Comfort Keepers is an international franchise concept that provides in-home care on an hourly, daily or weekly basis for seniors, new mothers, adults needing assistance with activities of daily living or those recovering from illness or injury. Services are tailored to the individual needs of each client. In the case of seniors, this approach enables them to continue to live in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. Care includes companionship, meal preparation, light housekeeping, grocery shopping and transportation for errands and appointments. Comfort Keepers can also provide personal care services such as toileting, bathing, oral hygiene, dementia care and transferring and positioning.
The local Comfort Keepers office has been in existence for more than seven years and has a staff of more than 80 caregivers, many of whom are certified nursing assistants. The owner is a retired Navy nurse and has a lifetime of being involved with caring for adults. All Comfort Keepers caregivers are company employees and, as such, the company is responsible for their payroll taxes, workers’ compensation coverage and the monitoring of training and TB test results. While virtually all agencies perform at least perfunctory background checks, the Comfort Keepers franchise agreement requires multiple, national background checks. “As far as we know, we’re the only agency in The Midlands that then repeats the background checks on a monthly basis, so we can be sure we’re putting trustworthy caregivers in clients’ homes,” says Bill Johnson, owner of the local franchise.
Demand for dementia care is growing in The Midlands, as it is everywhere, and Comfort Keepers caregivers are particularly skilled in this type of service. In addition to providing the 24/7 care and relief to families that is often needed, the staff works hard to make families aware of the local funding sources frequently available to help pay for this important service.
