September 13, 2025 • 21 mins
Watch the full video here: https://homecaremarketingnews.com/the-heart-of-home-care-an-inside-look-at-brightcare-homecare-in-louisiana-with-jamie-arton/
What does it take to grow a home care agency from a simple desire to help people into a thriving multi-region operation? Jamie Arten, owner of BrightCare Home Care, reveals the heartfelt journey and strategic decisions behind her company's remarkable expansion across South Louisiana.
With agencies in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the North Shore, BrightCare has become a trusted name by developing a care model that prioritizes both clients and caregivers equally. "We can't have a well-run organization with caring caregivers if they're not being cared for also," explains Arten, who holds a master's degree in public health from Tulane. This philosophy translates into extensive training programs, competitive compensation, and genuine relationships with caregivers who subsequently deliver exceptional client care.
BrightCare distinguishes itself through comprehensive individualized service plans that consider the whole picture of a client's life. Their approach to hospital-to-home transitions exemplifies this thoroughness – conducting pre-discharge assessments, ensuring homes are equipped with necessary safety features, and coordinating seamless care continuity to prevent dangerous gaps. With their substantial caregiver base, they can typically establish care within 24 hours, addressing urgent needs quickly and professionally.
The agency has developed particular expertise in serving veterans, with approximately 40% of their client base utilizing veteran benefits. As a credentialed provider for both Aid and Attendance and the Community Care Network, they navigate complex systems to maximize available care for veterans. Technology integration further enhances their service quality, with family portals providing transparent access to care notes and billing information for scattered family members.
Connect with BrightCare Home Care to experience their difference – where personalized care, thorough training, and genuine compassion combine to create exceptional home care experiences across South Louisiana. Their growth reflects not just business success but the impact of truly caring for both clients and caregivers in an industry where the human element matters most.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
My name is Jamie Arten.
I am the owner of BrightCareHome Care in Louisiana.
We have four agencies and coverfour different regions of South
Louisiana.
So we're in Lafayette,louisiana, baton Rouge, new
Orleans and the North Shore.
So we're pretty spread out andwe kind of service the majority
of South Louisiana, anythingalong I-10 or I-12.
(00:32):
We have a huge base ofcaregivers and have the unique
ability to be able to work inbetween all those areas.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
That's great.
You guys have really grown overthe last year or two.
I know we've been able to watchthat growth and it's been so
exciting to see.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
It's been exciting.
It's been a journey.
We've enjoyed it.
It's more than I ever expectedit would be and really I think
what drives our growth is eachagency has such an amazing
director in place and theyreally truly care about what
they do and they love theirclients.
They've all worked in home carebefore, so they know what needs
(01:08):
to be done, both in the home,out of the home, in the office.
Everything they do They've justhave the knowledge.
They're all very experiencedand genuinely care.
So I feel like that's been ahuge drive for us as far as our
growth is concerned.
They've drawn people to us thatI think maybe didn't know much
about home care and they'veprovided the customer service
(01:31):
and level of care that keepsbringing them back and,
obviously, referrals from them.
So that's always nice to get areferral from a current client.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
That's great.
Yeah, really having people inplace in each office that really
care about this is obviously abusiness that's full of heart,
and you wouldn't be in it if youweren't caring about people, so
I know it's a tough business aswell.
Tell us a little bit about,like, how you got started.
What compelled you, as a human,to be in the business of home
(02:03):
care?
How did you get started?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
That's a good question.
I have my background.
I have a master's degree inpublic health from Tulane and I
guess from that I was inhealthcare for about 20 years as
a dietician and at some point Isaid what do I want to do with
myself?
Actually, someone asked me that.
They said what do you want todo with yourself?
And I said I think I want totake care of people.
My children are almost grownand what's my next step going to
(02:30):
be?
I take care of people, that'swhat I do.
And I said okay, and somehowthis took a life of its own and
it took off more than I everexpected.
So we've evolved into this hugeorganization that started out
from just wanting to take careof people and it's.
It's been really rewarding andwe've met some amazing people
along the way.
It's been a really goodadventure so far.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
That's great and I know that this is a great
rewarding business.
It's also a tough business.
Talk a little bit about how doyou find all these great
caregivers.
So you hire a lot of caregivers.
Tell us a little bit about whatyou're looking for in an
amazing caregiver out there.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
When I started this business and I decided I want to
take care of people, itincludes taking care of our
caregivers.
So we can't have a well-runorganization with caring
caregivers if they're not beingcared for also.
So the basis of what I do, themodel that I have set, is for me
to take care of not only theclients but the caregivers, and
that flows over into the clientcare, and a lot of that starts
(03:33):
with really good training.
So we've invested a lot of timeand a lot of energy to
establish really good trainingprocesses and procedures to put
them in place, because this is ahard business to run.
