Latest / The Inspired Stories Podcast / Why Human Connection Matters Most in Modern Home Care with Lori Franzo

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Why Human Connection Matters Most in Modern Home Care with Lori Franzo · The Inspired Stories Podcast

0:04
Welcome to another edition of the Inspired Stories podcast,
0:08
where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from
0:12
their successes and be inspired by how they've overcome
0:15
adversity. My name is Anthony Cotespotti
0:18
and today's guest is Lori Franzo, President and owner of
0:22
the Comfort Care Senior Services franchise Location.
0:25
They are a premier home care franchise that offers in home
0:29
care across the US and Canada, aiming to help seniors maintain
0:34
their independence in the comfort of their own homes.
0:37
They provide a wide range of services including personal
0:40
care, Alzheimer's and dementia care, along with respite care
0:44
and medication reminders. Their mission is to improve the
0:49
quality of life for each client and family that they serve.
0:52
Now, Lori has been in the home care industry since 2000 and
0:56
became President of Comfort Care Senior Services and Co and sole
1:01
owner Sorry in 2003. She currently overseas the
1:05
operations in Slidell and New Orleans in Louisiana, where her
1:09
agency is recognized as a Dementia Wise Office.
1:14
Under her leadership, the company has expanded its support
1:17
for seniors in multiple settings, including private
1:20
residences and hospitals. Now, before we get into all that
1:24
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2:08
All right, back to our guest today, the President, founder
2:11
and owner of Comfort Care Home Care, Lori Franzo, appreciate
2:15
you making the time to Share your story today.
2:17
And. Thank you for having me here
2:18
today, I appreciate it. So you have owned a comfort care
2:22
franchise for over 20 years then coming up on 20?
2:26
522 years. I'm actually going into my 23rd
2:29
year. 23rd year, OK. How did that opportunity come
2:32
about? Well, I actually before I did
2:37
this, I mean before this job working with seniors, I had a
2:41
whole another career, but I wanted something different,
2:45
something that made made me feel different, little more
2:48
importance in my life where I could service people.
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I like to work with people, care about people.
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And I got a job working on the council at the Council on Aging.
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And from there, I was director of a an adult day care center.
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And in this experience, I saw the need for quality home care
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back 2225 years ago. You know, there was a lot of
3:13
situations where people were hiring people off the street,
3:16
there was abuse. There was things going on.
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And when I worked for the Council on Nation, I had to
3:21
resolve and help a lot of people who were struggling in these
3:25
times. And I felt that we needed to
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have quality care, quality caregivers and people who
3:32
actually oversaw this and made a difference.
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So I began to research many different home care franchises
3:41
out there and I felt the need to go to a franchise as even though
3:45
I knew a lot about elderly, I didn't have an experience in
3:47
this area. And I've always been a person
3:49
who believes in learning. You have to learn something you
3:52
can't. That's how a lot of businesses
3:53
fail because they don't know what they're getting into before
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they did it. So I felt the need for a
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franchise would assist me and teach me how to better run my
4:02
company. Through many interviews with
4:05
different home care franchises, I selected Comfort Care.
4:10
They had the same ideas and philosophy and I did and really
4:15
ground in in the way it wasn't so focused on dollar, dollar,
4:19
dollar, it was focused on the individual.
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So at that point I went ahead and purchased a franchise and I
4:26
started my business with their help.
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So you looked at a lot of different franchise ORS, other
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people that could help you get your foothold, teach you sort of
4:38
the ropes, get you help get you set up.
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You went with comfort care specifically because their
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ideals matched your values, where it wasn't just such a big
4:49
focus on the bottom line, it was how can we help people?
4:53
Can you maybe give an example of how their values showed up
4:59
during that interview process, before you even got a chance to
5:02
work with them? Well, I really found that at the
5:05
time, the founder of the company, his communication with
5:10
me and, and I did, they're originally from Detroit and I
5:13
went up Detroit and I met everybody and I had met other
5:17
organizations as well. But when I walked in the office,
5:21
immediately they began to teach me and give me their philosophy
5:28
and explained to me that they weren't here to take all my
5:33
money, take everything that from me.
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It was we're not going to do anything until we feel you're
5:38
secure in your learning environment.
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So we're going to give you the time to develop your business to
5:46
get started before they began to collect royalties or any of that
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they. Were willing.
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They don't start collecting royalties right at the
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beginning. Right.
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They were willing to give me the time to establish myself.
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And really the founder was very persistent in the sense that he
6:05
saw some, he said he saw something in me that I was the
6:10
right person for them because they wanted people who truly
6:14
cared about the individual, who cared about what they're doing,
6:18
who knew how to interact with elderly people, who knew, you
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know, had the experience, but also had the heart for it.
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And there was just a connection there.
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I just felt comfortable. It wasn't.
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And like I said, I, I met with other franchisors and the first
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thing was money, money, money. This is what you, you know, we
6:39
expect from you. We expect this, we expect that.
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And I, I never feel about they were connecting with me on a
6:45
personal level, whereas with comfort care.
