Sisters Partner to Launch Business Aimed at Helping Seniors Age in Place

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Sept. 8, 2016 - PRLog -- Sisters Lisa Foote and LaToya Johnson are proud to announce that they're combining their backgrounds, training and passion for helping others to launch a new small business. Home Helpers and Direct Link of Fort Wayne, their new comprehensive home care service, serves the Fort Wayne, Bluffton, and Ossian regions.

Home Helpers is the nation's leading franchise specializing in comprehensive home care for seniors, new mothers and individuals needing recuperative and continuing assistance. Direct Link is its proprietary line of 24/7 medical alert systems, including a fall sensor and an automated medication dispenser.

Foote is wrapping up her Healthcare Administration MBA and, for the last four years, she has been providing home care to children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities as a direct support professional.

"As a caregiver, I have witnessed firsthand how intimidating it can be to allow someone else to come into your home, your personal space, to provide care.  It takes an understanding and compassionate person to help ease those fears. I believe my experience as a caregiver will allow me to be able to identify those kind of people to bring onto my team to provide the best care possible," Foote said.

Before that she worked in the social services arena, helping to provide emergency services to those in need within the Fort Wayne community.  Johnson has a Master's Degree in Public Health with a concentration on health policy and management and has spent the last nine years working as a safety, health and environmental consultant for a private organization in Indianapolis where she worked with large health care companies.

The idea to launch Home Helpers and Direct Link of Allen County started with Foote's desire to open her own business and find ways to better serve the community. That's when she turned to her sister.

"I knew I wanted to own my own in-home care business, but I didn't want to do it on my own. LaToya and I both wanted to build a legacy for our families and, with her experience and her education as well as my background in caregiving and current studies, working together to serve seniors made absolutely perfect sense," Foote said.

Home Helpers and Direct Link of Fort Wayne offers free in-home consultations and works with each client to create a flexible, affordable care plan based on a person's individual needs. Services offered include personal care such as grooming, bathing, ambulation, medication management and care management as well as respite care, meal preparation, laundry, light housekeeping, companionship and transportation.

"The services we provide at Home Helpers can really help make life easier for people who are struggling to maintain a high quality of life on their own. It's hard to accept that you need assistance, but it's OK to ask for help. Even if you're not sure what services you or your loved one might need – or if in-home care is right for you – give us a call and let's talk about it. We want to be a resource people can call," Johnson said.

With Home Helpers, each individual client receives services tailored to meet their specific needs by caregivers who become an extension of their family. Home Helpers' full-range of home care services empower clients to live healthier and more rewarding lives in the privacy, safety and comfort of their own homes.

"I understand what many of our potential clients are going through. I am a caregiver myself and I know what it's like to make the decision about what's best for a loved one and then also do your best to provide the needed services. It's stressful and sometimes you can't do it alone. And that's OK. That's why we opened this business. We want to be there as an extension of your family to help you give your loved one the best opportunity to have a long, healthy, happy life in the comfort of their own home," Foote said.

For more information about how Home Helpers and Direct Link can serve you and your family, call 260-402-7091, email LFoote@HomeHelpersHomeCare.com or visit http://homehelpershomecare.com/ftwayne.

About Home Helpers

Founded in 1997, Cincinnati-based Home Helpers is one of the nation's leading home care franchises. With an ongoing commitment to helping people live healthier, more independent lives in the comfort of their own homes, Home Helpers works with seniors, new and expectant mothers, those recovering from illness or injury, and individuals facing lifelong challenges. Home Helpers is affiliated with Direct Link, a national provider of 24/7 emergency response systems and vital signs monitoring units. For more information about the company or about how you can open your own Home Helpers franchise, visit www.HomeHelpersHomeCare.com.