You're not selling computers orselling furniture.
You're dealing with people, andit's people on both ends.
You're not you have clients onone end who need the care, but
(03:54):
you also have caregivers whothey have lives.
They have things that come upand happen and it's hard because
you have clients who reallywant only one caregiver or they
want specific things done andthey only trust one person
coming into their homes.
And so having really goodtraining and developing really
good relationships with thecaregivers and the clients and
(04:17):
introducing them and helpingthem develop good relationships
is a key aspect of what we doand I believe really contributes
to, I guess, the clientsatisfaction that we have,
because we really do have highsatisfaction rates, which we do
track with our surveys and Ireally believe that it has to do
with finding the right people,developing the right people,
(04:39):
training them correctly andhaving that open communication
with everybody.
It is a hard industry to runbecause you're dealing with so
many different personalities,but when you really spend time
developing and investing inpeople, you start to see the
results and they just it flowsover to the client care and it's
really cool to see once thatstarts happening.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
That's great.
I know that I'm talking to homecare agencies all day.
Without the caregivers, thereis no home care agency.
So they are the gold that weneed to really nurture and keep
them happy and, like you said,help them with all those human
things.
Life brings us your tire's flat, your kid is sick.
(05:22):
Being compassionate and caringabout them is also what is
needed to run a home care agency, and it's so nice to hear you
say that, because I thinksometimes people who run as
agencies get bigger.
It's hard to keep all thosethings in mind, but also having
great staff in each of yourlocations makes that much easier
(05:46):
, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Oh, absolutely, and we have great agency directors
at each location and that playsa huge role in it too.
They have the freedom andflexibility to really service
our clients in a way that theyfeel is appropriate, and every
situation is completelydifferent, so we really approach
it from a holistic standpointof view that is tailored toward
(06:09):
that individual.
There's not going to be ablanket protocol for every
single situation.
We really do try to adjust andmeet the needs of each
individual by looking at thewhole picture that they are in,
not just a standard set of care.
So each client has anindividual service plan and it's
(06:32):
all based on their own needs.
So having that individualservice plan and having the
people to develop that with them, even including their budget
and everything else that comesalong with care, makes a big
difference and when somebodylike I'm 54 years old, my mom is
75, and if I weren't in thisbusiness and had never had this
(06:52):
experience before?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
adding home care to our lives is a completely new,
foreign experience to us.
We're not used to that.
So when somebody calls one ofyour offices, what can they
expect?
What's the chain of events thathappens when they call and say,
oh, I think it might be time?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Like I said, each situation is different.
So listening and just hearingwhat the client has to say and
trying to get a really goodpicture of what their individual
situation is, what theirbackground is, what the family
dynamics are, what the budget is, what their background is, what
the family dynamics are, whatthe budget is, where they're
located, what the needs of theclient are Because some people
(07:32):
have totally different needs.
You have some people who wantto have companion care and drive
them to the local health cluband go have coffee with their
friends so they can still havethat freedom stop off at mass on
the way home.
So you have that aspect of care.
And then you also have thetotal opposite end of the
spectrum where you have ahospice client there in the last
(07:52):
couple months of their life andyou're dealing with such high
emotions from all the differentmembers of their family Not all
of them.
They see everything the sameway, so you really have to
adjust each situation based onwhat their needs are at that
particular time.
So the first thing we do whenyou call is try to get an idea
of what you need and what roadto take from there, and then the
(08:17):
next step would be to set upin-home consultation.
We do a free intake andassessment.
We go into the home, We'll talkto you guys, get to know all
the different family members andthat's really when we see the
personalities come out and so wedevelop an idea of what is the
best fit for their caregiver andhow to proceed with that care.
And we'll take a look, get alay of the land, see if there's
(08:39):
any dangerous situations.
Are there trip hazards?
Are there issues in thebathroom that maybe need to be
fixed?
Do we need to put up handrails?
Do we need to put up ramps?
What type of medical equipmentwe need in there?
I try to do that ahead of timebecause I want them to have coir
lifts and ramps and the rugsrolled up and everything to make
it a safe environment,especially if they're
(08:59):
transitioning out of thehospital to their home.
We want to make sure thateverything is in place.
Two-week span of returning homefrom the hospital or the rehab
the highest risk for somethingto happen.
So I really stress, I want todo that intake.
I like to do the intake in thehospital before they're even
(09:19):
discharged.
That way the caregivers canmeet the clients.
We can get the directors in thehomes, to make sure the homes
are safe before they get thereand the ideal situation is to
have it already set up and thenget that care in place so
there's no gap in care betweenleaving the facility and getting
home and then to make sure allthe proper equipment is in place
(09:41):
, like a Hoyer lift or walkers,bedside commodes, anything they
may need.
