Alzheimer’s disease

Franchised provider of in-home caregiving services enhances DementiaWise program to address growing need of person-centered care

TROY, Mich. — ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, is proud to announce the launch of DementiaWise® 2.0. This expanded program builds upon the foundation of its original proprietary program, DementiaWise®, an occupation-based, team-centered training program designed to help elevate the standard of dementia care. The DementiaWise® program is aimed at better equipping home care teams to resolve dementia-related challenges collaboratively with clients and their families with a person-centered approach.

With an emphasis on person-centered care, the advanced training module delves deeper into the stages of dementia to tailor care strategies specific to each stage. DementiaWise 2.0, delivered through ComForCare’s Learning Management System, Relias, provides caregivers an eight-chapter training program containing stage-specific care strategies, new staging guides, caregiver daily schedules and a DW2.0 manual.

“Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and this number is projected to nearly triple by 2060. This marks a crucial need to equip direct care workers with the tools and strategies to support individuals living with dementia to not only successfully age in place at home, but to thrive,” said Stephanie Wierzbicka, Director of Strategic Health Programs at ComForCare. “In recognition of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month and beyond, ComForCare is committed to advancing the comprehensive curriculum of the DementiaWise program by innovating to provide the utmost care and support for individuals and families affected by the disease that is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.”

Since its inception in 2013, DementiaWise has been recognized by the Alzheimer’s Association for incorporating evidence-based dementia care practices. As part of its ongoing collaboration, ComForCare has featured Kristin Moore Bennett, Health Systems Director of the Alzheimer’s Association, on its 2023 and 2024 podcast episodes to discuss the annual Alzheimer’s Facts and Figures report, providing listeners with a comprehensive look into dementia care navigation.

“At ComForCare, we prioritize the essential need for equipping caregivers with every resource and tool available to ensure they have the expertise to care for and positively impact the overall quality of life for clients living with dementia,” said Rebecca Bouchard, Brand President of ComForCare. “In 2022 ComForCare supported a Duke University study that validated the effectiveness of our DementiaWise program, and with the launch of DementiaWise 2.0, we are only furthering our commitment to providing comprehensive, stage-specific care strategies that empower caregivers and enhance the well-being of clients.”

The launch of DementiaWise 2.0 ahead of Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month underscores ComForCare’s dedication to advancing the care and support for individuals living with dementia. To learn more, visit ComForCare DementiaWise. To view and apply to open positions, visit ComForCare Career Days.

Leading provider of in-home caregiving services launches new podcast series to provide expert commentary on need-to-know topics for aging services professionals. 

TROY, Mich. — ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, recently launched a new podcast, ComForConnections. The fresh podcast series aims to deliver insightful discussions and expert analysis on essential subjects for professionals in the aging services industry.

“Staying up to date on the latest research and resources can be daunting especially in the dynamic senior care continuum,” said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, parent company to ComForCare/At Your Side. “This podcast is a great opportunity to share vital information on the myriad of issues that come with aging.”

The pilot episode, which is titled “Alzheimer’s Disease: Facts, Figures & Best Practices,” provides updates and insights from the 2023 version of the Alzheimer’s Disease: Facts and Figures Report and transitions in care recommendations when providing care to an individual living with Alzheimer’s disease. e of. Future episode topics will cover fall risk prevention, person-centered dementia care best practice, staff retention tips, leveraging technology and more.

“We are committed to providing valuable information and resources to our partners, so that together we can help enhance the quality of life of the clients we serve,” said Jennifer LoBianco, Chief Marketing Officer of Best Life Brands.

Visit www.comforconnections.com to listen to podcast episodes and access resources. ComForConnections podcasts are also available for download on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean app, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn+Alexa, and the majority of podcast apps. For more information on ComForCare, visit www.comforcare.com.

90% of employees in Canada agreed that ComForCare is a great place to work for giving back.

VANCOUVER, BC — ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, has recently received the honor of being named one of the 2023 Best Workplaces™ for Giving Back by Great Place To Work^® in Canada. This marks the first year ComForCare has earned this prestigious certification with 90% of employees agreeing that “I feel good about the way our organization contributes to the community.” It is the second year, ComForCare designated as a Great Place to Work in Canada.

ComForCare received this honor after a thorough and independent analysis conducted by Great Place to Work. Such recognition confirms the positive workplace culture cultivated by ComForCare franchisees, as well as the brand’s emphasis on helping others live their best lives.

The list is based on direct feedback from employees of the hundreds of organizations that were surveyed by Great Place to Work. To be eligible for this list, organizations must be Great Place to Work- Certified™ and have exceptionally high scores from employees on the Trust Index survey.

