Suzanne Zelling, RN
Suzanne is one of the two owners and founders of Caring Healthcare. She has been happily married for 29 years and has a beautiful teenage daughter who fought and won her battle against a brain tumor from 2011 through 2016. Suzanne fully understands how hard it is to see a loved one suffer and be there to lovingly care for them through their illness.
Suzanne is also a Registered Nurse, a 1987 graduate of Kettering College of Medical Arts in Kettering, Ohio. She is also a BSN graduate from the University of Texas Arlington College of Nursing. She is certified in managed care nursing as a CMCN.
“I am very grateful for the support of family and friends as Jesus led me to begin such a caring company. The staff, employees, and clients have been an added blessing through the years.” – Suzanne Zelling
Michelle Durden
Michelle is originally from Lexington, Kentucky, and a graduate of Western Kentucky University. She graduated in 1991 with a B.S. in early childhood education and taught in South Carolina for four years before starting Caring Healthcare, Inc. with Suzanne Zelling in 1995. This began an exciting and challenging new career and an opportunity to create a business that could make a difference in the lives of the elderly, disabled and children with special needs in their own community. Michelle has been married for 26 years and has one young active son.
“We have a wonderful and dedicated staff at Caring Healthcare, Inc.; they genuinely care about our clients and work diligently to see that they get the best possible care and have a good overall experience. It is such a privilege to be a part of a company that provides a truly important and meaningful service to the people of our community. I am often humbled by the love, care and commitment our Personal Care Aides demonstrate in servicing their clients and meeting their needs.” – Michelle Durden
Tina Spears, Office Administrator
Tina joined Caring Healthcare (Caring Healthcare, Inc.) in June 1997 to work part-time over the summer. Prior to June 1997, she was a pre-K teacher on her summer break in Columbia, South Carolina. Her summer break turned into full-time position with Caring Healthcare. Once at Caring Healthcare, she knew that she wanted to be a part of helping the elderly, disabled and special needs children.
Over the past 21 years, Tina can say she has worked diligently to be an advocate for in-home care. In 2002, she cofounded the South Carolina Association of Personal Care Providers, and then in 2012 the SCAPCP board recognized the need to join forces with a much larger organization and joined with the SCHCHA (South Carolina Home Care and Hospice Association), in which she was elected to sit on the board. In addition to sitting on the board of the SCHCHA, she also formed the Personal Care Coalition and has sat on several committees with SCDHHS and IMPH (Institute of Medicine and Public Health).
From these past experiences, Tina has developed working relations with SCDHHS, SCDHEC, AARP and the Alzheimer’s Association. Of late, she has meet with state legislators, state officials and the governor to inform and educate them about the importance of in-home care providers and Home Community Base Services.
Sarah L. Brooks
Ms. Brooks is native of South Carolina. She graduated from Benedict University in 1995 with a B.S. in social work. Ms. Brooks worked at Midland Center through SCDDSN as a supervisor from 1995-2006. She started with Caring Healthcare, Inc. in 1997, working part-time as a personal care aide. In 2010, Ms. Brooks joined the office staff at Caring Healthcare, Inc. Caring Healthcare, Inc. as an administrative assistant. Her primary responsibility is auditing client charts for accuracy and to ensure compliance with our Medicaid contract and SCDHEC license. In addition to this, she also answers the phone, organizes weekly charting submitted by our field employees, does new hire orientation, run errands, makes copies and distributes paychecks.
Deirdre’ Mims
Ms. Mims is native of Lexington, South Carolina, and graduated from Lexington High School in 1985. She went on to attend a Nursing Assistant course and received a diploma in Nurse Assistant from Mansfield Business College in 1993. Ms. Mims began her career with Caring Healthcare, Inc. in 1997 as a personal care aide. She joined the office staff in 1998 as scheduling coordinator. Her primary job responsibility is to schedule nursing assistants to see our clients as specified by the client’s wishes and their approved number of hours each day/week. She spends much of her time on the phone with clients and employees alike and is always patient, supportive and kind, regardless of who she is dealing with. In addition to scheduling, she manages our Missed Visit & Care Call reporting requirements for CLTC (Community Long Term Care), assists our home visit nurses in scheduling home visits and takes weekend calls.