Like I said, every situation isso different we truly tailor
every service plan to theirindividual needs is so different
.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
We truly tailor every service plan to their
individual needs.
That's great to hear.
I know that coming home fromthe hospital it's just a.
If you've ever been in thehospital for any length of time,
it's always a moment of gettinghome and everything's different
and you don't have a nurse withyou 24-7.
You can just call on the calllight.
And if you've been in thehospital for a while for maybe
physical rehab after a hip orhip replacement or a stroke,
(10:16):
it's getting used to that andeven though it's your home and
it feels great, it's still a newenvironment altogether.
So it's great to hear you guysare really good at this, because
the organization and gettingeverything in place before
that's really the key to keepsomeone safe.
It's really rough.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
The bed's a different height and the water jug's not
right next to you anymore andthings need to be managed a
little bit, and you really needto be proactive in making sure
that everything's set upcorrectly and there's no fall
hazards, because that's reallyone of your number one reasons
for a readmission, and that'sjust something that just causes
so much more pain, so much moreheartache, so much more
(10:56):
financial burden.
It's all around.
If you can minimize anyreadmission to a facility after
being discharged, it's a win-winfor everyone across the board.
So being proactive is key inachieving that?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
That's great to hear you say that that's one of the
most challenging times.
Is that coming home from the?
Yeah, that's great to hear yousay that that's one of the most
challenging times.
Is that coming home from thehospital?
So that's awesome, and I knowthat you service folks for any
need, like you said,companionship, personal care
issues, whatever it may be.
So how fast can you guys getcare set up?
Let's say, somebody calls todayand they're already at home.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Yeah, Because of our size, we can actually get care
set up within 24 hours.
We have nine times out of 10,9.9 times out of 10, we can get
it set up within 24 hours.
Every now and then there's thatoutlying situation where
someone lives really far out andyou have a little bit more of a
challenge.
But we can almost always getsomeone set up immediately.
And I think that's because wecover so much territory and we
have such a large caregiver baseto pull from and we're
(12:01):
constantly hiring and trainingand investing in that time with
the caregivers to develop them.
They're pretty dedicated toworking with us.
So if we call them and we say,hey, we have someone being
discharged from the hospitalthis afternoon, is there any way
you can get out there and justget them started while we get
everything set up and permanentin place.
And we have such goodrelationships with the
(12:22):
caregivers in that sense thatthey're always they're really
pretty willing to jump and helpus out whenever we need.
And then, having a staff ineach office, because of our size
we're able to have a prettylarge staff for home care at
least large staff and they'realso invested in the care.
We always have someone on call,we always have someone who can
(12:42):
go out on a moment's notice, sothat helps a lot too.
That's probably one of our mainreasons we can start people so
quick is because of that staffbase that we have and how
willing they are to jump andhelp out.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
That's great and that backup plan is something I
don't want to miss when you hire.
I think folks don't understandthat when you hire an agency it
comes with a good backup plan.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
It does.
It comes with a good backupplan.
But you also have well-vettedcaregivers.
We invest in not only statewidebackground checks but we do
nationwide background checks andwe make sure that there's no
felonies or anything outstanding.
That not if you're getting aprivate caregiver.
You're not.
Most people aren't going to dothat Now, granted, I do work
(13:26):
with private caregivers.
I think they there's somewonderful ones out there they
can only do so much and sohaving an agency to work with
that caregiver or to have areally good backup plan in the
event something happens is soimportant because most people
can't go without that care,especially if you have families
living in different states andthey're all alone.
(13:47):
That's a safety issue.
So you want to make sureeveryone's safe.
So having that backup caregiverplan put in place then you also
have the staff backup if thebackup falls through.
So you have backup to yourbackup and then everyone's
well-trained, everyone's vetted,that they've had their
background checks, they've doneall the mandatory hands-on
training and the state requiredtraining.
(14:07):
Because we're a licensed agency, we have to follow certain
rules, but we've invested intechnology and programs to put
in place to actually go beyondthe base regulations.
So we do feel our caregiversare trained definitely to a
higher level in the competitionand that's something that we
take a lot of pride in and fromthe start of this business we
(14:29):
really invested a lot of timeand energy into developing those
programs.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I think the training aspect of this is amazing.
You guys do such a good job.
A lot of agencies you hope thatfolks have been trained on
things, but for you to have thathands-on training and to
provide that for caregivers isgreat, Because I think everyone
appreciates that all the wayaround, Especially things that
get complicated, like using aHoyer lift.
(14:54):
We've never used one.
It looks like a crazymechanical device but it
actually is really great forfolks that need it.
So that hands-on training isreally nice.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
And we'll go in and we see that if there's a safety
issue and we say, okay, youdon't have that Hoyer lift, or
they're not trained in that, wemake sure that we speak to the
family and communicate that, hey, if we don't get this in place,
this is a safety issue, someonecould get hurt.
