At FirstLight Home Care, in-home care is much more than just a career for business owners—it’s a calling. Thanks to its commitment to providing exceptional in-home non-medical care to seniors looking to age in place, FirstLight Home Care represents a new way of helping people to achieve the quality of life that they aren’t only looking for, but deserve. 

Originally founded by a team of professionals and caregivers with more than 105 combined years of experience operating successful healthcare and senior care service organizations — and since then expanding to have a leadership team boasting 200 years of experience in franchising and 160 years in home care — FirstLight embodies a commitment to excellence and a people-first philosophy. The company focuses on seven specific areas to enhance the overall people experience and meet the needs of clients everywhere. These areas include: client-caregiver matching, personalized care plans, client care access, consistent follow-through, objective client feedback, a 100% satisfaction guarantee and 24/7 availability. 

“All of our FirstLight locations strive to achieve service excellence every day,” said Jeff Bevis, FirstLight Home Care CEO and co-founder. “It wouldn’t be possible, however, without our extraordinary caregivers. Their relentless pursuit of quality and kindness is an inspiration.”

FirstLight’s mission prioritizes the delivery of first-class personal service and a better ‘people experience.’ The brand’s goal is to ensure that clients enjoy the quality of life they deserve within the surroundings they call home. It’s one thing to believe in this kind of care, but it’s another to actually implement it on a regular basis. To do so, the company employs a two-step commitment to client satisfaction that is unmatched in the industry. 

“Securing objective feedback and taking action are both at the core of meeting client satisfaction,” said Woodbridge, Virginia FirstLight owner, Paul Jones. “Vital feedback is actively gathered from our clients by conducting quarterly surveys through our research partner Infosurv. We then use this client feedback to correct, innovate and ensure we continually provide exceptional care.”

To achieve a star customer service rating of 4.5 and above, an individual FirstLight office must be ranked best-in-class in areas such as quality of care, responsiveness and overall satisfaction. To qualify, an office must have served clients for a minimum of six months and a minimum 10% of current clients must be surveyed each quarter. All ratings from client satisfaction surveys are based on a 5-point scale.

The demand for quality in-home care continues to rise. Between 2006 and 2030, the number of people aged 65 years and older is estimated to nearly double, growing from 37 million to 71.5 million, according to the American Association of Retired Persons. Concurrently, the same study found that a whopping 87% of seniors say they prefer to remain in their homes as they age.

“When someone you love can’t take care of themselves like they used to, you worry about their health and safety, their ability to remain in their own home and their quality of life,” said Steve Rattner, owner of Clearwater, Florida’s FirstLight Home Care. “We can help ease your concerns by giving you the support you need to provide the best care for your loved one. We’ll work with you to create a caregiving partnership that’s built on trust, communication and a special understanding of your family’s needs.” 

“We regularly check in to ensure FirstLight safety and quality standards are being met,” said Bevis. “If you or your family member is unhappy with our services for any reason, we will work with you on a resolution in a timely, thorough and caring manner. Our goal is to create customized care plans for your loved one. From companion care to personal care, we identify needs and create solutions that provide the best overall home care for your family members and peace of mind for you.”

Beyond the focus around delivering quality care by the company at large, FirstLight also puts a spotlight on specific caregivers who go above and beyond. Such was the case this year at the company’s 2019 conference where Cynthia English was honored as “Caregiver of the Year.” 

“Cynthia is originally from Jamaica and came to work for our team not long after moving to the states,” said Jones. “She was raised by an adoptive mother from the age of 3-on and at 12-years-old, her mom had a stroke and Cynthia was the only one to take care of her. She walked 20 miles to the hospital just to get some help and was introduced to caregiving at a very young age. She saw an opportunity to continue making a difference in people’s lives with us and we couldn’t be happier to have her.” 

As part of the honor, English was “queen for a day” while at the national event and the company even produced an incredible video to showcase the great work she does with the brand and for clients. 

“FirstLight really does organize itself around the caregiver and provides a place to celebrate people like Cynthia,” said Jones. “The biggest challenge with her is that everyone can’t have her as a caregiver. When Cynthia is filling in for a shift, people will almost always ask for her to come back. That’s the kind of care we strive for at FirstLight Home Care and that Cynthia and all our caregivers provide clients each day.” 

For more information on FirstLight Home Care’s franchising opportunities, visit https://www.firstlightfranchise.com/.