“We are incredibly honored to have been certified on the esteemed 2023 Best Workplaces for Giving Back in Canada,” stated J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, the parent company of ComForCare. “Our devoted franchisees go above and beyond to prioritize caregiver fulfillment, resulting in increased loyalty and enhanced client satisfaction. Caregivers truly form the core of our business, and it is our utmost priority to ensure they feel valued and take pride in being part of our company.”

Great Place To Work, the global authority on workplace culture, certifies employers based on how fairly employees are treated. In addition, companies are assessed on how well they create an exceptional employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, or any other aspect of an employee’s character or role.

Earning Great Place to Work Certification proves that a company has an excellent employee experience, validated by their own staff. Certification is entirely based on what employees say, especially how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Being Certified™ provides a company with a literal badge of excellence. It denotes to current employees, jobseekers, and other companies within their industry that their organization is the best of the best.

About Great Place to Work^®:

Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. A global research and consulting firm, Great Place to Work^® provides the benchmarks and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In Canada, Great Place to Work^® produces both industry and demographic specific Best Workplace™ lists, and represents the voices of 500,000 employees across industry. This is part of the world’s largest annual workplace study, recognizing the world’s Best Workplaces in a series of national lists including those published by The Globe & Mail (Canada) and Fortune magazine (USA). Visit us at www.greatplacetowork.ca

Technology will enable older adults with diverse care needs to confidently and safely live at home with proactive and ongoing support.

TROY, Mich. — ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, forges an exclusive partnership with Connected Home Living, the leader in remote patient care, to introduce Connected Care for clients. The new technology will be integrated into ComForCare/At Your Side’s in-home care protocol to monitor vital signs, alerts, medications, mental and physical state of older adults cared for, on a daily basis, ensuring continuity of care and rapid intervention for best possible outcomes.

“This partnership is a transformative step forward in our commitment to delivering comprehensive and compassionate care to our clients,” stated J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, parent company of ComForCare/At Your Side Home Care. “The integration of virtual care into daily use alongside our hands-on, in-home care is revolutionizing the way we empower older adults to maintain their independence and well-being. With the ability to detect weakness, illness, and support dementia progression, caregivers can respond swiftly and manage proactively, ultimately gaining more time to focus on an individual’s social and well-being needs that are crucial to thriving in the home.”

Connected Care enhances care with:

Fall Detection: the fall detection technology responds within minutes without the need for cameras or wearables. Placed throughout the home, 4D-radar-enabled fall detection devices detect falls by triggering an automated response when someone falls below a certain height threshold. The technology is always active and ready to intervene.

Wellness Monitoring: non-intrusive sensors gather real-time activity and daily living patterns to establish a baseline for individuals. This helps ensure that everything is okay by learning normal day and nighttime activities. When there’s a deviation from this baseline, remote care coordinators are alerted to address potential risks. Data is always being reviewed to allow for identification of unusual patterns and to provide better insights.

Daily Virtual Calls: individuals can receive personalized care and support from remote care coordinators via video calls and regular check-ins. The coordinators monitor the individual’s medical conditions and ensure that they have access to necessary medications and household supplies. If any items are missing, the coordinators respond promptly to address the issue. These calls not only combat loneliness but also build personal relationships and improve the overall wellness of the individual.

Chronic Disease Management: Bluetooth telehealth devices (such as a weight scale, blood pressure, or pulse oxygen) and an app on a phone or tablet enable home management of chronic conditions (where location licensing permits). These devices capture vital information, to ensure they remain stable,and provide medication reminders. Alerts and follow-ups are sent for missed check-ins, and symptom changes are monitored.

“We are looking forward to this partnership with ComForCare and At Your Side Home care to bring technological efficiencies and prioritize care and resources to older adults. This integrated approach of in-home care and technology allows an older adult to reach optimal health and thrive in their home,” says Neil Tantingco, founder and CEO of Connected Home Living. “We are passionate about supporting patients and their families by extending the care management team, reducing social isolation, and promoting healthy behaviors.”

Connected Care will be rolling out across ComForCare and At Your Side Home Care franchise locations over the next several months.

To learn more about ComForCare, visit www.comforcare.com.

