Today we’d like to introduce you to Wayne Arrington.
Wayne, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started in the mid 90’s. My stepfather had a stroke, he was a big man 6’2″ 270 lbs. and my mom might have weighed 100 lbs. soaking wet. After my stepfather’s stroke, mom had a difficult time taking care of him. So, it became necessary to find outside help to come in and assist with his activities of daily living. In the mid 90’s there weren’t companies like ours that provided this type of service. It was a matter of asking friends and relatives if they knew anyone that provided this type of service. Not really knowing where to look and what questions to ask, we made some mistakes.
I remember visiting with my parents one weekend and the caregiver they had for the last six months had just quit. So, I’m talking with my stepfather and he says “yea Susie’s last day was Friday, I sure hope she makes her car payment”. So, I think to myself, why is he concerned if Susie makes her car payment? So, I ask. Bill, why are you concerned about Susie making her car payment? Well, she bought a new car a few months back and had trouble getting her loan approved, so I cosigned for her. Well needless to say Susie never made another car payment after she left and it took us four years to track her down and get the car back.
This was my first experience in dealing with private caregivers and care for seniors. Due to my stepfather’s size and the difficulty in finding someone to come into the home and help, we ended up putting him in a nursing home. About a year later I’m visiting with mom one morning and I sensed something wasn’t right. I’m sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and my mom walks into the kitchen butt naked. Needless to say, I am in a state of shock, that’s the last thing I wanted to see that morning or any other morning as for as that goes. I had no clue what to do and I couldn’t convince her to put her clothes on.
So, I picked up the phone and called 911. I told them that my mom had gone crazy and I needed someone to come and get her. It turns out she had a Urinary Tract Infection, but unfortunately, she never really recovered from that. Both of my parents have since passed away. I never thought much about those experiences of dealing with the care of my mom and stepfather until a few years ago. After selling my copier business in 2010, I was looking for a new venture. In the process, I ran into a friend of mine that was in the non-medical Home Care business. As he was telling me about his business, I’m thinking, wow, I can relate to this because I’ve been through it with my mom and stepfather, this is something I can really get my heart into.
So, I started researching the industry and found that this is very much needed service in our community. I looked at half a dozen franchises and was very impressed with FirstLight Home Care. They had only been in business for three years, yet they were ranked in the top 50 of Franchise Business Review. I flew to Cincinnati and visited with staff that introduced me to their Culture of Care. It’s a whole philosophy of doing business by providing first class service and a high level of respect not only for our clients but also for our caregivers. In 2013 we opened FirstLight Home Care of The Woodland. Since that time, we have expanded our territory and changed our name to FirstLight Home Care of NW Houston to better describe the area we cover.
Yes, we still cover The Woodlands, but we also work in Cypress, Spring, Tomball, Montgomery, Conroe, Magnolia and Willis. FirstLight Home Care of NW Houston has been providing caregivers who help seniors remain independent and living on their own for over 5 years now. It has been a wonderful experience knowing that we have helped so many. We Are confidants, problem solvers, bathing helpers, organizers, hope, tour guides, listeners, huggers, personal chefs, gin rummy players, freedom, activity planners conversationalists, co-pilots, good friends, independence, hair stylists, inspiration {caregivers}.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This is a pretty simple business, you find people that need help and you send people to help them. What could be easier than that?
We operate 24 hours a day 7 day a week, 365 days a year. Our biggest challenge is finding quality, compassionate people. We get a lot of applicants that need a job and that is not who we are looking for. We want people that really care about helping others, it’s a calling, not a job. We go the extra mile to find these people by doing reference, criminal background checks, and drug testing.
Back when we were just starting out I received a call from an insurance company asking us to service a client about 70 miles away. I informed them that was way outside of our territory. So, they say this client is a 24 x 7 x 365 days for life. So, I thought for a moment, we could really use the business and how hard could it be? All I needed to do was to run an ad in the local paper for that area, hire 6 people and we have a great client. So, I tell the insurance company, give me 2 weeks to staff it and we will take the job.
What a nightmare, the first three caregivers I hired did not show up for their scheduled shift. So, guess who ended up covering the shifts? You guessed it, it was me. By the time I left the clients home 36 hours later I was ready to sell the business to the first person that would give me $100. We did finally manage to get the right caregivers in place and had a great client for almost 2 years before he passed away. It has been a great 5 plus years, every day is a new challenge, we never get bored in this business.
FirstLight Home Care NW Houston – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
-Our Core Values & Home Care Commitments-
Our Culture of Care Promise:
At FirstLight Home Care, a leading home care agency, the genuine health and well-being of others is our greatest concern. We vow to provide first-class personal service for our clients so that they may enjoy the warmth, independence and relaxed comfort in their own home or any setting.
FirstLight Home Care is built on a solid foundation of core values and dedication to client happiness, peace of mind, and quality of life that supports our Culture of Care—our commitment to service excellence, personal growth, and accountability.
The Caregiver Bond:
At FirstLight Home Care, our extraordinary caregivers are the most significant members of our team in delivering our service commitment to others. By embracing each day with values of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and dedication, we cultivate our relationships to the benefit of each caregiver and the entire organization as a whole.
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 emboldened.
What Makes Our In-Home Care Different?
• All of our caregivers are direct employees (not contractors) – state licensed where required and thoroughly screened with a corresponding background-check – and must pass through our rigorous in-home care training.
• We are a fully compliant home healthcare agency regarding the privacy of every client’s personal health data, with caregivers trained in privacy issues.
• Following our thorough recruitment and home care training, all of our employees must go through our unique Culture of Care training and orientation process.
Service Excellence; We Are FirstLight Home Care:
-We foster healthy relationships for life.
-We are always receptive to and anticipate the needs of others.
-We are empowered to create a unique, healthy, and comfortable environment.
-We recognize and appreciate serving our clients with an unparalleled level of home care while enriching lives, enhancing community relations and spreading the FirstLight Culture of Care.
-We continually seek to innovate and strengthen the FirstLight Culture of Care.
-We believe that every service challenge presents an opportunity for us to immediately own and resolve that challenge to our client’s satisfaction; and that such challenges present opportunities for us to improve FirstLight Home Care’s caregiving service.
-We foster teamwork and collaboration so that we may exceed the expectations of every client and team member.
-We constantly strive to learn and grow.
-We are proud of our FirstLight Home Care image, exemplified through our professional appearance and demeanor.
-We care for and protect the confidentiality and safety of others.
-We are responsible for uncompromising standards of home care and personal attention, and we are committed to maintaining a safe environment.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career is when I see the smiles on the faces of the people we help every day and I think God I am truly blessed, thank you, Lord.
Pricing:
- Pricing is between $20 and $27 per hour and we customize the program based on your needs from 2 to 24 per visit.
Contact Info:
- Address: 14011 Park Dr Suite 205 Tomball, TX 77375
- Website: www.FirstLightHouston.com
- Phone: 832-380-8265
- Email: WayneA@FirstLightHouston.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstlighthomecarethewoodlands/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/txinhomecare
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