Even the caregiver could gethurt.
So we want to make sure it'ssafe for everybody involved.
(15:28):
So training everybody on thesedifferent pieces of equipment is
a huge part of our trainingprocess.
We want everybody to know whatthey're doing.
That way we want to minimizeany possibility of anything
happening.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Oh yeah, absolutely those things.
It's really easy.
I can tell you from being anurse it's really easy to mess
up your back.
Whether you're a caregivertrained or not family caregivers
it's easy to not exactly dothings the right way.
So I'm glad you guys take thatinto consideration too.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Absolutely.
We want the caregivers to betaken well care of so they can
take good care of their clients.
It all falls together.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
So what is something else that you might want to talk
about that we haven't covered,about BrightCare, home Care,
some of the differences betweenyou all and your competitors.
Anything else that you mightwant to mention, first of all?
Speaker 1 (16:18):
we are not a franchise, so we don't have a
lot of the restrictions that afranchise may have and we have
continuous care throughout SouthLouisiana, whereas if you have
a franchise in one area it'slikely owned by somebody else in
a different area and they don'tshare caregivers and they don't
communicate about care needsfor people that may overlap into
(16:38):
different cities.
People that may overlap intodifferent cities, because we do
have a lot of clients that willgo from Lafayette to New Orleans
or to the North Shore and it'sgood to be able to have that
consistent care and be able tocommunicate with everybody that
way.
The other thing is we really dospecialize in veterans care.
We probably a large, probably40% of our business would be
(16:59):
veterans and we've investedheavily in making sure that we
have all the processes andprocedures in place to
streamline the paperwork andwhat's needed to get them
started.
So I would definitely say, ifyou're thinking of what sets us
apart our veteran care, ourknowledge base of being able to
jump through all the hoops toget people set up and some
(17:20):
agencies or even locally ownedagencies they everyone can
provide care for aid andattendance, but not everybody
can provide care for thecommunity care network and we're
credentialed to provide carefor that community care network.
So if you're a veteran, youreally want to be with somebody
who provides for both programsbecause those programs can
overlap.
So you're going to get you'regoing to maximize on the amount
(17:43):
of care you can get by goingwith somebody who provides care
for all VA programs, and we'vebeen credentialed to provide
care in that community carenetwork.
In addition to the agentattendance, my thing would be to
make sure that whoever you useis able to service both lines of
care for the VA, so you're notmissing out on anything.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
I love that you guys have that right on your website
and that you're a part of theCCN or the network, and you've
been doing it now long enoughthat, like you said, there's
probably a few hoops to jumpthrough and you guys are really
good at that.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
The other thing would be just something I chose to do
when we started this agency isto work with people's budget and
the different family needs,because I hate how expensive
this is.
I don't like sending that billout at the end of the week.
I really like to do what I canto work with people's budgets
and there's so many differentcreative ways we try.
(18:38):
It's not a perfect system.
Once we get your background andwe meet with you and we get to
know what insurance companiesyou have, do you have long-term
care insurance?
We work with all the long-termcare insurance companies.
We'll explore any avenue tohelp get you the care you need.
Right now we're starting with aprogram, the guide program,
which is fairly new, which isable to help actually Medicare
(19:01):
clients, which is really rarebecause Medicare really won't
pay for it, which a lot ofpeople are surprised by that
Medicaid will but Medicare won't, and in the few situations it's
just such a challenge that mostpeople won't even mess with it.
But we actually recentlystarted with the guide program
and it's going to be interestingto see what happens there
(19:21):
because they will actually takeMedicare clients who have
Alzheimer's or dementia.
So I'm excited to see wherethat goes, and that's been
recently put in place and we'vegotten a lot of feedback because
people really want that help.
They need the help.
So a break, if nothing else,absolutely.
And the other thing that sets usapart would be probably
(19:41):
technology.
I just heavily invested in thatwhen we established our
agencies, just because I knowthat we have family members from
all over the country and theyneed insight into what's going
on.
You don't want to be out of theloop when your mom goes into
the hospital.
You want to know what happened.
So we have these family portalsthat everybody can log into.
Everybody can see the carenotes, everybody can see the
(20:03):
billing, because we have a lotof grown siblings who split the
bill between multiple childrenand then billing.
A lot of people will billlong-term care insurance and
then split the bill.
So there's so many differentbilling aspects that it's nice
to be able to access all that asa group in one place.