To learn more about Connected Home Living, visit www.connectedhomeliving.com

About Connected Home Living:

Connected Home Living is the leader in remote patient monitoring and telehealth services with over 400 nationwide home health, hospital, private care, and independent/assisted living clients operating in Canada and the U.S. Our Mission is to bridge the gap in health care and enable the individuals to heal in the privacy of their own home. We help adults stay out of the hospital and assist our clients in providing first class, quality care in a unique way. Boasting an astonishing 2-8% readmission rate company wide, Connected Home Living partners with award winning industry leaders in software and hardware to provide a full circle of product, software and services for chronic disease management, virtual caregiving, and fall safety. Connected Home Living is committed to helping people live their best lives possible and offers special programs, including remote companionship, virtual activities, and state of the art fall detection and wellness monitoring. Founded in 2015, Connected Home Living has been privately held and funded with an intimate group of friends and family.

TROY, Mich. — ComForCare/At Your Side, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, awarded the 2022 Franchisee of the Year award to Rick, Donna and Rudy Wrabel, At Your Side Home Care owners in Houston, TX. The award recognized their dedication to clients and consistently excellent service. The 20th annual ComForCare/At Your Side franchise conference took place March 2-4 in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada, welcoming over 225 staff members and franchisees.

“It is truly an honor for our family to be recognized for this award,” said Rick Wrabel. “We are dedicated to providing the leadership and tools to help our caregivers provide the highest level of service to our clients. We are passionate about serving our community and helping our clients live their best lives possible at home.”

The Franchisee of the Year is awarded to the ComForCare/At Your Side franchisee who displays the highest level of excellence in leadership, performance, the ability to sustain growth over several years, willingness to help others in the system become the best they can be, and the demonstration of pride in the brand.

“The Wrabel family is the epitome of what you would expect from someone receiving an award of this prestige,” said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, parent company to ComForCare/At Your Side. “They embody the ComForCare/At Your Side values within their office, and to the population they serve. They care for their clients as family, serve the community passionately, realize that dignity matters, are present and engaged in managing their internal and external staff, and have fun while they do it. They have done all of this as a family affair and together have made this business their life passion.”

In addition to announcing awards within the network, the conference was held to help energize the ComForCare/At Your Side teams and provide new tools and insights on making the most significant impact possible for franchisees and the families that ComForCare/At Your Side serves. The schedule was full of expert guest speakers, networking, and informative breakout sessions.

To learn more about ComForCare franchising, visit www.comforcare.com/franchising.

Family owned business will now serve clients from North Miami to Vero Beach.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Family owned and operated ComForCare Senior Services of Palm Beach, a private-duty non-medical home health agency, has acquired a major position and operating control of the existing ComForCare operations in Broward and Dade counties. This new partnership will bring ComForcare Home Care’s South Florida operations to a total of seven territories with the team now servicing clients from North Miami to Vero Beach. The existing team members in Broward and Dade will remain in place.

“While we have always been somewhat connected to our friends to our South, having the opportunity to bring our operations and management skills to this growing market is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Scott Greenberg, CEO of ComForCare South Florida. “We believe the combination of our skills and their rich history of quality care will allow us to serve more people in need and help them live their best lives possible.”

ComForCare South Florida, now serving North Miami to Vero Beach, is a premier provider of private-duty home care to the area’s senior population. Services include assistance with all activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, feeding, transferring, ambulation and toileting. Additional services include transportation, medication reminders, light housekeeping and meal preparation. The Palm Beach office is also DementiaWise®-certified, meeting the corporate office’s high standards for dementia education and caregiving excellence. ComForCare of Palm Beach has nationally-certified Alzheimer’s educators and Parkinson’s care expertise.

“The team in Palm Beach are shining examples of ComForCare’s core values of serving clients passionately, understanding the importance of preserving dignity, and they believe in having fun. It brings me great pleasure to witness their business expanding to serve even more clients in South Florida,” said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, the parent company of ComForCare/At Your Side. “They treat their office staff, caregivers and clients as family, are active members of the communities they serve, and approach their work with a fierce dedication. As a family affair, they have poured their passion and energy into this business and made it their life’s mission.”

For more information on ComForCare South Florida, visit
https://www.comforcare.com/florida/palm-beach-gardens.html

TROY, Mich. — Franchise Dictionary Magazine recognizes ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, as one of the top 100 Game Changers of 2022. This recognition highlights franchises that fill a niche, help the communities they are a part of, and provide opportunities for aspiring business owners.

“It’s an honor to once again be included on the Top 100 Game Changers list,” said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, parent company to ComForCare/At Your Side. “Our entire franchise network has been working hard to bring in-home care to communities all across North America. This recognition underscores the importance of serving an aging population with compassion and integrity. We look forward to reaching even more growth milestones in 2023.”

