Offers Care & Compassion

By John Hayden

Ah, the golden years of retirement. A time to be spent celebrating a life well lived and enjoying the fruits of hard work. But at some point, Father Time puts some tarnish on that gold. For many, aging means needing help along the way. 

Rainbow Services offers care and companionship at home, allowing clients to maintain independence and have someone around to share their day. From light housekeeping and food preparation to assisting in personal hygiene and keeping track of medications, Rainbow Services offers care customized to each client’s needs. Paul Olson then matches the new client with the caregiver he believes best suits the situation.

Founded nine years ago by Stewart Pepper, who now works with Paul Olson. Olson meets with each new client and their caregiver, often a loved one or spouse, to see where they are. “I meet them, assess their house for equipment, such as handrails in showers, and see what we can provide for care.”

Support For All

Rainbow Services helps more than the patient, they help the caregiver/partner/spouse as well. “We provide 50/50 service. We give 50% to the client and 50% to the caregiver, it’s called respite care. We have to make sure the person doesn’t get burned out,” Olson said.

Being a primary caregiver takes a toll both physically and emotionally. Rainbow Services knows even the most dedicated and loving partners need a break, and don’t realize it until they’re exhausted. 

“A lot of people wait until the last minute to call us, and by then they’re ready to pull their hair out. We are going to do everything we can to ensure they are getting the respite and the person they’re taking care of will be well cared for.”

It’s that complete embracement that makes Rainbow Services unique. Often after the partner comes home, the Rainbow Services caregiver will stay, talk, and give them a chance to interact with someone who understands. Oftentimes, patients have Alzheimer’s or dementia, and the caregiver can just chat for a few minutes and grab a bit of normalcy.

Trust In Action

Pepper and Olson are both very involved in client care. They reassess each client’s needs every few months. If the client checks into a hospital, they visit them. Olson says it comes down to five core values: Passion, Compassion, Dignity, Independence, and Respect.

They teach all their employees to leave the house just as they found it, if not better, and are insured in case something breaks. “You have to earn trust. If you let them down then you lose their trust.”

Rainbow Services isn’t part of a huge conglomerate, and that’s by choice. “We don’t want to be a huge company because then we’d lose our personal touch.” It’s being there for people as they begin to need more help and care in their day-to-day lives.

One time, Olson, who has a background in HIV hospice care, traveled with a client and spent days together. It’s an experience that encapsulates how much he cares. “I can’t even begin to tell you how close we became. That’s really unique to us, because we do care.”