So the technology we have inplace, I would say, sets us
apart from a lot of other peopleas well.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, obviously you guys have really tried to take
this notion of home care and addas much value as you possibly
can for budgets, technology,safety, and that's just really
commendable, and so thank you,thank you for talking to me and
for everybody out there who'sgoing safety, and that's just
really commendable, and so thankyou, thank you for talking to
me and for everybody out therewho's going to see this and
learn more about you guys,you've done a great job growing
(20:49):
this agency we have as a grouphere on our team.
We've loved watching you grow.
It has been, even in the lastyear, an amazing amount of
growth, and so I know you havesome little cheerleaders behind
you going.
Oh no way she added anotheroffice or she added another.
So we've definitely kept y'allbusy on your toes as we keep
(21:10):
expanding we just love seeingthe success and the growth, and
I know that you serve a lot ofunderserved areas, I'm sure of
that.
You're in a lot of rural areas.
You've just done an amazing jobfor the folks that you service
and we just are behind youcheering you on.
So keep going.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
We plan on it.
We'll be open for a while.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Thank, you so much, Jamie, and I appreciate you
talking to us Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
You have a good day.
My name is Jamie Arten.
I am the owner of BrightCareHome Care in Louisiana.
We have four agencies and coverfour different regions of South
Louisiana.
So we're in Lafayette,louisiana, baton Rouge, new
Orleans and the North Shore.
So we're pretty spread out andwe kind of service the majority
of South Louisiana, anythingalong I-10 or I-12.
(00:32):
We have a huge base ofcaregivers and have the unique
ability to be able to work inbetween all those areas.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
That's great.
You guys have really grown overthe last year or two.
I know we've been able to watchthat growth and it's been so
exciting to see.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
It's been exciting.
It's been a journey.
We've enjoyed it.
It's more than I ever expectedit would be and really I think
what drives our growth is eachagency has such an amazing
director in place and theyreally truly care about what
they do and they love theirclients.
They've all worked in home carebefore, so they know what needs
(01:08):
to be done, both in the home,out of the home, in the office.
Everything they do They've justhave the knowledge.
They're all very experiencedand genuinely care.
So I feel like that's been ahuge drive for us as far as our
growth is concerned.
They've drawn people to us thatI think maybe didn't know much
about home care and they'veprovided the customer service
(01:31):
and level of care that keepsbringing them back and,
obviously, referrals from them.
So that's always nice to get areferral from a current client.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
That's great.
Yeah, really having people inplace in each office that really
care about this is obviously abusiness that's full of heart,
and you wouldn't be in it if youweren't caring about people, so
I know it's a tough business aswell.
Tell us a little bit about,like, how you got started.
What compelled you, as a human,to be in the business of home
(02:03):
care?
How did you get started?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
That's a good question.
I have my background.
I have a master's degree inpublic health from Tulane and I
guess from that I was inhealthcare for about 20 years as
a dietician and at some point Isaid what do I want to do with
myself?
Actually, someone asked me that.
They said what do you want todo with yourself?
And I said I think I want totake care of people.
My children are almost grownand what's my next step going to
(02:30):
be?
I take care of people, that'swhat I do.
And I said okay, and somehowthis took a life of its own and
it took off more than I everexpected.
So we've evolved into this hugeorganization that started out
from just wanting to take careof people and it's.
It's been really rewarding andwe've met some amazing people
along the way.
It's been a really goodadventure so far.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
That's great and I know that this is a great
rewarding business.
It's also a tough business.
Talk a little bit about how doyou find all these great
caregivers.
So you hire a lot of caregivers.
Tell us a little bit about whatyou're looking for in an
amazing caregiver out there.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
When I started this business and I decided I want to
take care of people, itincludes taking care of our
caregivers.
So we can't have a well-runorganization with caring
caregivers if they're not beingcared for also.
So the basis of what I do, themodel that I have set, is for me
to take care of not only theclients but the caregivers, and
that flows over into the clientcare, and a lot of that starts
(03:33):
with really good training.
So we've invested a lot of timeand a lot of energy to
establish really good trainingprocesses and procedures to put
them in place, because this is ahard business to run.
You're not selling computers orselling furniture.
You're dealing with people, andit's people on both ends.
You're not you have clients onone end who need the care, but
(03:54):
you also have caregivers whothey have lives.
They have things that come upand happen and it's hard because
you have clients who reallywant only one caregiver or they
want specific things done andthey only trust one person
coming into their homes.
And so having really goodtraining and developing really
good relationships with thecaregivers and the clients and
(04:17):
introducing them and helpingthem develop good relationships
is a key aspect of what we doand I believe really contributes
to, I guess, the clientsatisfaction that we have,
because we really do have highsatisfaction rates, which we do
track with our surveys and Ireally believe that it has to do
with finding the right people,developing the right people,
(04:39):
training them correctly andhaving that open communication
with everybody.
It is a hard industry to runbecause you're dealing with so
many different personalities,but when you really spend time
developing and investing inpeople, you start to see the
results and they just it flowsover to the client care and it's
really cool to see once thatstarts happening.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
That's great.