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And still to this day, they are still extremely amazing
6:52
organization that if you need them, they're there.
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If you're having troubling times, they're there.
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You know, and truthfully, they have helped me through some of
7:01
the most difficult times in my life, up and down business wise.
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I mean, we went through Katrina and I lost my entire business in
7:08
Katrina. So I had to start all over
7:10
again. And they didn't expect me from
7:12
day one to come up with how am I going to pay my royalties when I
7:15
had no business. They stood by me through all
7:19
these crises and they continued to allow me to flourish and to
7:23
put myself back on track and to continue my business.
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And they and so it was absolutely 100% right decision
7:31
to go with comfort care. That's amazing.
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It wasn't just a sort of a sales stick that they put on upfront
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and then they couldn't deliver. And they didn't deliver they.
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Delivered a. Hundredfold.
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As advertised from the beginning up until present day.
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That's great. That they were going to be here
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for us. That's awesome.
7:53
OK. So talk us through the actual
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services that you provide. OK, well, we we provide a full
8:00
range of services and there's a car that we give out fifty ways
8:04
we can help. But our main focus is really
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personal care, making sure that their hygiene is kept up.
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You're getting a good shower and a good bath and keeping clean
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and, you know, making sure everything with their physical
8:20
body doesn't matter whether they need simple assist or they need
8:24
full assist because we do handle bed bound Hospice clients, all
8:27
of that. Our goal is to protect the body
8:30
and the mind and we want to ensure that that is always taken
8:35
care of. And then of course, we do many
8:37
other things. We do laundry, we do light
8:39
housekeeping, we do meal prep, we do transportation, medication
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reminders, which is so important because if our elderly are not
8:47
taking their medications on time and on schedule or they forget
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to take them for days on end, that's when, you know, you deal
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with a lot of our elderly start to decline because they're not
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doing what they need to do at home.
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And so, and we can help them with, you know, we assist with,
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you know, keeping their house clean bills, you know, whatever
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it is really, we will pretty much help with anything that
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they need because our goal is to keep that person on track.
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And every person is different. You know, when we find even just
9:20
going into a home a couple times a week for somebody, an elderly
9:24
person has nobody and you know, they're alone most of the time.
9:28
You have someone coming in and, and making sure that their house
9:31
is trained up and there's food in the refrigerator.
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I mean, God, how many times they go into an elderly person, they
9:35
have no food in the house. I mean, that's not, that's not
9:38
good. So, you know, if you take not
9:40
taking your medicines right, if you take not eating right, you
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know, all of these things, your environment becomes chaotic and,
9:47
and messy. Those things wreak havoc on our
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elderly. And so if we can improve that
9:53
even in small increments, then that makes a difference in
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someone's life. So with the 20 plus years that
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you've been in the industry, Lori, what are some of the big
10:04
changes that you've seen happen? Well, I feel that when I started
10:07
this business, there was a lot more of simple companion cases
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where, yes, mom needed just some company and, you know, and, and
10:17
the, the, there wasn't, I'd say that it wasn't as great a need
10:22
for the heavy duty physical care.
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But what we're finding now is in, in these years of evolving,
10:30
our work has become more advanced, you would say.
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In other words, we deal with a lot of people that are in the
10:38
crisis moment. Families are calling mom's
10:41
coming out of the hospital. She's, you know, not not walking
10:47
anymore or she's not doing well anymore and she needs transfers
10:51
and a lot of physical care and cleaning from transfer to bed to
10:54
chair. You know, there's a lot more
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physical work involved. And the increase in dementia is
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unbelievable, like it is to me. So many clients.
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And I would honestly tell you 90% of our clients that we're
11:10
taking care of have some type of dementia.
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And if we don't care for them in the proper manner, then we can
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actually hurt them more than we're helping them.
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So can learning how to communicate with a person who
11:25
has dementia to understand the going into a home and looking
11:30
and seeing what's going on there and understanding what's going
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on. And then creating that care plan
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so that that that particular client, which our care plans are
11:40
dedicated to the individual, Then we can actually begin to
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improve the quality of their life.
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But a lot of times it is where they are already in the crisis
11:52
situation. Families don't know what to do
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or how to handle things and so our caregivers have to be very
12:00
trained in physical care and that is so important.
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We do do a lot of end of life care working with Hospice
12:06
agencies. So you know, we're dealing with
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bed bound people who need to be cleaned and turned and taken
12:12
care of and understanding that end of life with that person's
12:15
experience. So I find that a lot of the work
12:19
we're doing is way more advanced than just watching TV with mom.
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So you said that you've noticed an unbelievable increase in
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dementia. Do you think it's just better
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diagnosed now or do you think that there's been like an actual
12:36
substantial increase in instances of it?
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I think it's a little bit of AI think if you go back, you know,
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people didn't understand what dementia was sometimes back in
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the day. And I can go back into my
12:54
grandparents in ages like that when they talked about a family
12:58
member who wasn't clear. Sometimes they thought they were
13:01
crazy or they lock them up because they thought they were,
13:05
you know, had psychiatric problems.
