Cynthia Lohstroh

I guess the journey that led me to be a part of creating this Agency is varied like my partners. One thing I like best is that we are all good people with good hearts that really want to make a difference in someone’s life. We want to pay it forward.

Looking back, I guess this journey began for me as a child. I watched the good that my parents did daily. I had cousins that lived two doors away being raised by their grandmother. She didn’t have much money, so my parents supplemented her by providing new clothes, meals, coats in the winter, or anything else that she needed.

My mother had a very distant cousin that moved not too far from our home. One day, she noticed that her children were walking home from school without a coat to protect them from the cold. My parents immediately went out and purchased new coats for them. They would also bring them a couple of meals and more groceries toward the end of the month when her money and food stamps were running out.

Both of my parents were very involved in their community. They worked with youth organizations, The Salvation Army, and other families. As a child, my parents worked with the Marine Corp to assist with their toys for tots drive. Our job was to fix or supply limbs to dolls, put a fresh new dress on them, and clean them up so that a needy girl would get a new doll for Christmas. This was a year-long project sitting around our dining room table but of course, many hours were needed during the holidays.

The week before Easter we began the preparations to make Easter baskets so that every boy in a boys’ home would receive a basket filled with a colored egg, some marshmallow peeps, and lots of jellybeans. On that Sunday morning, we would attend church services then make the drive to deliver the baskets.

The older I got, the more I helped. By the time I was a teenager, I was involved in my own community service projects in addition to the ones started by my parents. Not knowing which direction, I wanted to take in college I temporarily quit school and began working full time. After about two years I went back to school while keeping my full-time job.

Interestingly, I began a full-time career with a social service agency. I started as a typist and before long I was working the front lines trying to help those less fortunate. While still working full time, I continued to attend college at night. Finally, and many years later I received my degree. I was a triple major in college with a minor and all four of those concentrated areas were in social services. I did not realize it at the time, but I should have known. It’s hard to believe that 30 years went by and I was celebrating my retirement. Where had the time gone?

While employed I also had a child. She is now a beautiful young lady. Her name is Jocelyn. Although we did not realize until almost a year and a couple of surgeries later, she was born with several disabilities. By the time she was three, Jocelyn was enrolled in preschool and was receiving Early Intervention Services. Jocelyn grew up in the Developmental Disabilities System.

Once she graduated from school Jocelyn became enrolled in the Adult Services Division. In 2010, I had an accident while at work. Because of the injury, I found myself needing help with the care of our daughter. Hence the need for our own service needs. During our time working within this division, we discovered the need for adult services. Jocelyn could never get the services that she needed because there was not enough help. The Providers did not manage their staff well with the hours they needed. As a result, I was always shorted the hours I needed. In addition, I cannot tell you the number of times that I was given what I will call the “last resort” employee. The “last resort” employee is that employee that should have been fired but they needed the body. There were also times though, that the employees were great, but the owner was horrible. It is for this reason and many more that I decided to become a provider of services.

My husband received a double lung transplant in 2009. Throughout his journey, he had complications and needed home health care. He then got cancer in November 2019. He needed a lot more home care. Eventually, he needed hospice. During those times, the staff was pleasant, and you could tell they loved their jobs. However, scheduling was a nightmare. You would receive a call from the therapist that day to see if you were available. You were to receive therapy twice a week and many times, if you didn’t accept the therapy appointment for that day, which was also Friday, you wouldn’t get it at all. He had a nurse that came to hook him up to an IV, then later disconnect him. It felt like I knew more than she did. I told her she needed to do something or something else would happen. She told me I was incorrect and sure enough, it turned out I was right. I did not realize until after his transplant that nurses are experts in their fields, just like doctors are. Yes, they know the basics but when it comes to the advanced medicines, you need a nurse that has experience in their fields.

I care about people. I was very fortunate growing up and want to be able to pay it forward. I want to work with all individuals and help to make a positive difference in their lives. I want to hire only the best staff, pay them well, and ensure they come highly trained and with the resources needed to do a great job. I want the employee to love their job. I want the family of the individual to be glad that they are working with our company to get their needs met. I want the client to know who is coming and when. I want to make sure that the person seeing my family member is the best person for my family member. I want to know that they care about them as much as I do and will do their best to keep my family member safe. Finally, I want transparency and open communication. All of my wants are issues that I experienced personally. I do not want another family member or client to have to experience that themselves.