FirstLight® Home Care, a leading provider of non-medical personal and companion home care services, provides exceptional care for seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, individuals recuperating and any adult who needs assistance. With a team of highly trained caregivers, FirstLight Home Care is dedicated to the health and well-being of others, delivering compassionate and quality services to individuals in the place they call home.

According to a study conducted by Health Affairs in August 2019, senior care nurse staffing in the U.S. is exceptionally low, with nearly 91% of all nursing home facilities falling below the average staff expectation for at least six months of the year. The home care service industry’s struggle to recruit and retain caregivers and low wages have resulted in an industry plagued by staffing issues.

Now, FirstLight Home Care offers an in-home alternative to nursing homes or assisted living facilities. The brand employs exceptional support for caregivers and franchisees, a Culture of Care value system and streamlined operations, all of which combine to help solve staffing challenges in the non-medical senior care segment.

The Culture of Care Value System

“At FirstLight Home Care, our Culture of Care is our promise that every person is treated with respect and caregivers embrace each day with the values of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and dedication to provide excellent service and personal growth for clients,” said FirstLight's Executive Director of Human Resources, Talent Acquisition and Client Care Services, Kim McGraw. “The Culture of Care is what sets us apart from other in-home nursing services. It is not just the corporate mantra, it is something that is embedded within the entire business model, especially when it comes to staffing and creating meaningful relationships between caregivers and clients.”

FirstLight Home Care understands that extraordinary caregivers are the most significant members of the team in terms of delivering the service commitment to others. Whether it be through the extensive screening and corresponding background-check of the hiring process or the rigorous in-home care training that franchisees go through, the FirstLight executive team brings the Culture of Care into every step of the operation. FirstLight promotes a caregiving atmosphere where diversity is respected, quality of life is valued, personal ambitions are attained and the FirstLight Culture of Care is embraced.

“We do an excellent job of hiring the right people and cultivating relationships to the benefit of each caregiver and to the entire organization as a whole,” said McGraw.

Industry-Leading Franchise Support System

“Here at the support center, we provide care for the people who are providing care,” said Director of Recruiting Daryl Beckles. “Solving staffing challenges is more important than ever, so we provide each FirstLight Home Care owner with the necessary tools needed to find exceptional caregivers in their area.”

At FirstLight, the quality training and support is the foundation for delivering great home care. The in-home senior care franchise’s comprehensive training program prepares and guides new franchise owners every step of the way; from helping owners get their FirstLight operations up and running to sharing best practices for continually providing exceptional in-home care to clients. This practice has led to an industry-leading 90% franchisee satisfaction rate, according to a yearly survey done by FirstLight.

“In addition to offering a pre-training module and five-day corporate training program, our business directors are onsite in the franchisee’s marketplace twice during the onboarding process. This hands-on approach helps support every aspect of the FirstLight business, building brand awareness and getting them off to a strong start,” said Beckles. “After opening, our directors visit the location again on a regular basis for several days to continue training and provide the hands-on support needed to help franchisees thrive.”

Industry-Leading Caregiver Support System

Before any caregiver even steps foot in a client’s home, they complete a six- to eight-hour orientation training. Afterward, every caregiver goes through a “seven-touch program” in which a member of the local FirstLight team, an owner or a client-care coordinator meets with the caregiver seven times throughout their first 30 days of business operation to make sure everything is going well, for both caregiver and client alike.

“There are 16 criteria we use for every single assignment to make sure that our clients are matched up with the right caregivers,” said Jeff Bevis, co-founder and CEO of FirstLight Home Care. “Of course, that goes a long way in terms of keeping our clients happy and comfortable, but it also does the same for our caregivers, and that’s extremely important. If we have a caregiver who has asthma, we don’t want to put them in a home with pets or a smoker. That leads to caregivers quitting, which leads to a poor experience for everyone involved.”

FirstLight focuses on matching each client with the perfect caregiver, taking the time to get to know and understand each caregiver and client personally in order to create the foundation for a meaningful and long-lasting relationship.

“Our Learning Management System allows all training to be delivered consistently,” said McGraw. “By reducing the risk of human error, we make sure each and every caregiver is presented with an opportunity to learn and to grow with the company. We are able to see if caregivers need help and can offer easy and efficient support through the technology suite.”

Satisfaction and Retention

In the in-home care industry, when a caregiver quits, the consequences can be difficult for both the franchisee and the client. Franchisees must find and train a new employee and the client must establish a new relationship with a new caregiver, which takes time. While the national caregiver turnover average is 82%, FirstLight’s average annual turnover rate is just 16% across its network.

“We are constantly developing the tools and resources to focus on rewards, recognition, engagement and retention,” said Beckles. “The industry-average caregiver retention rate is just 30 to 35%, yet FirstLight boasts an impressive 86% retention rate over the past four years. Successful retention starts at the very first meeting with the employee, proceeding all the way through their journey with the company.”

In addition to attracting talent and retaining employees, FirstLight boasts some of the most satisfied and exceptional caregivers out there.

“We are given the privilege of being able to see our owners as they come through and grow,” said Beckles. “Our model allows caregivers to make that connection with their client, trusting that the Culture of Care is happening. Every year, we give away a Caregiver of the Year Award at our annual conference to highlight all of the staff’s exceptional work.”

“The caregiver staff is the foundation of this company,” said McGraw. “They are the ones on the front lines and we want to enable them to do an exceptional job and through support and our Culture of Care value system.”

For more information on franchising opportunities with FirstLight® Home Care, visit https://www.FirstLightfranchise.com/.