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They didn't recognize dementia. They didn't understand what was
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going on with your loved one. And, but, and I remember with my
13:16
grandmother, my grandmother had dementia and understanding.
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I wish and I kind of that kind of pushed me.
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I wish I knew what I knew now that I could have helped my
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grandmother because there would have been so many tools that we
13:30
have now that help dementia people that could have helped
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her, you know, and I think there is an increase in dementia.
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I find that I don't know. And, and you go back to Eli, I
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read a lot of information, a lot about Alzheimer's dementia and
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where we, a lot of this is happening from.
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And a lot of it is, I believe contributed to our some of our
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lifestyles and some of the things we've been eating more
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chemicals we've been taking into our body over the years, things
13:58
that have or medicines that have actually affected our brain and
14:02
doesn't necessarily always help us.
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So I do believe that and from all statistics, there is a
14:08
definite increase in dementia types of, you know, dementia and
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how it affects individuals. And you have you're certified as
14:18
a dementia wise office. What is this certification
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represent? Well, it is a certification that
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has been approved by the Alzheimer's Foundation.
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Our team at our office developed this program and it is a program
14:35
that helps not only our caregivers, but it can also help
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families how to interact with a person with dementia.
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And IT, and maybe for example, and I still see this constantly
14:47
every day you have someone going in and, and their wife has
14:50
dementia and instead of trying to work with them and
14:54
communicate with them and understand where they're coming
14:56
from, they're either yelling at them or they're saying you don't
14:59
remember this or you, you don't know how to do this anymore.
15:03
I don't understand you. And they get frustrated and
15:05
aggravated. And then you see the person with
15:07
dementia getting frustrated and aggravated and it develops into
15:10
a very toxic relationship that doesn't have to be.
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And it's really this training which all our caregivers have to
15:19
go through in order to be hired by our company.
15:21
You have to do this training. And we've actually, comfort care
15:25
has developed Part 2. So we're now training on Part 2
15:28
of dementia. And really that's gotten more
15:31
involved in the types of dementia and how to interact
15:35
because each type of dementia requires sometimes different
15:38
types of interaction with your, your clients.
15:42
So it's teaching them how to interact, how to walk in, how to
15:45
read the room, how to read that person, how to understand, when
15:49
to communicate, when to back off, when to just leave them
15:53
alone and walk away and not expect them to do what you want
15:57
them to do at that moment. Because it doesn't work that
16:00
way. And if you constantly push,
16:01
push, push, all you're doing is pushing them away and
16:04
frustrating them more. It's knowing how to calm down.
16:07
It's knowing how to communicate, how to regroup and and have them
16:11
do something else for a little while and then try to get them
16:14
in the shower. You know, you can't push people
16:17
with dementia. You have to be kind, soft
16:20
spoken, interactive, but in a kind way.
16:24
If you think you're going to win by constantly saying, don't you
16:27
remember? Don't you remember?
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No, they can't remember. If they could remember, they
16:32
would remember, but they can't. So those expectations patients
16:35
have to change. And so you talked about how we
16:39
have a lot more tools now than like when your grandmother had
16:43
dementia. The training that you just
16:46
mentioned clearly is one of those tools.
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Is there something else that's worth mentioning?
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Well, I think that it's just, I really think that's the whole
16:57
thing of it is really for people to, for the kicker is to
17:00
understand the type of dementia this person has and what are the
17:05
different signs with those different dementias.
17:10
I mean, you've got Lewy body dementia, which is very
17:13
specific, OK with Lewy bodies, for example, you can have
17:18
hallucinations, you know, you tend to be more aggressive.
17:24
There are certain things that give you cues.
17:26
So once we do that that assessment and our nurse creates
17:30
that care plan with our families or clients, we know the type of
17:33
dementia and then we can give specific tools to those
17:36
caregivers on the type of dementia they're dealing with,
17:40
so they know specifically how to interact.
17:45
Has this training been sort of consistent throughout your time
17:50
in the home care industry or was there maybe fewer requirements
17:55
early on? Well, no, I think this has been
17:59
more of the last 10 years evolving, I think as the country
18:05
is beginning to recognize dementia and the different types
18:08
of dementia, and they're learning more and more about it.
18:11
I think more and more tools are coming out, more and more
18:14
understanding of dementia and what's happening with it.
18:18
And, you know, the fix was in the beginning, medicine,
18:21
medicine, medicine. Let's just give them drugs, give
18:23
them drugs. And now they're learning that
18:25
drugs are not always the answer. It's a lot of times it's
18:28
interaction, It's how you handle that individual.
18:31
And yes, medication plays a big part in it.
18:34
And the proper medication can help with anxiety levels and all
18:38
of that. But it's also knowing not to
18:41
over medicate people. It's knowing when to give them
18:44
just enough to keep them calm. But really teaching our families
18:48
how to interact with their loved ones that's so important.
18:52
And you know the? Big part of it is still
18:54
maintaining human interaction, right?
18:57
Painting human interaction is extremely important.
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And you know, sometimes when you go into a home or a family
19:03
member say, oh, mom's forgetting everything, she don't remember
19:05
nothing. She can't remember.
