Comfort Keepers featured in Newsweek's Showcase this week

Article that appeared in Newsweek..

http://www.newsweekshowcase.com/franchises/comfort-keepers.php

Comfort Keepers Franchise

Comfort Keepers Senior Care Franchise Information:
Success through CaringAsk any Comfort Keepers franchise owner and they will tell you it is one of the most rewarding ways they have ever earned a living. Today, there are 36 million aging adults in America. By 2030, the number will exceed 70 million creating a rapidly growing industry offering tremendous opportunity.
Why Comfort Keepers?
We are ranked as one of the Top 3 Franchise Systems in Senior Care by Entrepreneur magazine and have become one of the fastest-growing new franchises in America, as recognized by INC., Wall Street Journal, Successful Franchises, Entrepreneur, HGTV, and over 100 major newspapers.
There are personally rewarding opportunities and financially rewarding opportunities, but it is not every day you can be in a business that is both!
Our client satisfaction ratings surpass 95 percent. We continually survey the quality of our services-No other company can match our client satisfaction levels.
In 2006 Comfort Keepers was recognized as a Top 50 Franchisor by Franchise Business Review, based on a survey of franchise owners.
Non-Medical In-Home Care Facts
Seniors spend approximately $5,600 per month for care in a private room in a nursing home. MetLife Mature Market Institute 2003
Estimated annual expenditures on home care exceeded $41 billion in 2001. National Association of Home Care
By 2005, 37% of all U.S. Workers will face more concern in caring for a parent than caring for a child. Aragon Consulting
More than 12 million Americans require some long-term care. As many as 6 out of every 10 Americans have family members or friends requiring long-term care services. 8 out of every 10 would prefer to have care provided at their family member's home. U.S. General Accounting Office
Seniors prefer to remain in the privacy and comfort of their own home versus moving to a nursing home or assisted living center. Ask Any Senior
Franchise Facts
Total Investment: $32,500 Franchise Fee. The Franchise fee, total start-up costs and working capital requirements may bring your total investment to approximately $56,500 - $88,800.
Exclusive Territory: Exclusive and Protected Territories of 175,000. Together we design a territory based on general population, senior populations over 65, and average household income demographics.
Affordable Royalty: A declining royalty structure rewards franchisees for business growth. Royalties go down from 5% to as low as 3%.
Scheduling Software: New Comfort Keepers franchises include the first-year use of proprietary software for invoicing, scheduling and telephonic tracking of services.
Multiple Services: We offer Homemaking and Companionship services along with the opportunity for Personal Care services. (Note: Provision of Personal Care services may require state licensing or accreditation, but we help you explore the added service opportunity and state requirements.)
Field Support: We offer a team of Franchise Business Consultants who work in the field and provide operational support and guidance.
Training Programs: Intensive 8-Day Training for new owners and GMs and on-going offerings available.
For USA Call Toll-Free (800) 387-2415For International Call (+1) 937-665-1322or mailto:admin@comfortkeepers.com?subject=Inquiry or go to website for more information: http://www.comfortkeepers.com/

Comfort Keepers of Springfield, PA names Deidre Whitton Caregiver of Year 2008

Deidre Whitton (center) pictured with Sallie and Clark Bongaardt, Owners, Comfort Keepers, Delaware County and Mainline serving Comfort Keepers.

Comfort Keepers is proud to announce Deidre Whitton of Springfield, PA was named Comfort Keeper of the Year for 2008. A prestigious award bestowed on a caregiver who has demonstrated and fulfilled the Comfort Keepers’ mission statement throughout the year to treat clients as if they are taking care of a member of their own family. Deirdre is a shining representation of all dedicated caregivers. She maintains the highest standards in care, she is a team player willing to pick up different assignments, she readily fills in for last minute call outs and works closely with other Comfort Keepers sharing clients and assignments. She is always on time, a hard worker who genuinely enjoys her clients and her clients love her back.
In her four plus years working as a Comfort Keeper, Deirdre has faced some tough clients. With a low-key demeanor, not only has she handled each challenging situation with competence, she is also able to find the special interest, hobby or activity her clients like to do. Her skill of providing interactive caregiving is unmatched and her creativity allows the client to participate at their individual level of functioning. Comfort Keepers has received multiple, unsolicited letters with glowing accolades from clients and their families who have been touched by Deirdre. Phrases such “{Deirdre} connected immediately with my Mom and they were able to establish the trust that was needed in order to complete the daily routine”, and “Deirdre is not only capable in her duties but she is a caring and compassionate companion to my mother”, and “We were truly blessed to have had Deirdre assigned to our case…we will always be grateful for her help and good care”, are a few of the common expressions of gratitude that we have received. An accomplished interactive caregiver engaging her clients in games, conversations, activities and exercise, Deirdre’s client files are documented with notations of the positive effects of Deirdre’s caregiving on clients having been recorded from ongoing visits by our registered nurse and our ambassadors performing home visits. Clients who were depressed have reported lifted spirits looking forward to Deirdre’s visits. Clients who were struggling to maintain quality in their lives have reported a renewed feeling of hope; and clients who were lonely reported finding a new friend. For Deirdre, being a Comfort Keeper is truly a vocation – a way to give back and make a difference. All of us at Comfort Keepers are grateful to Deirdre Whitton on our team and congratulate her on her award. To see more of our award winning caregivers, click here: http://www.comfortkeepers.com/caregivers/437/jobopportunites.html

