Meet our Owner and Chief Financial Officer, Kelly Kesti! She, along with her husband Andy, own and operate Assisting Hands Home Care – Cave Creek, providing in-home care assistance to seniors in the North Valley and surrounding communities. I asked Kelly a few questions to share more about her and her work.
What inspired you to start a homecare company?
In the past I’ve worked as a registered nurse, in addition to my job as mom. My husband Andy, who was interested in leaving the corporate world, and I became aware of the home care industry through my cousin who owns a home care business in Prescott. It fit our goals of being able to use both of our skills while also being able to serve people in our own community.
What does a day in the life of running Assisting Hands look like for you?
Currently I am the Chief Financial Officer and Owner. I provide oversight for the company in general, as well as doing billing and invoicing and addressing any questions that may come up in that area. Outside of billing, I keep watch on the company as a whole to make sure that things are running smoothly. I also keep touch with the care notes that the caregivers write to keep up to date with how our clients are doing.
What’s one lesson you’ve learned from your clients over the years?
The whole heart of this business is getting to know our clients. I don’t know how many times as I’m leaving from an assessment that someone has said “I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time.” But that’s my favorite part of the job I have. Everyone has a story and I love hearing them. No matter how different you might think people are outwardly, meeting all of the people I have been lucky enough to meet has taught me that everyone wants the same thing: to have a good quality of life for as long as possible. It’s so important to me to learn how I can help people maintain their quality of life, while also providing a sense of security and freedom for family members or others who can’t always leave the house or do the things they’d like to do.
How do you choose the caregivers who represent your company?
From the beginning, it was really important to me to choose people that I would feel comfortable having in my own home. Being someone who has two children with Down Syndrome, I know how competence, empathy, and a heart for caring for people is a top priority in having in-home help.
What’s one fun fact your clients or caregivers might be surprised to learn about you?
People are always shocked to learn that I have eight kids! The answer is yes I do but it doesn’t feel like I have a big family all the time because they range from mid thirties down to teens. Outside of that, I don’t think anything is too surprising about me. I spend a lot of time outside year round, even when it’s hot. I also enjoy reading and doing art. I have a pretty quiet life overall and I enjoy having it like that since there have been points in life where it’s been very busy.
To meet the other members of our team, see our “Meet the Team” page on our website or click Here to read other staff interviews.
