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What happens when you take two dynamos who want to change the system? They do it and they do it well! If you've had the chance to talk with Karen Paules you may have learned a bit about her fascinating story. At our last Rotary Club Meeting we had the opportunity get to know her better and to start our day feeling truly inspired. It all began with a drawing. But there is a bit before that! Karen wore a few other hats first. After graduating High School where Karen loved performing in the color guard and getting into lively discussions on the debate team; she studied Pre-Law at Penn State University. However, destiny and adventure beckoned her to Florida where he developed a love for marketing and found a position at an exercise physiologist office. Soon she became fascinated with physical therapy and decided returned to PA to pursue her education. After years of tenacious drive Karen is now a Doctor of Physical Therapy, has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is a Certified Dementia Practitioner. Oh, and by the way, she achieved all of this while raising a family, being a care giver to her father along side her mom, and working. So yeah...dynamo! Karen is an advocate for Senior Care. She sees the client as a person, not an appointment and understands the importance of building genuine relationships with the people she serves. Through her experiences she recognized the need to deliver quality home care at an attainable price as well as the need to bring compassion and real support to the table. So when asked in an evaluation by her employer "What her goals were?", she reflected and answered: "To change the world." This is where the story of Nest in Place takes off. Karen and her business partner Susan Schlener have developed a well rounded approach to home care based on an individual's true needs and what goals they and their family caregivers have. They are creating the next level of service that does exactly what they set out to do - Upend the status quo of healthcare. "Our Community Coordinators will sit and talk with you to find out what your specific needs are. This includes basic information like activities of daily living, home safety, transportation, medications, etc, but we also want to know about you. Do you miss growing your own tomatoes? Do you love pinochle but have no one to play with? We don’t just want to help you stay in your home: we want you to SOAR! Our Community Coordinators then develop a comprehensive evaluation and plan – our SOAR plan:" nestinplace.org
Rotary is the perfect place for person like Karen. She said it best during her talk. "If you want to change the world it's a good idea to be around the people who are doing it." With someone like Karen in our corner, there is no telling what exceptional service projects will be in our Club's future! Karen and Susan are changing the lives of many people in the Lehigh Valley. Hopefully one day the Nest in Place concept will change the lives of seniors all world wide...all because of the two little birds who just wanted people to SOAR. |