Holiday and everyday activities to do with seniors, the elderly bake, cook, help and assist

Holiday Activity Ideas
During the holidays, seniors often experience feelings of isolation and loneliness, so it is important to keep them active and involved. Try to include your loved ones in the family holiday preparations and activities.
Cook a favorite meal together. Prepare a dish the senior loved as a child or once prepared as a holiday tradition. Involving the senior in the process, instead of making it for them, allows the senior to feel helpful and needed.
Make a family cookbook. Either organize recipes the senior has stashed away or hunt down some of their favorites from family members. This can also help you prepare dishes they will enjoy and be comforted by.
Set up a Christmas tree or Menorah. Decorations add so much to the holiday season. Help your loved one feel at home during the holidays by setting up their Christmas tree or Menorah with them. Again, having them help you put ornaments on the tree or plugging in the lights can make the senior feel helpful and involved.
Drive to see the beautiful holiday lights. Taking a senior loved one - especially a senior who can no longer drive - on a drive through town can be a delightful experience.
Watch old family movies together.
Play a favorite board game. It is important to get seniors minds engaged by playing games or doing puzzles. Interaction is important for seniors, especially during the busy holidays.
Take a walk down memory lane. Holidays bring back memories, and seniors often find great joy in having someone show interest in them and their past. Whether it’s looking through photo albums or just sharing stories, you can help the senior in your life feel loved and involved with this stroll down memory lane.
Address holiday cards. Sending holiday cards is a wonderful way to keep in touch with family and friends. Holiday cards are a simple and thoughtful gesture that can help seniors to stay in contact with people they might not otherwise keep up with.
Sing carols with friends and neighbors. During the upcoming season, encourage the senior in your life to get together with friends, family or neighbors and sing holiday carols. Carols can be enjoyed anywhere, in your neighborhood, a downtown center, or even a living room gathering.
Bake holiday treats. The holidays are filled with wonderful traditions, especially traditions that can be tasted. Most seniors have holiday favorites from when they were kids or from family reunions. Find the seniors favorite recipe and help bring some holiday cheer to their home and heart.
If you live far away from your loved one and cannot be with them for the full holiday season, try encouraging them to join a senior group in their area. Long, cold winters and holiday seasons often bring depression and isolation, so it is important that seniors feel connected and active. For more information, go to: http://www.comfortkeepers.com/

Does your loved one need help in home? Things to look for, identify his or her needs

