Everyone Needs to Ask SAMIE!
Ask SAMIE is a WCNfluener for sure! Cofounder, Brandy Archie, spent time with Whole Care Network Founder, Chris MacLellan, and shared the incredible work Ask SAMIE is doing for family caregivers.
Brandy’s Professional Journey
Brandy knew she wanted to be an occupational therapist (OT) since she was in high school. Her science class was visited by a guest talking about health careers. She considered becoming a physician, but thought she would rather see people as they are recovering and wanted to play a role in them getting better. The OT field a has become a place she can really use her creativity and meet “really awesome” people.
Brandy worked as an OT all over the U.S., helping individuals in their homes after they had health events or procedures. She focused on getting them to a place of independence. This often meant helping them gain back as much physical strength as possible. Yet, there were individuals that had memory challenges, progressive disease processes, and negative impacts of advanced age that needed something more. She began looking for tools, pieces of equipment, apps, or using a phone in a different way to find solutions. This came from a love of gadgets she’s had throughout her life.
The Birth of Ask SAMIE
She started a running a list in her head, which turned her into an encyclopedia of all the tools that are out there. New tools were coming out all the time and she enjoyed keeping up with new developments. She found herself matching tools with the people who needed it the most, which happened to be the senior population. “There are lots of tools and cool things for kids and pediatrics and lots of services built in to our systems in order to help families with children”, says Archie, “But as we get older, there’s not really a system in place”. Brandy realized she could use her love of gadgets in the Aging-in-Place space to help them stay at home as they age. With the tools she’s gathered, there’s so many ways to do that! Thus, Ask SAMIE was born.
Ask SAMIE is a free on-demand assessment where you answer a few questions about the challenges an aging person and their family caregivers are facing and you receive recommendations for staying at home in the healthiest way possible! They also offer a comprehensive virtual home assessment! Plus, they keep an OT staffed to answer phone calls anytime to answer questions.
Check out the WCNfluencer interview between Brandy Archie and Chris MacLellan.
Be sure to visit Ask SAMIE and engage with their incredible work!