19:07
But if they haven't seen anybody in a week and there's nobody
19:10
coming in their home and they have nobody to talk to and
19:13
they're just maybe listening to a noise on TV, we can appear
19:18
that we have more short term memory loss than we don't.
19:21
And when you get someone in there who's interacting that
19:24
person and bringing them back to who they were, maybe cooking
19:28
with them, maybe they can't cook fully anymore, but they can
19:30
still do little things in the kitchen, helping them continue
19:34
to live the life that they lived and tap into those things that
19:39
who they were as a person. You know, whether they love to
19:43
read or did they like playing games or did they like to cook
19:47
or was clean home important to them or, you know, what was
19:51
important to them as an individual?
19:53
And if we can tap into those personality traits and
19:57
connections that they've lived their life, then you can develop
20:01
a rapport and then that particular person with the
20:04
dementia can learn to trust. When you develop a bond with a
20:08
caregiver and that client, it can be quite magical and quite
20:12
life changing in making that difference because if you just
20:16
walk in and think everybody's the same, then you've missed the
20:19
mark. You need to know who this person
20:22
is so that you can use the best tools possible in that toolbox
20:27
to interact with that particular individual.
20:30
You know, and I'm glad that we hit on this, Lori, because I'm a
20:33
big believer that safe human connection is some of the best
20:36
medicine that we have out there. Whether it's for someone who's
20:40
struggling with dementia or it's somebody who's going through a
20:44
rough period in their life, maybe they're dealing with
20:47
addiction issues, depression, anxiety.
20:51
I think being able to be around people that you feel comfortable
20:55
with and have that interaction, do things together, have
20:59
conversations. There's something I don't know
21:02
almost magical about. It, it is, it's so important.
21:05
You know, I know technology is changing and you know, it's all
21:08
kind of crazy these days, but human connection matters, you
21:13
know, and it matters. And especially when you're
21:15
dealing with an elderly person, not only do they have dementia,
21:17
but they have depression. And I'm glad you brought that up
21:20
because depression is big part of things.
21:23
And you know, family members sometimes don't always
21:25
understand that not only is your loved ones traveling with short
21:29
term memory loss, but because of that memory loss, they're
21:31
depressed. And depression can be so
21:34
debilitating on people. But if you can bring them out of
21:37
that depression and raise them up a little bit and have that
21:41
human kindness and interaction, it makes a world of difference.
21:46
So Lori, you've helped seniors primarily in home settings, but
21:52
I believe also in hospital settings.
21:55
How does the care that you deliver differ based on the
21:59
setting? OK, well, you know, generally in
22:01
the home, like I said, it's it's whatever needs to be done in the
22:05
home to what needs to be done with them.
22:07
But if we're going into a hospital, for example, you know,
22:10
you've got an elderly person who's in the hospital.
22:13
Truthfully, elderly people should not be left alone in the
22:16
hospital because there is too much going on, especially if
22:20
they they have dementia. It's too confusing them.
22:23
They can't interact with the doctor, then they can't interact
22:26
with the nurse. They're not following up on
22:28
what's going on, they're not retaining what's going on.
22:31
So a lot of times we're in there to back up that family and
22:34
families can't sit there 24 hours a day at a hospital.
22:37
It's too much on anybody, you know?
22:39
So having a qualified caregiver be the eyes and ears for your
22:43
loved 1 to ensure one, that they're being taken care of
22:46
properly, that their needs are being met.
22:49
But then what happens when the doctor shows up and nobody's
22:51
there? That caregiver is retaining that
22:54
information and asking the questions that the family needs
22:57
so that we can make sure we relay back to the family what's
23:01
happening with dad or mom and we can communicate that.
23:05
So that's important in a hospital to have that
23:07
connection. We also do a lot of work in
23:09
assisted livings, memory care. So it doesn't really matter
23:15
where you are, home care can make a difference because none
23:19
of us can be anywhere 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
23:24
And the services that you provide go far beyond basic
23:28
personal care. Can you tell us about programs
23:32
like Joyful Memories Music and Gateway Fall Prevention?
23:36
Yes. Well, Gateway full profession,
23:38
full prevention has always been a big part of what we do and we
23:42
always do A and when we go into a home, we do a full risk
23:47
assessment and that assessment lets us look at the home OK and
23:53
say, OK, what Mom's been falling, but we see a lot of
23:56
problems here. How is that shower?
23:59
Do they have a handheld shower head to come down?
24:02
Do they have a seat in their shower?
24:04
Are there rugs where they're tripping on those rugs?
24:07
You know, what do we see as some of the issues, how their falls
24:11
are happening? And by doing a full risk
24:14
assessment, then we can actually event start to prevent those
24:18
falls. And so we give the families a
24:20
list of, you know, these are the things we suggest that you
24:24
change inside the home so that this way we can prevent people
24:29
from falling. Because we all know that a lot
24:31
of elderly people, a major fall like a broken hip or whatever is
24:37
the thing sometimes that takes them out to be honest with you.
24:41
So if we can prevent those falls and keep them safe.