How Do I Know If A Loved One Needs Help?
We live in a very mobile society where families don’t always live in the same town or even the same state for that matter. Unlike the “old days”, entire families throughout America don’t have the opportunity to come together as often as they would like. That’s why the holiday season has become an important time to take stock of our loved one’s health and everyday living capabilities. Family gatherings with loved ones from out of town, or even the more frequent family phone calls from long distance relatives, are a perfect time to ‘check up’ on seniors living on their own.
It is not uncommon for the adult children of seniors, especially the Baby Boomer generation, to have some concerns about how their parents are doing. In fact, according to the Family Caregiver’s Alliance, families provide 80 percent of the long-term care in this country. This holiday season while you are enjoying your visits or on the phone with your aging loved ones, make good use of your time by reviewing their living status.
Using Your Five SensesMany holiday traditions tempt your five senses. These same senses can be put to use in evaluating the status of elderly family members. Below is a checklist using each of your five senses to determine if your family members are in need of additional care or assistance.
Sight – Looking at the senior’s appearance can be a sign that they are being limited either physically or mentally from completing otherwise normal daily tasks. Watch for things like clothes with stains, poor personal hygiene and a disorganized or dirty house.
Sound – Listening to what and how seniors speak can tell you a lot about their current mental status. You should not assume that “old age” is causing these problems. Do they call you by name? Are they speaking normally? Are they staying involved in outside activities?
Smell – Using your nose as an indicator to determine if your relative is bathing properly, cleaning their house or have spoiled food in their kitchen.
Taste – Tasting their food and sorting through their medications can help you determine if they are eating healthy or taking expired medications. Look at expiration dates and for fresh and stocked pantry items.
Touch – A simple hug can tell you if your family member is fragile or losing weight. Is their skin soft and the color normal? Do they have any bruising or tearing of the skin?
Review Status By PhoneDuring telephone conversations, gently probe for information about the person’s health and well-being. Below is a list of sample questions that are key indicators or warning signs to help determine if your family members are in need of additional care or assistance:
• What did you have for breakfast? If your loved one cannot remember what he/she ate for breakfast that morning, forgot to eat breakfast or the meal appears to lack nutritious value, a memory problem could be setting in.
• Did you go to the beauty salon to get your hair cut? Did you use the new shower gel I bought you? These are good ‘backdoor’ questions to finding out whether or not your loved one is remembering to take care of his/her hygiene.
• Did you make it to Bingo this week? An early sign of depression is withdrawal from social activities.
• Is your loved one speaking normally? Differences in speech patterns are warning signs for medical problems that should be looked into immediately.
Help is AvailableIf you sense a problem based on the above indictors, you and other family members should waste no time in taking the appropriate next steps. As difficult as the process might be, keep reminding yourself that by being proactive, as a result of your observations, you will not only provide safety for your family member, but will also keep them happy and healthy for years to come.
If you are concerned about a loved one and would like more information on how to help, call one of our offices for a FREE consultation.
Comfort Keepers – Delaware County -610-543-6300Comfort Keepers – Philadelphia - 1-866-436-7750.Comfort Keepers – Mainline Area – 610-520-5300Comfort Keepers Chester County – 610-358-1640Out of State? Click on our website: www.comfortkeepers.com and go to locations.
Comfort Keepers provides Assisted Living services in the privacy of the home, hospital or facility to anyone over the age of 18 who is sick, disabled or elderly.
Services include but are not limited to: assistance with bathing and grooming, light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, transportation (to doctor, grocery store, errands). to get a free full assessment guide, go to www.comfortkeepers.com

Resoures getting help for Seniors, Elderly

Getting Access to Senior Services

Countless organizations have been set up to serve the many needs of senior citizens. There are so many, in fact, that one of the biggest challenges is figuring out where to turn when assistance is needed. To help others overcome this challenge, the US government has created an invaluable website called First Gov for Seniors. It can be reached by clicking on this link, www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml.
This web site acts as a portal to many of the services seniors need. Navigating this site is simple thanks to the easy-to-understand categorization. Once on this web site’s home page, simply choose from 8 different categories of service including:
Consumer Protection
Education, Jobs and Volunteerism
Federal and State Agencies
Health and Housing
Laws and Regulation
Retirement and Money
Taxes
Travel and Leisure.
Within each category is a collection of links that will take the visitor to more detailed information on a particular sub-category. This additional information might be in the form of an actual web site, or it might be a relevant article, or it might provide contact information for a particular agency. Getting your parents access to senior services really can be as simple as clicking on the appropriate link.
In addition to the links found within the 8 basic categories, there is an entire section devoted to Featured Sites. The links found here are relevant to the topics currently making the headlines. Right now this section includes information on the Flu season, links to Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage sites, and other newsworthy subjects.
As well-intentioned as this site is, the information that is available can be a bit overwhelming, and finding the exact answers you are looking for still might be a challenge. The key here is to be patient. Visitors should also be willing to click around; you never know what you might stumble upon. You will definitely find resources that you do not need right now so be sure to bookmark this web site so it’s easy to find later on.
First Gov for Seniors is a valuable starting point when you are the person in charge of getting your aging parents access to senior services. If your parents have access to the Internet and are comfortable working on a computer, pass this link on to them so they can visit the site when it is convenient. Another resource that you may wish to consider is the US Health & Human Services website - they have many resources that you might find helpful.
Another approach that can lead to an invaluable source of information on senior services, especially those that are local, is to ask around for references. There are also a great many sites that act as a network for resources - the Aging Parents and Elder Care Site provides home health medical supplies for seniors, arthritis products, gifts for elderly, handicap aids and accessories. Friends, co-workers and other family members with aging parents probably have many of the same questions and issues as you and your parents do. If they’ve already “been there, done that” they’ll be more than happy to share what they’ve learned including the resources that have been more useful than others.
Individuals working in medical offices are another good source for getting your aging parents access to senior services. Those who work there often know how to cut through the “red tape” so listen closely to their advice.

Our Mission is to provide our clients with the highest level of quality of life that is achievable. To read more articles on senior care, go to http://www.comfortkeepers.com/