When you live far from an aging parent, someone needs to keep track. I'm a nurse who does that.
I'm Whitney Treloar, MSN, RN, CCM. I coordinate your parent's doctors, medications and appointments by phone and video, and I tell you what's going on in plain English.
How I work
Relationship first
Before I ask about blood pressure, I ask about the grandkids, the trip, the golf game. I find out how your parent has been personally, not just clinically. That's usually where the important things come up.
Nurse to nurse
When I call a doctor's office, I ask for the nurse line. Talking to another nurse is like a handoff. We take each other seriously. They learn I'm not calling to chit-chat, so when I call, they listen.
Calm, then clear
When something you hear scares you, the first thing I'll say is, "Okay, let's think about this and react appropriately." Then I'll explain what's actually expected with your parent's condition.
Say your mom flies out to see the grandkids, and mentions on our next call that her ankles swelled on the plane. I'll say, "Tell me more about that." I'll go over how she took her medications around the trip, then call her doctor's nurse line with what I found. Her doctor decides what to change. I make sure the change is understood and followed, and you hear about it in plain English.
What a month looks like
- The first weekA video visit with your parent, and with you if you'd like to join. We go through medications, doctors, and what's worrying everyone.
- As things come upI call the doctors' offices, the pharmacy and the home-health agency so they're all working from the same plan.
- Around appointmentsI help your parent get ready with the right questions. Afterwards I go over what was decided until your parent can explain it back to me in their own words.
- If there's a hospital stayI talk with the discharge planner by phone so the plan for going home makes sense before your parent leaves.
- On the first of the monthYou get a written update: what changed, what's coming up, and anything I'm keeping an eye on.
Who this is for
Parents who live fairly independently and have health conditions that are being managed, such as heart disease, diabetes or COPD, but whose care is spread across several doctors, pharmacies and patient portals.
It isn't the right fit for someone on hospice, someone who's been in the hospital several times recently, or someone who needs skilled nursing every day. If your parent's needs change, I'll help you find good in-person care where they live.
What I don't do
- I'm not an emergency service. I work business days. In an emergency, call 911.
- I don't visit in person. Everything happens by phone, video and email.
- I don't diagnose, prescribe or treat. That stays with your parent's doctors. My job is making sure the plan is understood and followed.
- I don't bill insurance or Medicare. Too much care gets decided by people in suits who count money, not people in white coats who deal with patients. You pay me directly, and I work for your family.
Plans and cost
The real difference between plans is how quickly I get back to you, and how often I'm in touch. All plans are billed monthly. I work business days, Monday to Friday.
Biweekly
Every other week
I reply by the next business day.
- A check-in with your parent every other week
- A monthly call with you
- A written update each month
- Calls to doctors and pharmacies as needed
$1,250 a month
Up to 5 hours
Both parents: $2,000, up to 8 hours
Weekly
Every week
I reply the same business day.
- A weekly check-in with your parent
- A call with you every other week
- A written update each month
- Help before and after most appointments
$3,000 a month
Up to 12 hours
Both parents: $4,500, up to 18 hours
Limited availability
Concierge
As often as it takes
I reply within two business hours.
- Check-ins with your parent as often as needed
- A weekly call with you
- A written update every week
- Help with every appointment, and I join by phone where the office allows
$7,500 a month
Up to 30 hours
Both parents: priced individually
By arrangement
Each plan covers one household. If both parents need help, the hours are shared between them, and I spend them wherever they're needed that month.
Getting started takes real work: setting up records and portal access, and going through every medication your parent takes, one by one. There's a one-time start-up fee of $500 for each parent.
Some months need more, like a hospital stay. Extra time is $250 an hour, and I'll always ask you before going over your plan's hours. You can change plans from one month to the next.
I keep a small number of families so I can keep these response times. Concierge is for complicated stretches, not round-the-clock care. I'm not an emergency service.
About Whitney
I've been a nurse in hospitals, in patients' homes and on the phone: ICU and cardiac floors, home health, psychiatric case management, and remote case management. Most recently I've managed teams of nurses, therapists and social workers caring for older adults at home.
Honestly, I need things broken down into their simplest form before I really understand them myself. That turns out to be one of my strengths: it's how I explain things to patients and families. I also taught nursing at the college level, and I have a master's in nursing education.
- Credentials
- MSN, RN, CCM; certified life coach (Dr. Sears)
- Licensed in
- Florida (multistate compact), New York, California, Illinois, Nevada
- Based in
- Jacksonville, Florida. Originally from Presque Isle, Maine.
- Works
- By phone and video, on business days
Start with a 20-minute call
It's free. We'll talk about your parent's situation and whether I'm the right fit. If I'm not, I'll say so.
Book a call