SUELLEN DOUGLAS

OWNER, CNA

OWNER, CNA

After graduating from high school in Northwest Minnesota and leaving the family farm, I married and raised four children. I was attracted to serving people in medical settings and worked as the Administrative Assistant in the Hospital, Nursing Home and Clinic. In that capacity, I helped patients understand the sometimes complicated billing process of health care. At the same time, I joined the volunteer ambulance service and loved the opportunity to provide hands-on care.

In 2007 I lost my husband of 31 years in a motor vehicle accident. Two years later I considered a career change; I felt I had so much to give and that meant a move closer to the Twin Cities where I enrolled in advanced healthcare training.

While attending school, I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at an Assisted Living/Memory Care facility and at a Home Healthcare Agency. I also volunteered at Allina Hospice. That’s where I met Suellen and with encouragement from Allina hospice nurses, we started our own business in 2011.

We are private home care “specialists”. We own and manage Caring Hearts at Home, LLC, but we are also active caregivers to our clients. We have had the pleasure of caring for some extraordinary clients in the past years and look forward to what the future brings as our company grows. We are licensed with the State of Minnesota and have fortunately found a few great caregivers and nurses with our same ethics and values to come on board and share our vision.
I am a Certified Nursing Assistant, Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician, and a Notary. I am still an active volunteer with Allina Hospice and the MS Society. I love what I do and I cherish the relationships that develop not only with our clients, but with their families as well. It gives me great pride and pleasure to make a client’s day just a little brighter while giving them the opportunity to stay in their home.

KATHLEEN TURNER

When my mother was in hospice, I was her caregiver during the last weeks of her life. My cocker spaniel was at her side when one day she said, “ he brings me such comfort”. I knew then my dog and I would become a therapy team. While he was in training, I became a volunteer for Allina hospice. Although my cocker failed his final exam, I continued providing needed care for hospice clients. Not only was this the most rewarding experience since my mother’s death, I discovered it was also my calling.

While I continued to volunteer for Allina, I realized I wanted more hands on caregiving. I became a home health aid for an agency and that’s when I met Kathleen. Familiar with the personalized care we provided clients, hospice nurses encouraged us to follow our passion and start our own  business. And we did in 2011.

I’ve lived in the Lake Minnetonka area for 30 years, take pride in my professionalism and recognize the importance of being dependable, honest and most of all caring. My certifications include (NAR) Nursing Assistant Registered, (EMR) Emergency Medical Responder as well as CPR/AED through the American Red Cross.

We are licensed with the state of Minnesota as Caring Hearts at Home, LLC and we’ve been fortunate to have found a few wonderful caregivers and nurses to work with us and share our values .

Kathleen and I are unique because we are full time private home care specialists. Since we formed Caring Hearts at Home, LLC in 2011, we’ve been blessed to have provided long term care for many wonderful clients. Some relationships have been unforgettable. We’ve often formed close bonds with clients as well as their families. One client’s daughter called and said, “ Can we have coffee, I miss you guys”.
I’m still hopeful that I will have a therapy dog someday, and grateful that I can make a difference in someone’s life.