By Mrinal Gokhale
Statistics show that there are currently more than 200,000 people over age 65 living in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties, according to Eric Little, Chief Development Officer of Right at Home.
Right at Home is an independent in-home care company with more than 500 locations in 46 states, specializing in personal care and assistance for senior citizens and adults with disabilities.
Caregivers hired through Right at Home often help seniors with bathing, cooking, running errands and other daily living activities, helping them maintain their independence and live at home.
“Since 2001, we’ve provided over 100 million hours of care to more than 80,000 clients, created over 75,000 jobs for caregivers and start new service with approximately 3,000 clients per month,” said Little.
Lisa McComb recently announced that she and her husband, Shawn, opened up a Right at Home location to serve the Oak Creek, South Milwaukee and Franklin areas.
With her background in nursing and her husband’s master’s degree in business, the couple felt their skills would help them successfully help the elderly population. After starting out as a registered nurse, McComb later worked in home and acute care. After a 30 year nursing career, she decided to do something else involving taking care of others.
“I call my parents every day, who are in their eighties, because it comes naturally to me and I want to extend that impact in our community,” said McComb.
McComb said that she and her husband became intrigued by Right at Home’s mission to “improve the quality of life for those we serve.”
She said her office is located at Layton and Howell Avenue, where she and her husband coordinate care by meeting and training caregivers.
“Many times, someone’s children or other relatives call Right at Home, seeking help for their elderly loved one,” she said.
McComb’s job will include visiting homes and nursing homes to fill out an intake form, and caregivers will be hired at their office location.
Little said that new franchisees receive extensive training to prepare.
“We train franchisees to hire caregivers based on the needs of the client and the caregiver’s capabilities,” said Little, adding that each client receives a customized care plan.
McComb said she has already experienced some training through the Right at Home University program.
“We’ve learned about Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other conditions prevalent among the elderly and how to provide care, and we will train caregivers to do the same,” she said.
Some clients, she said, will get about 30 hours per week of care while others may need 24/7 assistance.
The caregivers she will hire range from family members and friends of their elderly loved ones to people they will meet for the first time.
“Providing in-home care through Right at Home costs less than living in a nursing home, and we fill the gap that previously existed for the aging population,” said Little.
The new Right at Home location will hopefully start providing service in April, McComb says.
With the three locations in the Milwaukee area, Right at Home provides service in the metro-Milwaukee suburbs as well as within the City of Milwaukee.
Visit RightatHome.net/Milwaukee-waukesha for a list of service areas in Wisconsin.