Conlin Health Care – Heart and Compassion Make a Difference

By Tom Leyden

In an industry where personal touch and a caring nature sets you apart, both Mary Carlin and Betty Connors-Gay earn straight A’s in that category. From their office overlooking High Street, Mary, Betty and their colleague, Catherine Dunne, are consistently focused on the health and well-being of their clients, most of whom are senior citizens in need of regular home health care.

“We mostly take care of the elderly people, but it can be anybody that needs help or needs an aide,” said Betty as we sat around a table discussing the industry and how Conlin Health Care has grown in 22 years since opening in 2001. “We provide Companions, Home Health Aides (HHA’s), Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA’s), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s) and Registered Nurses (RN’s), whatever might be needed. Anything from a six-hour minimum to around the clock care if that’s necessary.”

To be successful in the home health care field, it takes great organization, care and responsiveness. Both Mary and Betty were nurses and spent time working, hands-on, in home health care. The knowledge they gained through that experience gives them an edge when pairing a professional aide with a client.

“We often say we could write a book,” said Betty, who is married to Mike and has two sons, Brian and Matthew. “We’ve experienced different personalities, different family dynamics. It’s been great. What do I take away from it? You have to be flexible and go with whoever you’re working with and do your best.”

Mary moved to Boston from Donegal, Ireland in 1987, almost a year after Betty made a similar move from Galway. The two Irish immigrants originally met in Brighton, shared common backgrounds, interests and skills and decided to start their own company in 2001.

“We both got married, both moved to Westwood and we decided we didn’t want to work for a boss anymore,” said Mary. “We got our heads together, started Conlin Health Care and it took off a lot faster than we anticipated.”

Conlin, a name born from the perfect combination of “Connors” and “Carlin” started humbly, with Betty and Mary working out of the Carlin basement.

“My husband, Mike, did over the basement,” said Mary. “We worked there for a bit, then found an office in West Roxbury on the VFW Parkway. We were there for about five years, then we found this office on High Street and this was so convenient because we both lived in Westwood. My daughter, Michelle, went to school across the road at Deerfield. She used to walk over here after school.”

“We got busy quickly, but I think things have slowed down a bit over the last five years,” said Betty. “Since 2008, when things kind of went bottoms-up, it’s been steady and there’s still a big demand, but there’s more agencies now to cater to families.”

That’s where experience, compassion and the flexibility referenced above become difference-makers. The Conlin team knows who to call, what to look for when pairing an aide with a client and how to walk families through what might be a difficult decision-making process.

“I recommend families work with a geriatric care manager when they start thinking about home health care for a loved one,” said Betty. “They can help organize everything – taking notes at hospital visits, connecting with an agency like Conlin. Every case is different. Sometimes we meet the family and we talk about what’s the biggest need of their parent or whoever it might be. We’ll address that. Sometimes, we get a call and the family needs somebody as soon as tomorrow.”

Another issue we discussed while learning more about each other was the benefit of long-term health care insurance. Families who plan ahead and invest early in this type of insurance benefit greatly when home health care is ultimately needed.

“It can make a big difference financially, depending on the plan,” said Mary. “We have a family right now with a plan paying out $600 a day. That’s a really good plan and they are benefitting from excellent care.”

Many of us in Westwood have parents entering the golden years, and taking some time to learn more about home health care is a smart idea. Mary, Betty and Catherine are available to help if you have questions and need guidance. You can reach them at 781-329-3400 or by emailing info@conlinhealthcare.com

For more, listen to my full conversation with Mary and Betty on the Westwood Living Podcast Network, available on SoundCloud, Spotify, Buzzsprout, Amazon and YouTube.