ComForCare has been providing quality services to the aging population for over 20 years. Driven by compassion and the desire to bring peace of mind to seniors and their families, ComForCare places caregivers in the homes of older adults who want to be independent, or provides respite care for family caregivers.

Alesia Visconti, CEO of Franchise Dictionary Magazine says, “2022 was a year of rebuilding and success in the franchise community. A brand that earns the Top 100 Game Changers designation has gone the extra mile to improve people’s lives and sets itself apart! We are THRILLED to recognize and showcase these 100+ fran-tastic brands that went above and beyond. Congrats to this year’s Game Changers!”

The full list of the top 100 “Game Changers” can be found in the December issue of Franchise Dictionary Magazine.

To learn more about ComForCare franchising, visit www.comforcare.com/franchising.

TROY, Mich. — ComForCare, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, was recognized as one of the top 500 franchises in Entrepreneur‘s Franchise 500®, the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking. The 44th annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500® is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry. Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the 2023 Franchise 500® ranks ComForCare as 402 for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power. This is the 10th year the brand has appeared on the prestigious list.

Over its 44 years in existence, the Franchise 500® has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. ComForCare’s position on the ranking is a testament to its strength as a franchise opportunity.

“It’s an immense honor to once again be included on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list,” said J.J Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, parent company to ComForCare and At Your Side Home Care. “Our main focus in 2023 will be growing to more locations and providing support to franchisees to help them grow their outstanding caregiving teams to meet the ever increasing demand. I cannot wait to see the growth milestones we will achieve in 2023.”

In Entrepreneur‘s continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the company’s 44-year-old ranking formula continues to evolve as well. The editorial team researches and assesses several factors that go into the evaluation including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500® in ranking order.

“The past year underscores the extraordinary opportunities that the franchise industry presents for entrepreneurs of all levels,” says Entrepreneur editor in chief Jason Feifer. “The companies named to our 44th annual Franchise 500 list represent some of the most innovative, creative, and trusted brands across many industries and highlight what it takes to build the kind of momentum that drives long-lasting success.”

To view ComForCare in the full ranking, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2023 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 17th.

To learn more about ComForCare franchising, visit www.comforcare.com/franchising.

Occupation-Based and Team-Centered Dementia Care Education Transforms On-the-Job Training for Seasoned and Novice Home Care Workers.

TROY, Mich. — Of the 5.8 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia, most remain in their homes throughout the progression of the disease. This option can allow greater comfort, familiarity, and quality of life compared to institutional care. Although there are benefits to aging at home, research reveals individuals and families dealing with dementia at home face significant disease-related and social challenges; thus, there is an urgent and growing need for more dementia-capable home care services. In light of the situation, stakeholders—including policymakers, administrators, families, and people living with dementia—continuously emphasize interdisciplinary staff training to create a more dementia-capable workforce.

ComForCare and At Your Side Home Care have launched DementiaWise^®, an innovative occupation-based and team-centered training program designed to help their home care teams resolve dementia-related challenges. The DementiaWise program is changing the way home care agencies approach memory care training and client collaboration in the U. S. and Canada.

A program evaluation study conducted by student and faculty researchers at Duke University Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program and Partnerships for Health found home care workers who completed the DementiaWise training felt better equipped and empowered to collaboratively care for clients living with dementia and their families (self-efficacy). They had greater job satisfaction compared to teammates who had not yet completed DementiaWise.

Background
Developing a dementia-capable workforce has proven a challenge for the entire health care industry, including home care agencies. Despite an abundance of proven dementia care strategies and significant time spent in traditional lecture-style training, caregivers of all disciplines still struggle to apply knowledge after the training in real-life situations. Without effective on-the-job training and support, experts warn that well-meaning team members can burn out under the stress of dementia caregiving.

Need for New Workforce Training
ComForCare and At Your Side Home Care, together with partners at Duke University and Partnerships for Health, have turned their attention to an essential design flaw that experts believe has limited traditional dementia care training. Teams often lack opportunities to plan, test, evaluate, and reflect as a team on the process of adapting responses to real-world challenges.

“With that problem in mind, we knew that more hours in traditional training would be inadequate to improve life for our clients, their families, and our home care teams,” said Stephanie Wierzbicka, Manager of Strategic Health Programs for ComForCare.

