Against the backdrop of a proposed $3.5 trillion federal budget aimed at driving more senior care into the home, Home Helpers Home Care is launching a new suite of services that could help it take advantage of that trend.
The Cincinnati-based franchisor rolled out its new Cared-4 program earlier this week that offers clients expanded services in the home, including personal care, nutrition and well-being, 24/7 patient monitoring and wellness calls.
“By putting all of these things together, it gives a family and the patient that we’re caring for a complete care plan that is trusted and they can stay in the home,” Home Helpers Home Care CEO Emma Dickison told McKnight’s Home Care Daily. “They may not need all four. They may need two of the four or three of the four. We customize their care plan for what their individual unique needs are.”
The home care and the home healthcare industry are at the cusp of what appears to be a transformational time for the industry. With pending legislation, such as the Choose Home Act of 2021 that provides Medicare funding for home-based care, agencies are expanding the continuum of care through additional services and partnerships.
Backed by the Chicago private equity firm RiverGlade Capital, Home Helpers began four years ago to research ways comprehensive home care could prevent hospital readmissions. The company began testing Cared-4 two years ago, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, making in-home care a more attractive alternative to facility-based care.
“It just dovetailed nicely into the environment that we found ourselves in and families wanting to provide great care, have less people in and out of the home and keeping their loved ones home longer,” Dickison explained.
Home Helpers has a large footprint with franchisees in 41 states and a partnership with home healthcare leader Amedisys. Dickison said clients can not only pick and choose the services offered by Cared-4, they can also customize them as well. For instance, the program offers various options in its nutrition service.
“If the caregiver is doing all of the grocery shopping, meal preparation, serving the meals– that is kind of included in one rate. If we are providing meals to the home through an outside party on the days that we are not in the home, we do a bundled rate,” Dickison said.
Dickison said being on the board of the Home Care Association of America has given her a unique perspective on how her industry is evolving and how companies, such as Home Helpers, have to change to meet the needs of their clients.
“I really get to see at a high level what is going on in the industry. For us, we’ve always embraced the spirit of innovation to be at the forefront,” Dickison said.
