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Adding New Services: Where We Come From and Where We Are Going!

Hello everyone that follows us and I want to give you a big thank you and a quick update on where we have been and where we are going. Dwell at Home is adding services and technology to its platform. Growing up always has its growing pains and that is no different for us.

Why We Started

I know that some of you may not know how we started down our journey to “Help Seniors Find Care”. So here is a quick overview of why we sunk everything we have into helping senior care.

I visit seniors in my church that can’t always make it to church or are in the nursing home. On one of the days that I was visiting a new name was on my roster, “Ms. Lilly”. This would be the first time that I visited her and she lived in a nursing home. I cut some fresh flowers from the garden that I grow for my wife and headed out the door to see Ms. Lilly. I didn’t really know what to expect before I arrived, but it didn’t matter, I loved my visits with all the seniors. I walked down the hall of the nursing home to her door and there was a sign-in sheet on the door for visitors. I thought it was a new sheet because there were no names on the sheet. I signed the sheet and knocked on the door and entered. Ms. Lilly was bedridden and did not speak but she was such a delight. Her face lit up as I entered the room and showed her the flowers that I had brought her. I placed the vase of flowers on the bedside table and began to speak to her. I told her about myself and the things that were going on at church and in the community. We had a great visit. Three months later Ms. Littly was back on my visit list and I was excited to see her. Again I took some flowers from my wife’s garden and headed out. When I reached the door to sign in, I stopped in my tracks and stared at the sheet on the door. My name was the first on the list then there were two more names on the list and they were from our group at church. Tears rolled down my cheek as all I could do was stand and stare at the list. Not a family member or a friend had visited her. I pulled myself together and had a great visit with Ms. Lilly. Her face lit up when she saw that I had brought her flowers again. When I left her room the emotions started all over again. I knew that I had to do something about the state of senior care but what.

I told my business partners about what had happened and one of them had the same story about a lady in a nursing home that lived next to a relative of his that never got visited either. We then set out on a journey to help with senior home care. We sold our business, our farm, our houses, cashed in some retirement accounts, and began researching what we could do to help improve the lives of seniors.

Phase One

We started researching senior home care and what we could do to improve the lives of seniors. We knew we wanted to create a technology company that would bring care to seniors that wanted to remain at home. We read multiple articles and books on how care was provided and how to start a technology company. We found that the traditional way for families to find care for their senior loved ones was to call an agency, but we knew that there had to be a more efficient way. We also found out that about two-thirds of the care was actually provided by independent caregivers and independent agencies. Independent caregivers and agencies provide a more personalized homecare approach. They do not answer to a corporate office as franchise agencies do. There are positives and negatives associated with hiring independent caregivers and agencies just like there are with franchise agencies. You have to make sure you personally vet the agency and the caregiver before hiring them.

Phase Two

We asked the question: How do we develop a better way to match independent caregivers with those seeking home care? To answer this question we developed an APP-based system for independent caregivers and those seeking care. Independent caregivers can register online through our APP. The caregivers go through a screening process before they are allowed to register themselves on the APP. We developed a second APP for care seekers. Care seekers can post a job on the APP in search of a caregiver. As a care seeker, you can request a background check on the caregiver, ask for references and search through a list of caregiver profiles to find the right caregiver for your situation.

Phase Three

We asked ourselves another question: How can we improve care for seniors by providing good technology for independent agencies? To answer this question we researched back-office companies that provide expensive programs for the larger franchise agencies. We sought to develop similar technology at an affordable price for these agencies. We completed this development earlier this year and have started offering it to independent agencies. We have had good feedback from these agencies and have registered several agencies on this new platform. 

Phase Four

Well, we are still asking questions on how to improve senior home care services. I won’t let the cat out of the bag on our next development yet, but believe me, we are not finished yet. We have a heart for senior care and strive to provide better technology for the industry. 

Follow us along on our journey to revolutionize senior care one step at a time by following us on Facebook and Instagram!