introduced to Marc Frederic, VP of Social Work and Community Health Services at RiverSpring Health Plans in May 2020 to begin figuring out the best course of action.
“I had no clue what to do. He was such a resource for me in terms of getting set up with everything I needed to do,” said Schultze.
As the primary caregiver organizing the care week to week, she was thankful for building relationships and trust with each of her father’s aides. The genuine, heartfelt care was impactful not only for her father but also for Schultze.
“Seeing how they would get to know what he liked, what he didn’t like. We became attached to one of the aides, and she became a big part of the family.”
The exposure that she had to so many different types of people in the social work world while her father was part of RiverSpring Health Plans made her realize that each person made a huge difference when it came to getting her father the best care, especially toward the end of his life.
“Marc is somebody that deeply cares about older adults and making sure they have comprehensive resources. He went above and beyond to make sure not only was everything clear to me during the process, but my dad was getting what he needed.”
The power of caring for others comes full circle. She plans on applying to schools and start this fall to earn her Master’s in Social Work to help people in the same way Marc helped her and her father.