Kristal Parris knew she’d found what she was looking for after her first meeting at TheKey Toronto.
A registered nurse with years of experience in management roles, Kristal was keen to move into a hands-on position — one that aligned with her own values around caregiving and homecare for seniors.
“This team really had that connection with clients that I wanted to see,” Parris recalls. “Caregivers here are really involved with clients. Tailored and individualized care plans set our team apart.”
Fast forward four months, and Parris is flourishing in her role as a client success manager. She bridges her background as a registered nurse with management and leadership skills to help families across the Greater Toronto Area determine the kind of care their loved needs. Then, she serves as a vital connection point within TheKey Toronto, shaping customized care plans for seniors who want to live well and age in place, at home.
“Families reach out to us for supplemental care. They tend to call once they’re burned out — but they don’t even realize the strain they’re under,” says Parris. “I look at our services as a way of supporting the senior and their entire family.”
Parris says that means working with everyone involved to understand the client as a person. TheKey Toronto draws on initial assessments and family conversations to dig into the many different factors that contribute to a senior’s wellbeing. That could include anything from medical and nursing needs to personality traits, likes and dislikes. This insight allows Parris and the team to create an individualized caregiving plan and match the right caregiver with the right senior.
“Caregiving matching really looks at the senior’s social needs overall,” she says. “What is their primary language? What do they like to do? What are their health concerns? All of this helps us match the individual with the caregiver. Then we work as a team to support one another.”
Core to that process? Thinking beyond transactional care to truly engage with clients at every age and stage. “What we do isn’t about checking off tasks in 10 or 20 minutes,” Parris emphasizes. “We have a set caregiver shift. We are involved with the clients and engaging with them around the areas that matter most to that individual. I think this tailored, individualized approach really differentiates our team.”
True, too, for TheKey Toronto’s holistic approach to caregiving. Parris also focused on helping families learn more about aging and the conditions that can accompany this phase of life. For example, dementia. “There needs to be so much more education and learning around areas like the early signs of dementia,” says Parris. “Families often give us examples and we realize they probably should’ve sought care for their loved one six months earlier. If we can be part of awareness building on these topics, we’re really happy to play a part in that.”
