Katie Eiseman – Care Consultant
As the oldest of five siblings in a close-knit, Italian-American family, warmth and responsibility have always been a part of Katie’s DNA. While a young teenager, following her parents’ example, Katie began helping seniors in her neighborhood who had become dependent on her mother for assistance. Katie, the high school student, probably would have been surprised—as she prepared meals, cleaned the homes and ran errands for her elderly friends and neighbors—if told that her avocation would later become her life’s work! And yet, when presented with the opportunity—while still a young mother of two preschoolers and substitute schoolteacher—to work full-time alongside her parents and siblings in her family’s budding residential care business, Katie enthusiastically dove in, accepting greater and greater responsibilities, and committing herself to a path of growth and development in her new career.
Today, after more than twenty years of giving care and expanding her education and expertise, Katie is well prepared to respond to the needs of those who either require care themselves, or are responsible for its delivery.
Katie’s Caregiving Experience
While caring for others comes naturally to Katie, she has endeavored to expand her knowledge and cultivate skills in the field of elder care, with the goal of delivering superior aid and assistance. In the family’s care homes, Katie worked in every position, from frontline caregiving, to housekeeping to food preparation, and has held a RCFE Administrator certificate for more than 20 years.
Beyond the practical experience from this important work, Katie sought depth and breadth in order to be a more effective caregiver. She studied to become a Stephen Minister lay counselor and joined the board of SpiritCare to help serve the emotional and spiritual needs of faith community members. Katie completed the Alzheimer’s Association Training for Dignity & Alzheimer’s Care Academy programs, and the requirements for a Master of Arts in Gerontology Administration from Notre Dame de Namur University, receiving her degree in 2007. Katie was later called by San Mateo County to serve as a Commissioner for the county’s Commission on Aging, and served on the Community Boards of the San Mateo Adult School and the San Mateo County HIV Program.
Care Consulting
In 2011, Katie began her work as a Geriatric Care Manager, accepting individual seniors and couples as clients, in order to facilitate their aging in place. Working closely with physicians, medical professionals and the senior’s families or responsible parties, Katie coordinates and manages her client’s care needs. One of her greatest rewards comes from knowing that she has helped ease the burdens of her clients and allowed them to maintain, if not improve, their quality of life.
Katie’s Regulatory Experience
In her capacity as owner, operator and director of multiple care homes in her family’s business, Katie has overseen and administered RCFEs ranging in size from six to 80 beds. Beyond serving in every capacity in a care facility, from caregiver to Administrator, Katie worked at the corporate level as Director for Quality Assurance and Director of Marketing & Community Relations.
As Quality Assurance Director, Katie oversaw administrators in seven locations, ensuring that the quality of care was of the highest caliber, and that the facility was fully compliant with State regulations, as enforced by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing division. Katie supported the revision of the company’s Policies and Procedures, and developed and implemented the corporate QA Program. In so doing, she provided in-service training and instituted quality improvement processes within the care communities, serving as mentor and guide to administrators and their staff.
While serving as regional Marketing & Community Relations Director for multiple facilities, Katie has worked with administrators to maintain the census at full capacity, while reaching out to the local community to increase awareness and assure that favorable perceptions of each facility were maintained.
Katie has worked closely with elected state and local officials and business leaders, as well as regulators and the Ombudsman, to extend, protect and improve, where needed, the reputation of care homes.
Katie teaches the Initial Certification, as well as the Recertification classes to aspiring or returning RCFE administrators. Her hands-on experience in the many roles of residential care was called upon during a revamping of the curriculum for the Initial Certification course.
Facility Consulting
As a result of her depth of knowledge in state and local regulations, as well as her decades of experience in the many facets of residential care, in 2012, Katie entered the field of RCFE Consulting. In this capacity, Katie consults with operators and / or administrators of residential care homes, providing recommendations concerning all areas of facility operations, such as staff training, the handling of medications, caregiver ratios, food preparation, resident health and safety, physical plant appearance and compliance with California Title 22.
Collaborative, cooperative and collegial by nature, Katie is always happy to provide assistance to facility operators and to advise them on best practices, thus doing her modest part to help elevate the performance and reputation of the residential care industry as a whole.