Andre’a Grace-Phillips

I was 11yrs old when I used to ride my bike to the nursing home in Morris, Minnesota to visit the precious residents there.

To me, they were fascinating treasure troves of wisdom, as they shared their stories of the lives they had lived. I was devastated when I came to visit my friend Mary that day and the person making her empty bed just looked at me and said “Oh honey, Mary’s not here anymore”…I ran from room to room looking for her but I knew… in that moment, some 45 years ago, I didn’t want my Mary, or anyone else to ever have to be alone at the end…

fast forward to Dec of 2020…

I have been a Caregiver in various capacities on and off over all these years. I have worked privately, and for agencies in multiple states. A couple of years ago, I answered an ad to give a woman a ride to a doctor appointment. When I arrived at her home, I realized she needed much more than a ride. She was nearing the end of her long battle with cancer. It had ravaged her completely. It was 10 days before Christmas and she had no family locally. Her blind aging husband was doing his best to care for her but she needed so much more than he could do…

Grace Care Services was born that day. I called her daughter in California to inform her of the actual state her Mom was in. She had no idea because Mom had been telling her she was doing well. I reached out to a couple of close friends who had done caregiving for years and asked them to join me in caring for this woman round the clock, at Christmas time. Somehow by the Grace of God, I pieced together a schedule and for the next month we cared for her until her time came to be free of all her struggles.

I am 57 year old grandmother with some health issues of my own. I started this business in a pandemic, with a labor shortage, and without a partner or any capital. Just a few years later, I have a team of more than 20 AMAZING Caregivers (you know who you are!)who have had the privilege of providing literally more than 30,000 hrs of care since we first began! It’s been a whirlwind, but so worth it! We have had the honor of walking alongside dozens of families, as thier loved ones have taken their final breaths….I have only hired people who I would have trusted with my own beloved Grandma Genevieve. I have paid them way more than the industry standard, I have invested in them all financially and emotionally, as if they were sisters, (because that’s how you get and keep great people, even in a pandemic) and Grace has covered us.

If you or a loved one needs care, Grace Care Services is here to help you! 

NO ONE is left alone in the end on our watch!