Ten years ago, Teresa Dakins had just joined Trinity at Home, LSC’s fledgling home care service for seniors based in Salisbury, North Carolina.
“A former colleague from another in-home care agency said, ‘Let me know when you’re ready for us to buy you out,’” recalled Dakins, Trinity at Home’s community outreach coordinator.
Most independently owned healthcare agencies don’t make it past the three-year mark. But Dakins was determined to succeed – and today, Trinity at Home has about 60 clients and 50 caregivers across Rowan and parts of Cabarrus County.
The agency has just announced an expansion to New Hanover County, North Carolina, where it will round out the continuum of care already provided by Trinity Landing and Trinity Grove.
The most meaningful aspect of Trinity at Home’s success, however, isn’t numbers – it’s lives changed.
Rev. Darrell Norris’s parents were the agency’s very first clients.
“I learned about Trinity at Home from Bill Johnson and Beth Huber (the executive directors of Trinity Oaks and Trinity Living Center, respectively),” said Rev. Norris. “At first, my dad was in worse health than my mom. She focused on caring for him, and Trinity at Home helped with household chores three hours a day, three days a week.”
“Over time, my mom’s health declined, and Trinity at Home cared for both of them,” Rev. Norris continued. “My dad passed in 2017 and my mom passed in June of 2024, so we had three years of help for both of them and seven years of help for Mom. They were lifesavers.”
Rev. Norris especially appreciated Trinity at Home’s “personal touch.”
“Teresa [Dakins], Angie [Harrison, RN, BSN, agency director], and Nicee [Cuthbertson, office manager] were so helpful – especially toward the end, when Mom wanted to manage her own care,” said Rev. Norris. “We were truly a team. They helped us balance all the moving parts and stay within our budget.”
“When we had some tough decisions to make, they offered expertise – not just the care itself,” he added. “One of the biggest benefits was the sense of reassurance. My wife and I knew that if we needed to go out of town, Trinity at Home would check on my mom and make sure she had everything she needed.”
Toward the end, Trinity at Home caregivers provided overnight support for Rev. Norris’s mother. She was able to stay at home until the last three months of her life.
“She developed a close relationship with several of her caregivers,” he recalled. “She really came to trust them.”
“I’ve known a lot of church members, colleagues, and friends over the years who have gone through this process with loved ones,” Rev. Norris added. “With many of these home care agencies, retirement centers and nursing homes, it’s just a business. It’s about how much you can pay. That’s not true with Trinity at Home. Our family was more than just a client.”
To learn more about Trinity at Home, visit https://trinityathome.net/ or call 704-603-2776.