I know that I'm talking to homecare agencies all day.
Without the caregivers, thereis no home care agency.
So they are the gold that weneed to really nurture and keep
them happy and, like you said,help them with all those human
things.
Life brings us your tire's flat, your kid is sick.
(05:22):
Being compassionate and caringabout them is also what is
needed to run a home care agency, and it's so nice to hear you
say that, because I thinksometimes people who run as
agencies get bigger.
It's hard to keep all thosethings in mind, but also having
great staff in each of yourlocations makes that much easier
(05:46):
, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Oh, absolutely, and we have great agency directors
at each location and that playsa huge role in it too.
They have the freedom andflexibility to really service
our clients in a way that theyfeel is appropriate, and every
situation is completelydifferent, so we really approach
it from a holistic standpointof view that is tailored toward
(06:09):
that individual.
There's not going to be ablanket protocol for every
single situation.
We really do try to adjust andmeet the needs of each
individual by looking at thewhole picture that they are in,
not just a standard set of care.
So each client has anindividual service plan and it's
(06:32):
all based on their own needs.
So having that individualservice plan and having the
people to develop that with them, even including their budget
and everything else that comesalong with care, makes a big
difference and when somebodylike I'm 54 years old, my mom is
75, and if I weren't in thisbusiness and had never had this
(06:52):
experience before?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
adding home care to our lives is a completely new,
foreign experience to us.
We're not used to that.
So when somebody calls one ofyour offices, what can they
expect?
What's the chain of events thathappens when they call and say,
oh, I think it might be time?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Like I said, each situation is different.
So listening and just hearingwhat the client has to say and
trying to get a really goodpicture of what their individual
situation is, what theirbackground is, what the family
dynamics are, what the budget is, what their background is, what
the family dynamics are, whatthe budget is, where they're
located, what the needs of theclient are Because some people
(07:32):
have totally different needs.
You have some people who wantto have companion care and drive
them to the local health cluband go have coffee with their
friends so they can still havethat freedom stop off at mass on
the way home.
So you have that aspect of care.
And then you also have thetotal opposite end of the
spectrum where you have ahospice client there in the last
(07:52):
couple months of their life andyou're dealing with such high
emotions from all the differentmembers of their family Not all
of them.
They see everything the sameway, so you really have to
adjust each situation based onwhat their needs are at that
particular time.
So the first thing we do whenyou call is try to get an idea
of what you need and what roadto take from there, and then the
(08:17):
next step would be to set upin-home consultation.
We do a free intake andassessment.
We go into the home, We'll talkto you guys, get to know all
the different family members andthat's really when we see the
personalities come out and so wedevelop an idea of what is the
best fit for their caregiver andhow to proceed with that care.
And we'll take a look, get alay of the land, see if there's
(08:39):
any dangerous situations.
Are there trip hazards?
Are there issues in thebathroom that maybe need to be
fixed?
Do we need to put up handrails?
Do we need to put up ramps?
What type of medical equipmentwe need in there?
I try to do that ahead of timebecause I want them to have coir
lifts and ramps and the rugsrolled up and everything to make
it a safe environment,especially if they're
(08:59):
transitioning out of thehospital to their home.
We want to make sure thateverything is in place.
Two-week span of returning homefrom the hospital or the rehab
the highest risk for somethingto happen.
So I really stress, I want todo that intake.
I like to do the intake in thehospital before they're even
(09:19):
discharged.
That way the caregivers canmeet the clients.
We can get the directors in thehomes, to make sure the homes
are safe before they get thereand the ideal situation is to
have it already set up and thenget that care in place so
there's no gap in care betweenleaving the facility and getting
home and then to make sure allthe proper equipment is in place
(09:41):
, like a Hoyer lift or walkers,bedside commodes, anything they
may need.
Like I said, every situation isso different we truly tailor
every service plan to theirindividual needs is so different
.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
We truly tailor every service plan to their
individual needs.
That's great to hear.
I know that coming home fromthe hospital it's just a.
If you've ever been in thehospital for any length of time,
it's always a moment of gettinghome and everything's different
and you don't have a nurse withyou 24-7.
You can just call on the calllight.
And if you've been in thehospital for a while for maybe
physical rehab after a hip orhip replacement or a stroke,
(10:16):
it's getting used to that andeven though it's your home and
it feels great, it's still a newenvironment altogether.
So it's great to hear you guysare really good at this, because
the organization and gettingeverything in place before
that's really the key to keepsomeone safe.
It's really rough.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
The bed's a different height and the water jug's not
right next to you anymore andthings need to be managed a
little bit, and you really needto be proactive in making sure
that everything's set upcorrectly and there's no fall
hazards, because that's reallyone of your number one reasons
for a readmission, and that'sjust something that just causes
so much more pain, so much moreheartache, so much more
(10:56):
financial burden.
