Caregiving can be an intense, all-encompassing role to take on – and people who need some help to be able to remain living independently in their homes don’t always have family members who are able to take on the responsibilities. At Home Care in Peru can help in situations like that, assisting its clients so they can remain in the home they love, where they’ve made a lifetime of memories.

For owner Angela Dahl, taking good care of those who need it is a passion.

“My grandma is my inspiration,” Dahl said.

At Home Care caregivers can’t provide medical care, but they can assist with all the other tasks needed for independent living, such as grocery shopping, bathing, cooking meals, and light housework. They can take their clients to doctors’ appointments, run errands, remind them when it’s time to take medication, and more. In addition, they offer companionship.

“Companionship is a huge part of it,” Dahl said.

Caregivers frequently bring their clients to At Home Care’s office in Peru, where they can play games, do puzzles, or participate in group projects, such as a recent activity in which they made fairy gardens. Being able to bring their clients to the At Home Care office offers an important socialization opportunity that can help combat the loneliness and isolation people living on their own sometimes struggle to overcome.

Seeing clients stop by is one of the highlights of Dahl’s days at work.

“We just love our clients,” she said. “We encourage independence.”

Currently, At Home Care, which is licensed in Illinois, bonded, and insured, serves LaSalle, Bureau, Putnam, and Grundy counties. They offer free consultations with prospective clients, so both parties can see whether At Home Care would be a good fit for the client’s particular circumstances and whether the work they need is within the company’s scope.

Dahl said the selective hiring process for caregivers is one of the things that makes At Home Care different than other businesses like it. The caregivers who work for At Home Care are handpicked, interviewed, and tested for drugs. Dahl said they are very selective when hiring caregivers, perhaps hiring one out of every 30 or so applicants.

“We know our caregivers,” she said. “We are very picky about our caregivers. We can teach how to clean and do CPR, but you can’t teach empathy.”

At Home Care has multiple caregivers who have been with them for more than a decade, which is a long time in a field with notoriously high turnover rates.

“We do have a lot of CNAs who work for us,” Dahl said. “We have nursing students.”