About
The Professional Caregiver Coach
What makes Lynnel Townsend "The Caregiver Coach"? Thirty-plus years of hands-on caregiving experience — and a mission built from it.
Hi, I'm Lynnel.
I'm a Professional Caregiver, Coach, and Mentor to families and caregivers of a person needing total care, with 30+ years of experience across many forms of caregiving.
I specialize in helping families and caregivers create a unique Plan of Care — a Book of Instructions — similar to the ones used daily by professional caregiving agencies. Because I'm a professional caregiver myself, I look at things through the eyes of a caregiver. That's what helps me understand why families struggling with the daily challenges of caregiving need real support and real solutions. Not knowing what to do, or who to turn to, is what causes burnout, exhaustion, and frustration.
My greatest skill is as a DSP — Direct Support Professional. We're frontline caregivers, and to maintain our licensing we stay current with the latest caregiving practices. Since 2007, I've completed over 100 training modules across different areas of caregiving.
Why I started SHS&S
What led a professional caregiver to build a 4-week program
Through my own caregiving work, I watched the physical and emotional toll that 24/7 caregiving took on dear friends providing care without any support system. It broke my heart that I couldn't always help when they reached out in a state of panic. That's why I built a program that gives other families in similar crises a few of the must-have skills and tools a DSP would offer through an agency — at a fraction of the cost.
I know how little time caregivers have for anything else, no matter how valuable. So the training is online, easy to access, and can be completed in as little as four weeks — because these families need immediate, affordable, quality solutions.
The training I received through home caregiving agencies gave me access to the core tools and skills those agencies use every day. I've built a version of a few of those tools into the 4-week program, designed for caregivers who can't get help through an agency.
Part of the program shows you how to find and train additional caregivers who can work consistently — 2–3 days a week, 8–10 hours a day — something better than sporadic respite care, so you can get real time back for yourself.
The name
Why "Structured Holistic Services & Schedules"?
Our services get to the root of caregiver burnout and build workable solutions — a holistic approach that considers the needs of everyone involved. Every unsupported, 24/7 caregiver needs the same four things:
- Structure — life feels chaotic while learning new medical terms, techniques, and procedures.
- A holistic approach — everything needs to tie together into one simple plan of action.
- A variety of services — support systems, skills, resources, and services working together.
- Schedules — not just occasional respite, but additional caregivers working the same days, every week, so the main caregiver can count on real time off.
In her own words
Meet Lynnel
Note: this conversation was recorded before SHS&S's current program structure — the reference to a follow-up "Part 2" episode no longer applies.
Ready to take the next step?
If you're overwhelmed by daily caregiving challenges and in need of support, don't be afraid to build your own personalized Plan of Care.