24:44
So our full risk assessment and our then we create that care
24:49
plan on how to prevent those falls inside the home.
24:54
And music is very important and music and actually we do have a
24:58
music therapist on staff here in our office.
25:00
But through joyful melodies, it is really tapping into part of
25:04
the brain that can function beyond anything else.
25:10
Music is always there and and then listening to music and
25:14
playing music and then going back to the music especially
25:18
that people loved as they were growing up.
25:20
It touches part of the brain that some of us can't get
25:24
through in any other way. So music is an extremely
25:27
valuable tool. In terms of accessing memories
25:31
that weren't there before, is that what you mean?
25:33
Yes, it actually brings them back.
25:35
Like maybe there was a time, maybe their husbands passed, but
25:38
then they used to listen to Frank Sinatra all the time
25:41
together. So tapping into that and and
25:43
really then putting that music on and maybe finding a way to
25:46
communicate with that client. Tell me a little bit, does this
25:50
make you think of something? You know, you're not pushing
25:53
them to remember something, but sometimes it just brings in that
25:56
queue. For example, I had a lady that I
26:00
used to work with and she did not talk.
26:03
She did not speak. She she still couldn't walk, but
26:07
she was very vegetated. She lived in constant anxiety.
26:10
Pacing, pacing, pacing. There was nothing that would
26:13
calm her. El Wise began to play music for
26:16
her on a regular basis. She would actually sit down in
26:21
her chair and she would be so calm and so still.
26:26
And she would begin to tap her feet and she would hum to the
26:30
music and, and you could see how it touched her that no other way
26:36
would touch her. So music is an extremely
26:40
valuable tool. And that is why comfort care
26:41
created joyful melodies to to not only we do it in assisted
26:46
livings and so on and so, but in the individual homes using music
26:50
as that tool to tap into memories that may still be there
26:54
or to just and are. You trying different kinds of
26:57
music to see what they respond to?
26:59
Yeah, a lot of. Times we try to learn about the
27:01
person, but it also kind of goes with your age and the era that
27:05
they lived in, you know, and what connected with them.
27:09
And so you know, it it. We tend to do go back, of
27:14
course, to the older music because most of our clients are
27:17
elderly and that is the time that they connected into.
27:20
And actually, sometimes music can agitate.
27:23
So some of the music that people listen to these days, you could
27:26
see if you're playing that music, you're agitating them
27:29
because that music is not familiar to them.
27:32
So you want to be selective and you want to be really patient,
27:36
specific as to their error and their times and what kind of
27:39
music they valued. And sometimes in a lot of our
27:42
questions and our assessment tell us what they liked, what
27:45
did they listen to? Some people like Elvis, some
27:47
people like Frank, you know, some people like just listen to
27:49
classical music. So it's learning what they like
27:53
and, and trying different things and tapping into it.
27:56
And a lot of times they can evolve communication and get
27:59
them to open up and it and you just see sparks kind of fly with
28:03
music. Now, Lori, at the beginning of
28:05
the interview, you talked about how because your your business
28:09
is based in Slidell and New Orleans, LA, and when Katrina,
28:15
the big hurricane came through, it wiped your business out.
28:19
What was that recovery process like for you?
28:22
It was a very difficult time. We had just started the company
28:28
and somebody was growing. We were thriving.
28:30
It was an amazing time. Then Katrina came through and
28:34
literally took out everything. There was no business.
28:37
There was no people, there was no caregivers, there was nobody.
28:41
And it literally took four months before I could come back
28:45
to Louisiana. But my goal was to come back.
28:50
We did have three clients that we kept throughout Katrina and
28:56
we had three games that took their time, left Louisiana with
29:01
our clients and stayed with them for almost 3 months.
29:05
And so they, that was a very dedicated, those are very
29:09
dedicated people. But when we came back, we had to
29:12
find an office again. The office was gone, everything
29:15
was gone, homes were gone, you know, so we came back and like I
29:19
said, comfort care was just amazingly supportive of us and
29:23
helping us get our get back on our feet.
29:26
And we just started over again. We found an office space that
29:30
was dry and didn't get damaged. And so we rented that office and
29:34
we began trying to hire caregivers.
29:37
But what was difficult about that time is that there were so
29:41
many clients. People were coming back and
29:46
needing help with their loved ones, but we didn't have
29:49
employees. The employees were still all
29:51
gone. I mean, their homes were
29:53
destroyed. So it was a constant challenge
29:57
of trying to help people, but trying to get work employees
30:00
come back to work. I mean, it was really literally
30:04
a year for us to get our feet, get back on our feet and really
30:08
start to do solid business again.
30:12
Whether we're talking before Katrina, after or present day
30:16
would have been the most effective ways for you to find
30:20
customers or for them to find you.
30:23
Well, you know, marketing is important and really our
30:26
referral sources are key. It's really connecting with your
30:31
referral sources where business, when they see a need for someone
30:35
who needs home care, whether it's home health, Hospice,
30:38
hospitals, all these different areas.