Innovative Program Design
In DementiaWise, person-centered care is the team’s standard and the goal of their work. There are twelve DementiaWise strategies, which are the team’s tools of the trade, but the new program doesn’t just lecture the information and strategies to learners. Instead, learning is viewed as a dynamic process of problem-solving, reasoning, and reflection on experiences. The video training depicts a caregiver working with her team as they encounter common dementia-related challenges in home care. The team’s shared challenges help structure content and merge knowledge of the disease, evidence-based care strategies, the client, care environment, and the situation into best-practice solutions. Additional real stories from ComForCare employees in the video exemplify solutions fueled by knowledge of dementia care, creativity, and teamwork. In the new program, the team’s success is measured by an expanded ability to tap into learning in novel situations. The program emphasizes a generalizable process of problem-solving, not just dementia-specific content. ComForCare employees are featured as role models—mobilizing the knowledge and expertise in the team and lending practical tips from frontline caregivers, franchise managers, and award-winning occupational therapist and dementia care expert Dr. Heather McKay.

Program Evaluation Results
The research team (Dr. McKay in collaboration with students and faculty at Duke Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program) completed a mixed-methods study with positive results across a diverse sample of home care workers.

DementiaWise (DW) training was positively associated with higher self-efficacy among home care team members at ComForCare, as the odds of higher self-efficacy in those who watched/rewatched DW were 1.6 times the odds of higher self-efficacy than those who had not yet watched DW.

DementiaWise (DW) training was positively associated with higher satisfaction among home care team members at ComForCare, as the odds of higher satisfaction in those who watched DW were 2.2 times the odds of higher satisfaction in those who had not yet watched DW.
For more detailed study results, please go to: http://comforcare.com/dementia-care.

Participants attributed the positive outcomes to specific features of the program, including an emphasis on communication, helping clients live life to the fullest, seeing clients in their totality, and developing soft skills for caregiving on a team.

Dr. McKay said, “With the new DementiaWise^® program, home care agencies are empowering caregivers to engage with families and colleagues in a collaborative process of collecting knowledge (both information and hands-on skills), sharing it with each other, and calling on it to resolve everyday challenges in the home with teamwork.”

“As the demand for high-quality in-home dementia care grows, the home care industry must respond with data-driven evaluations, which demonstrate the impact of different on-the-job training programs and inform future workforce development. In doing so, ComForCare is actively creating a more dementia-capable workforce and supporting people living with the disease and their families to live longer, safer, and happier in their communities, improving life for everyone involved,” said a ComForCare representative.

DementiaWise training is available on-demand for ComForCare agencies nationwide and Best Life Brands partners. To find the nearest office, visit comforcare.com/locator.

TROY, Mich. — Great Place To Work® and Fortune magazine have recognized ComForCare/At Your Side Home Care as one of the 2022 Best Workplaces in Aging Services™.  This is ComForCare’s second time being named to this prestigious list—coming in at 2nd place in the At Home Care category. Earning this esteemed position confirms the positive workplace culture cultivated by ComForCare and At Your Side franchisees, as well as the brand’s emphasis on helping others live their best lives possible.

The Best Workplaces in Aging Services award is based on analysis of survey responses from more than 140,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the aging services industry. In that survey, 92% of ComForCare and At Your Side employees said that the organization is a great place to work.

“We are so grateful for our dedicated franchisees and the commitment to their caregivers who have made us a part of this list for the past two years,” said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, parent company to ComForCare and At Your Side. “Our brand’s mission is to help others live their best lives. Caregivers are the heart of everything we do and it’s important to us that they feel valued and truly enjoy the vital work they do.”

The Best Workplaces in Aging Services list is highly competitive. Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected the list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. Companies were only considered if they are a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization.

Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their roles are.

“The Best Workplaces in Aging Services have a lot to be proud of,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place to Work. “They stepped up to support the well-being of their employees hard at work caring for high-risk populations at unprecedented levels throughout the pandemic. Congratulations to these great workplaces for their dedication to strong company cultures.”

In 2022, ComForCare and At Your Side Home Care also ranked as a Best Workplace for Millennials™.

Learn more about careers at ComForCare Home Care today, or refer someone to join this important field.

Great Place to Work selected the Best Workplaces in Aging Services by gathering and analyzing confidential survey responses from more than 140,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies in the aging services industry. Company rankings are derived from 60 employee experience questions within the Great Place to Work® Trust Index™ survey. Great Place to Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All™ methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America’s largest ongoing annual workforce study. The study is based on over 1 million survey responses and data from companies representing more than 6.1 million employees, this year alone.

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com.

Activated Insights is the senior care division of Great Place to Work and provides employee and resident surveys to aging services providers. With expertise in senior care, Activated Insights is committed to transforming the aging experience by impacting the lives of seniors, families, staff, and others in senior care through research, data and technology. Learn more at activatedinsights.com.