It's all around.
If you can minimize anyreadmission to a facility after
being discharged, it's a win-winfor everyone across the board.
So being proactive is key inachieving that?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
That's great to hear you say that that's one of the
most challenging times.
Is that coming home from the?
Yeah, that's great to hear yousay that that's one of the most
challenging times.
Is that coming home from thehospital?
So that's awesome, and I knowthat you service folks for any
need, like you said,companionship, personal care
issues, whatever it may be.
So how fast can you guys getcare set up?
Let's say, somebody calls todayand they're already at home.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Yeah, Because of our size, we can actually get care
set up within 24 hours.
We have nine times out of 10,9.9 times out of 10, we can get
it set up within 24 hours.
Every now and then there's thatoutlying situation where
someone lives really far out andyou have a little bit more of a
challenge.
But we can almost always getsomeone set up immediately.
And I think that's because wecover so much territory and we
have such a large caregiver baseto pull from and we're
(12:01):
constantly hiring and trainingand investing in that time with
the caregivers to develop them.
They're pretty dedicated toworking with us.
So if we call them and we say,hey, we have someone being
discharged from the hospitalthis afternoon, is there any way
you can get out there and justget them started while we get
everything set up and permanentin place.
And we have such goodrelationships with the
(12:22):
caregivers in that sense thatthey're always they're really
pretty willing to jump and helpus out whenever we need.
And then, having a staff ineach office, because of our size
we're able to have a prettylarge staff for home care at
least large staff and they'realso invested in the care.
We always have someone on call,we always have someone who can
(12:42):
go out on a moment's notice, sothat helps a lot too.
That's probably one of our mainreasons we can start people so
quick is because of that staffbase that we have and how
willing they are to jump andhelp out.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
That's great and that backup plan is something I
don't want to miss when you hire.
I think folks don't understandthat when you hire an agency it
comes with a good backup plan.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
It does.
It comes with a good backupplan.
But you also have well-vettedcaregivers.
We invest in not only statewidebackground checks but we do
nationwide background checks andwe make sure that there's no
felonies or anything outstanding.
That not if you're getting aprivate caregiver.
You're not.
Most people aren't going to dothat Now, granted, I do work
(13:26):
with private caregivers.
I think they there's somewonderful ones out there they
can only do so much and sohaving an agency to work with
that caregiver or to have areally good backup plan in the
event something happens is soimportant because most people
can't go without that care,especially if you have families
living in different states andthey're all alone.
(13:47):
That's a safety issue.
So you want to make sureeveryone's safe.
So having that backup caregiverplan put in place then you also
have the staff backup if thebackup falls through.
So you have backup to yourbackup and then everyone's
well-trained, everyone's vetted,that they've had their
background checks, they've doneall the mandatory hands-on
training and the state requiredtraining.
(14:07):
Because we're a licensed agency, we have to follow certain
rules, but we've invested intechnology and programs to put
in place to actually go beyondthe base regulations.
So we do feel our caregiversare trained definitely to a
higher level in the competitionand that's something that we
take a lot of pride in and fromthe start of this business we
(14:29):
really invested a lot of timeand energy into developing those
programs.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I think the training aspect of this is amazing.
You guys do such a good job.
A lot of agencies you hope thatfolks have been trained on
things, but for you to have thathands-on training and to
provide that for caregivers isgreat, Because I think everyone
appreciates that all the wayaround, Especially things that
get complicated, like using aHoyer lift.
(14:54):
We've never used one.
It looks like a crazymechanical device but it
actually is really great forfolks that need it.
So that hands-on training isreally nice.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
And we'll go in and we see that if there's a safety
issue and we say, okay, youdon't have that Hoyer lift, or
they're not trained in that, wemake sure that we speak to the
family and communicate that, hey, if we don't get this in place,
this is a safety issue, someonecould get hurt.
Even the caregiver could gethurt.
So we want to make sure it'ssafe for everybody involved.
(15:28):
So training everybody on thesedifferent pieces of equipment is
a huge part of our trainingprocess.
We want everybody to know whatthey're doing.
That way we want to minimizeany possibility of anything
happening.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Oh yeah, absolutely those things.
It's really easy.
I can tell you from being anurse it's really easy to mess
up your back.
Whether you're a caregivertrained or not family caregivers
it's easy to not exactly dothings the right way.
So I'm glad you guys take thatinto consideration too.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
Absolutely.
We want the caregivers to betaken well care of so they can
take good care of their clients.
It all falls together.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
So what is something else that you might want to talk
about that we haven't covered,about BrightCare, home Care,
some of the differences betweenyou all and your competitors.