30:41
Marketing is important. It's keeping your name out
30:43
there. It's making sure that people
30:46
know who you are and really a solid reputation.
30:49
I mean, that's what our, what I have always was.
30:55
So I, I don't know if I'm saying this, but it's always been so
30:57
important to me is that our reputation remains solid.
31:01
And then no matter what adversity we face, we are there.
31:05
We're going to do the right thing.
31:06
We're going to treat people right to the best of our
31:09
ability. And yes, we can make everybody
31:11
happy. That's we all know how that is
31:13
these days, but we do our best to make sure our reputation
31:17
stays solid and that goes out to our long term referrals and they
31:22
know who we are as a company. I'm so sorry and know how we
31:26
care about people and and so that really I am so sorry.
31:34
That really makes a difference and in the reputation and of
31:38
course we advertise all the time.
31:41
Internet has become a big thing. So you have to constantly be up
31:45
on the Internet. You need Google reviews, you've
31:48
got to constantly be getting your reviews from your clients
31:50
because that's going to keep your name at the top of the
31:52
list. So there's a lot to marketing
31:55
and and really getting out there and making sure people know
31:57
you're here because if people don't think about home care,
32:01
they don't think about it until the emerge.
32:03
Until they need it right now. Then suddenly they're like, Oh
32:05
my God, we need home care, you know, and, and we try to advise,
32:09
train people. Don't wait till the last minute.
32:12
I mean, you can sign up with us on an as needed basis because
32:15
maybe you just once in a while need help.
32:18
Maybe you go out of town for a couple of days and somebody
32:21
needs to look up for mom for a couple of days.
32:23
So it's setting up on an as needed basis.
32:26
So you're working in advance rather than working at the
32:29
crisis where suddenly mom's coming to the hospital, there's
32:32
nobody to take care of her. You know, Dad's coming home and
32:35
he needs 24 hour care. You know, sometimes people are
32:38
still waiting till the crisis occurs.
32:40
So it's trying to educate people on how valuable home care can
32:44
be. And, you know, like, I will
32:46
share with you that some people say, oh, I, I just don't think
32:48
they can afford it. But getting someone in even two
32:52
days a week where they have no body and we're making sure the
32:56
house is clean, the refrigerator is full, you know, there's,
32:58
they're taking their meds, all of those things just on small
33:03
increments can make a difference.
33:06
So we try to educate people about how home care can start
33:10
small if it's what needed. The other thing that's valuable
33:14
with home care, and I'll relay this too, is that we take care
33:16
of young people too. It's not.
33:18
Just how interesting. So you, you've got someone
33:21
coming out of a hospital say had a knee replacement.
33:24
Well, they live alone maybe or they don't have the help they
33:27
need. Well, using US for two weeks or
33:30
three weeks so that we can get you through your crisis period
33:33
and then you're back up and running and you don't need us
33:35
anymore. You know, home care is not just
33:37
for elderly. It can be used for younger
33:39
people who've had a procedure at the hospital and you know, then
33:44
suddenly need some help on a a very temporary basis.
33:49
So who do your referral partners end up being?
33:52
What kinds of places, Whether it's young or old?
33:54
Home health, you're looking at hospitals, you're looking at
33:58
Hospice. We get a lot of referrals from
34:00
Hospice rehabs. You know, people go into rehabs
34:05
and then they're coming out of rehab and they need some more
34:07
help at home to continue thriving.
34:11
You know, so there are many different reasons why our
34:14
referral sources refer to us. It's getting people to tune in
34:20
at those places to understand, hey, this person could use home
34:24
care because this person is going home.
34:27
And are they going to decline as soon as they leave you if
34:31
there's nobody there to make sure they're taking their meds,
34:35
you know, making sure there's food in the refrigerator, making
34:37
sure that they're continuing their exercises?
34:40
You know, and that's something that's important to us.
34:42
We work with therapists who can give us range of motion so we
34:46
can work on those range of motions with our clients, making
34:49
sure they're getting to those follow up doctor's appointments.
34:53
All of those things can make a difference.
34:55
So the other side of the equation is it's sort of this,
34:59
you know, you want to find the clients, you want them to find
35:03
you, your referral partners help there.
35:04
And then on the back end you need to have the care providers
35:08
sort of ready to go to fulfill that service.
35:11
What have you found success with in terms of locating, recruiting
35:18
and retaining those folks? OK, well you know, it is a
35:21
constant challenge and it has become more of a challenge these
35:25
days than ever getting the right employee.
35:30
And so, you know, unfortunately here at Comfort Care, we are
35:34
very fortunate that we have a lot of long term employees.
35:37
And to me that's the most valuable thing.
35:40
If you have someone that you hire and they stay with you,
35:43
then you know, we have people. I have some caregivers have been
35:47
with me 17 years. I mean, that's phenomenal to
35:49
have people who work for you that long, but you have to
35:53
constantly be hiring because generally in this industry,
35:57
you're looking at about a 33% turnover of your employees.
36:02
So, you know, you've got to constantly be bringing people
36:05
in, but they have to be qualified.
