Jocelyn Mayo RN, BSN, MBA, has spent her adult life caring for others. She has used her passion and talents to build a flourishing enterprise that has been providing essential services to seniors and individuals with developmental disabilities for 20 years and counting.
“I am a nurse by background and have been since 1995,” shares Mayo, who holds a Diploma in Nursing from Frankford Hospital School of Nursing as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Allegheny University, now part of Drexel University. “I just have a passion for caring for individuals in need.”
Mayo, who also has a Master of Business Administration in Health Care, noticed early in her career how health care was evolving, with patients looking to spend more time recovering at home and less at hospitals and facilities. This same desire to remain at home included the senior population, many of whom wished to age in place.
“I started off my career at Abington Memorial Hospital [now Jefferson Abington Hospital],” she says. “I knew that health care was changing drastically. Individuals were being discharged sooner, and statistics showed that people recovered better at home. Even new mothers were being discharged more quickly after giving birth.”
After earning her stripes in various hospitals and continuing care settings for nearly 10 years, Mayo decided to take the bold step of venturing into business for herself. The growing needs of the Baby Boomer generation, or those born between 1946 and 1964, informed her decision.
“I saw that these individuals were going to be one of the largest populations in our immediate area,” Mayo says. “They were living longer, and I knew these individuals were going to need a service to help them at home; most individuals, if given the choice, would rather age at home versus a long-term care facility.”
In 2002, Mayo began laying the groundwork for her venture, which would be devoted to caring for older adults and individuals with disabilities. She officially launched her enterprise, Pampering Plus Inc., in 2004. Now, celebrating 20 years of caring for others, Mayo reflects on her accomplishments with pride and humility.
Pampering Plus provides an array of nonmedical services, from meal preparation, bathing, and dressing, to companionship, errands, laundry, and more. In addition, Pampering Plus is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide additional support services if needed such as in home nursing and therapy. Mayo says her company’s services not only enhance the lives of clients, but also bring peace of mind to clients’ loved ones.
“Children with aging parents who need help are in a tough spot, and they are looking for some support,” Mayo says. “This ‘sandwich generation,’ many of them have children themselves and aging parents. They may work full-time or have commitments as a parent or spouse. In addition to supporting our clients we really enjoy providing additional support their children and make their loads lighter as well.”
Mayo believes it’s important that Pampering Plus is owned and operated by a nurse. Not only does she have the business acumen to lead the organization, but she also possesses the knowledge, skill, and compassion of a care professional who has worked in the field. She also takes pride in the tenure of her staff.
“This business has become very competitive,” Mayo adds. “You can turn on the TV on any given day and see three, four, five commercials for a homecare service. To be in business for 20 years and have employees who have been with the company for 10, 15, 20 years, is priceless.”
The process of joining the Pampering Plus team as an aide is rigorous. All potential employees go through extensive background checks, including two reference checks, a criminal history check, exclusive Medicare/Medicaid check, and a physical health check. Those applicants who have lived outside of Pennsylvania for the last two years undergo an FBI check as well. As Mayo says, “The key point is, this has to be something that the individual wants to do and has a passion to do. This can’t be ‘just a job.’”
For each new client, a supervisor joins the assigned aide on the initial visit to the client’s home. During this time, the Pampering Plus professional’s work with the individual to assess a person’s needs and develop a personalized plan of care. While sessions vary from person to person as needs dictate, Pampering Plus has a four-hour minimum commitment per client session.
To ensure apex efficiency and transparency, Pampering Plus staff use a specially developed phone application to organize plans of care. This same app allows aides to document extensive notes on each visit, including tasks completed or why a task wasn’t completed (a client’s wishes that day, for example). It also employs a GPS tracker that documents when an aide arrives and leaves the client’s home.
Mayo understands the complexities that each new case brings, and how vulnerable people feel. This is just one of the reasons Pampering Plus has supervisors available when its office is closed to provide added support to staff and clients, in addition to regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours.
In addition to adding value to the lives of people with specialized needs, Pampering Plus provides vital employment opportunities for caregivers throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.
“We work with the various organizations including local colleges and universities, nursing programs, Department of Public Welfare, and PA CareerLink to name a few in order to connect individuals who are a good fit with employment,” Mayo says. “You might be a single mom in school trying to further your education or someone needing to make income to take care of their family. Being a working mother, I know how much there is to juggle in a day, and having a work-life balance is something very dear to me.
“We provide care anywhere from four to 24 hours, and we work with all our staff to make sure their schedules work for them,” she continues. “Whether they need to work overnight, during the day, or just on weekends, we try to match them. Our flexibility with scheduling is very attractive to employees and clientele alike.”
The happiness in her clients’ hearts keeps Mayo enthusiastic to continue building her team to serve more and more individuals every day.
“At the end of the day, it is the fact of knowing with the assistance of our staff, thousands of individuals have been afforded the opportunity to remain safe at home as they age,” Mayo says. “We know that the service we provide is a much-needed service in our community and we know home care has been proven to not only add to years to life but add life to years.
“There is nothing more satisfying than when a client tells you, ‘I’m able to stay at home because of you and your staff,’” she continues. “When you know you’re making a positive difference in a client’s life, that’s priceless.”
Pampering Plus at a Glance
Pampering Plus’s nonmedical home care services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They include:
• Companion Services
• Assistance with bathing and dressing
• Meal Preparation
• Medication Reminders
• Toileting and Incontinence Care
• Laundry and Light Housekeeping
• Errands (doctors’ appointments, food shopping, etc.)
• Community Participation Support
• In Home Community Services
Pampering Plus currently accepts forms of payment, including:
• Private Pay
• Medicaid Waivers including Consolidated Waiver, PFDS Waiver,
Community Living Waiver
• Keystone First Community Health Choices, UPMC, Pennsylvania Health & Wellness
• Long Term Care Insurance
Pampering Plus Inc.
1522 Old York Road
Abington, Pa 19001
(215) 881-8931 office
(215) 881-8912 fax
pamperingplus.com
Facebook: @pamperingplusinc
Photo by Jody Robinson
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, September 2024.