Anything else that you mightwant to mention, first of all?
Speaker 1 (16:18):
we are not a franchise, so we don't have a
lot of the restrictions that afranchise may have and we have
continuous care throughout SouthLouisiana, whereas if you have
a franchise in one area it'slikely owned by somebody else in
a different area and they don'tshare caregivers and they don't
communicate about care needsfor people that may overlap into
(16:38):
different cities.
People that may overlap intodifferent cities, because we do
have a lot of clients that willgo from Lafayette to New Orleans
or to the North Shore and it'sgood to be able to have that
consistent care and be able tocommunicate with everybody that
way.
The other thing is we really dospecialize in veterans care.
We probably a large, probably40% of our business would be
(16:59):
veterans and we've investedheavily in making sure that we
have all the processes andprocedures in place to
streamline the paperwork andwhat's needed to get them
started.
So I would definitely say, ifyou're thinking of what sets us
apart our veteran care, ourknowledge base of being able to
jump through all the hoops toget people set up and some
(17:20):
agencies or even locally ownedagencies they everyone can
provide care for aid andattendance, but not everybody
can provide care for thecommunity care network and we're
credentialed to provide carefor that community care network.
So if you're a veteran, youreally want to be with somebody
who provides for both programsbecause those programs can
overlap.
So you're going to get you'regoing to maximize on the amount
(17:43):
of care you can get by goingwith somebody who provides care
for all VA programs, and we'vebeen credentialed to provide
care in that community carenetwork.
In addition to the agentattendance, my thing would be to
make sure that whoever you useis able to service both lines of
care for the VA, so you're notmissing out on anything.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
I love that you guys have that right on your website
and that you're a part of theCCN or the network, and you've
been doing it now long enoughthat, like you said, there's
probably a few hoops to jumpthrough and you guys are really
good at that.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
The other thing would be just something I chose to do
when we started this agency isto work with people's budget and
the different family needs,because I hate how expensive
this is.
I don't like sending that billout at the end of the week.
I really like to do what I canto work with people's budgets
and there's so many differentcreative ways we try.
(18:38):
It's not a perfect system.
Once we get your background andwe meet with you and we get to
know what insurance companiesyou have, do you have long-term
care insurance?
We work with all the long-termcare insurance companies.
We'll explore any avenue tohelp get you the care you need.
Right now we're starting with aprogram, the guide program,
which is fairly new, which isable to help actually Medicare
(19:01):
clients, which is really rarebecause Medicare really won't
pay for it, which a lot ofpeople are surprised by that
Medicaid will but Medicare won't, and in the few situations it's
just such a challenge that mostpeople won't even mess with it.
But we actually recentlystarted with the guide program
and it's going to be interestingto see what happens there
(19:21):
because they will actually takeMedicare clients who have
Alzheimer's or dementia.
So I'm excited to see wherethat goes, and that's been
recently put in place and we'vegotten a lot of feedback because
people really want that help.
They need the help.
So a break, if nothing else,absolutely.
And the other thing that sets usapart would be probably
(19:41):
technology.
I just heavily invested in thatwhen we established our
agencies, just because I knowthat we have family members from
all over the country and theyneed insight into what's going
on.
You don't want to be out of theloop when your mom goes into
the hospital.
You want to know what happened.
So we have these family portalsthat everybody can log into.
Everybody can see the carenotes, everybody can see the
(20:03):
billing, because we have a lotof grown siblings who split the
bill between multiple childrenand then billing.
A lot of people will billlong-term care insurance and
then split the bill.
So there's so many differentbilling aspects that it's nice
to be able to access all that asa group in one place.
So the technology we have inplace, I would say, sets us
apart from a lot of other peopleas well.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, obviously you guys have really tried to take
this notion of home care and addas much value as you possibly
can for budgets, technology,safety, and that's just really
commendable, and so thank you,thank you for talking to me and
for everybody out there who'sgoing safety, and that's just
really commendable, and so thankyou, thank you for talking to
me and for everybody out therewho's going to see this and
learn more about you guys,you've done a great job growing
(20:49):
this agency we have as a grouphere on our team.
We've loved watching you grow.
It has been, even in the lastyear, an amazing amount of
growth, and so I know you havesome little cheerleaders behind
you going.
Oh no way she added anotheroffice or she added another.
So we've definitely kept y'allbusy on your toes as we keep
(21:10):
expanding we just love seeingthe success and the growth, and
I know that you serve a lot ofunderserved areas, I'm sure of
that.
You're in a lot of rural areas.
You've just done an amazing jobfor the folks that you service
and we just are behind youcheering you on.
So keep going.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
We plan on it.
We'll be open for a while.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Thank, you so much, Jamie, and I appreciate you
talking to us Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
You have a good day.
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