36:07
They have to have experience, then they have to be willing to
36:10
go through our training. They have to be willing to do
36:12
what it takes to become the best caregiver.
36:16
But you are constantly looking, you are constantly hiring.
36:19
And, you know, we're always running ads on different
36:22
platforms and just trying to connect with people in many
36:26
different ways. And we're quite extensive in our
36:29
interview process and what we do to hire an individual, you know,
36:33
they have to do 13 hours of training before they can.
36:36
Even even though they may have 20 years of experience, they
36:39
still have to do our initial training.
36:41
I mean, it is just part of getting that kicker.
36:44
But then retaining them is so important.
36:47
And that's why offering different types of benefits that
36:50
can help them. 401K and paid time off programs and different
36:56
health programs and different things that we can offer them
36:59
that make them want to stay with you.
37:02
So different tools that can help retain them is extremely
37:06
important. I know you brought up about
37:09
health insurance and benefits through some type of
37:13
supplemental health insurance that can help too.
37:16
So it's having the tools in place so that you can offer them
37:20
something more than what the person the home care down the
37:23
street is offering them. What do you think the future of
37:28
in home care is? Are there innovations or or big
37:31
changes that you think are coming?
37:33
Well, I think technology is a big part of what's changing in
37:36
home care only because, you know, used to be a lot of a lot
37:39
more paperwork. The thing is, everything's dying
37:42
through computers now and scheduling and, and sending out,
37:46
you know, schedules to the caregivers and at them being
37:49
able to access and also being able to access shifts.
37:52
So, you know, now there's open shifts report.
37:54
So caregivers want to work more. They can access those things and
37:57
having those tools in place where they can get their pay
38:00
stub whenever they want to because they have a way to
38:02
access it on their own, not constantly calling the office or
38:05
it's really a lot of the technology that comes into
38:08
place. And really the training training
38:11
has evolved so much and, and, and, and learning all these
38:15
different tools and, and constantly training them in
38:17
different avenues. I think that has become a big
38:20
part of what we do to ensure that the caregivers that we have
38:25
are doing a good job. And truthfully, salaries need to
38:28
increase and you know, but there's, we've always believed
38:31
that if we can pay them as much and the best our boys can, we're
38:35
going to do that because may it may hurt us on whatever our
38:39
bottom line. But if they're but if they're
38:41
with you and they know they're being paid well and they we
38:44
value who they are as individuals, then that they're
38:47
going to stay with you. They're not going to leave you.
38:49
They're going to stay here because they recognize that this
38:52
is a good company who looks out for us.
38:56
Lori, in my experience, some of our greatest challenges end up
38:59
being some of our biggest teachers.
39:02
I'd like to hear about a serious challenge that you've overcome,
39:07
whether it's personal or professional.
39:10
How'd you get through it and what did you learn coming
39:12
through the other side? Well, I, I've had to learn, I
39:16
think to, I've had a lot of ups and downs, challenges.
39:21
And in this business, financials are a constant up and down
39:25
because of the fact that you never know, you could have all
39:29
of these hours and all of these clients and literally I have
39:33
lost four people in a week who passed away on me.
39:36
So it's knowing how to constantly regroup, restart and
39:43
have the patience to know that it's going to circle back
39:45
around. That took a long time to learn
39:48
because you know, you right away panic, you right away get
39:51
stressed, you right away. So have to think, oh, what's
39:54
going to happen? But I've learned over the years
39:56
not to get so stressed out over it, to learn how to face the
40:01
challenges, think about them slowly, and how to.
40:05
Make the proper moves to move forward in another direction.
40:09
I mean, I think that's part of any business owner who in the
40:12
beginning is like so stressed out on about how they're going
40:15
to manage. But I have gone through Katrina.
40:18
I have gone through the oil spill in 2009.
40:21
I mean, I have gone through so many ups and downs in the
40:25
financial aspects of things. And it's really a matter of
40:28
making sure you're putting your some money on the side for those
40:31
times. You can't just think you're
40:34
going to survive if you have no backup.
40:36
So you've got to be willing to have the tenacity to get through
40:39
it and to know how to keep working your business and keep
40:42
moving forward and really about hiring the right staff.
40:46
And that's been truly something I've learned how to do.
40:50
And truthfully, I am so blessed because I have so many people in
40:53
my office that have worked for me for years and we tend to have
40:57
retention. And it's really, for me, it's
40:59
constantly connecting in with them and ensuring that they're
41:03
happy at their job or whatever their stresses are.
41:07
I'm listening to them, hearing them, and helping them resolve
41:11
those stresses that you're dealing with.
41:14
So it's really about growth and understanding how to run a good
41:17
company. You know, you mentioned just
41:20
finding a way to get through it. I'm curious to hear more
41:23
specifically how you've gotten through some of these
41:26
challenges. Are you leaning on friends and
41:30
family? Are you part of different peer
41:32
groups, maybe the franchise network itself?
41:37
Perhaps you've got a mentor? Any any people or groups of
41:41
people that you've been able to go to when you go through?
41:44
These, my franchise group has been an amazing mentor to me,
41:49
especially in the first, you know, 10-15 years.
41:52
Of course, I've grown so much that I may not need that as
41:55
much, but they were constant mentors to me and constantly
41:58
when I had something I didn't know how to have an answer to.
42:02
And to this day, if I don't have an answer, that's where I go.
42:06
I go to them. But also being out in the
42:08
community and meeting different people and different
42:11
organizations and different groups and, and, and connecting
42:15
with those people and listening to people and sitting down at a
42:18
table with people in different organizations who have a
42:21
different perspective and, and can really constantly be
42:25
teaching you. I'm also a certified senior
42:28
advisor and that's something that I did started, began in the
42:32
organization 22 years ago when I decided to do this.
42:37
I, and I don't know if you're familiar with the organization,
42:40
but it is, it's called certified senior advisor.
42:45
And in that I am a constantly under education.
42:49
So in order to keep that and my ability to go out and talk to
42:54
people about different aspects of being a senior, whether it's
42:57
Medicare or Medicaid, understanding long term care
43:01
insurance, understanding home care, understanding home health,
43:03
understanding Hospice, understanding how we all these
43:06
things work together. I have done so much training
43:09
with this certification over the years that it's given me
43:12
tremendous knowledge. And so for me to walk into a
43:15
room and be able to have a conversation with somebody,
43:18
whether it's a Hospice agency or a nerd case manager or it's
43:22
really given me such a broadview of all these health services so
43:28
that I can equip myself to have conversations and intelligent
43:32
conversations with people who are in this industry.
43:36
So that's been a big part of my training for me.
43:39
I want to go back to oil spill in 2009.
43:43
How did that have an impact on your business?
43:45
Well, again and, and in that 2009, I will share with you that
43:51
the Medicaid system in Louisiana is not in very good shape and
43:56
the IT is still not after all these years.
43:59
And so 2009 we had the major oil spill.
44:02
There were everything was shutting down here.
44:05
There were no employees. It was people were not spending
44:08
money. Home care was just really
44:11
struggling. And on top of that, at the same
44:14
year, we had to make a big decision.
44:17
When I started this company, I wanted to help everybody.
44:20
It didn't matter how much money you earned or what you could
44:23
afford or didn't afford. If I could help you, I was going
44:26
to do it. And the Medicaid system in
44:28
Louisiana at that time helped people and we would get
44:33
reimbursed. It wasn't a lot, but it was
44:35
still enough to for us to be able to assist Medicaid clients.
44:40
However, in that same year as the oil spill, I had to make a
44:44
very difficult decision. I had to back out of Medicaid
44:48
and taking Medicaid clients. And the reason was is because of
44:51
the state decreased their reimbursement and still to this
44:56
day have not ever brought it back up.
44:59
They are actually reimbursing less than what a standard
45:02
employee caregiver wages. So we had to we had to get out
45:07
of a Medicaid business and really it broke me at that time
45:12
because it was not something I ever wanted to do.
45:15
But as a business owner, I had to choose, am I going to keep
45:19
this company open or I'm going to have to let the Medicaid go?
45:24
Those are hard business decisions to have to make,
45:27
especially when they pull so hard the other direction from
45:30
what your personal values are. Right.
45:34
It, it, it was very difficult because my philosophy was to
45:37
help. And I also knew that we were
45:39
losing money, tons and tons of money because I might be paying
45:43
you at that time and you're going back 2009.
45:45
I mean, I might have been paying you 12,000 an hour.
45:48
And if they're reimbursing you 11, well, that doesn't take
45:51
much, you know, understanding of business that you can't continue
45:55
in that process. So we had to drive Medicaid.
45:58
I became a big advocate to try to change Medicaid for many,
46:02
many years in the state of Louisiana.
46:04
I wrote letters. I tried to connect with her
46:07
politicians. I tried to do different things
46:09
to say, hey, what are you doing? You know, this is not helping
46:13
because now we're hurting the people that were supposed to be
46:17
helping. But politicians don't always
46:21
listen, think the wheel doesn't always change.
46:23
And I finally had to accept it that there was not going to be a
46:26
change. And to this day in Louisiana,
46:30
State of Louisiana, there are very, very few Medicaid
46:33
providers left. Is that right?
46:35
Because they cannot afford to hire qualified quality people
46:42
and get reimbursed and lose money.
46:45
So you can't, you can't do it. So that was a big challenge for
46:49
me to have to overcome to figure out how do I move on And, and
46:53
yes, it was a good part of my business.
46:55
So I had to regroup and think, how do I continue having my
46:59
business grow without that chunk, you know?
47:03
So is it mostly private pay or other insurance products able
47:07
to? Basically, we are generally
47:09
private pay is a big part of our business, long term care
47:13
insurance, which not everybody has, but I highly recommend if
47:17
you can afford a policy, get a long term care policy because we
47:21
do have a lot of clients who are in long term care who their
47:23
policy covers home care, whether it's a small amount or a lot of
47:27
it, it just depends on each individual policy.
47:30
Now we do have a few of IT resources.
47:33
Of course, we get work from the comp cases, things like that,
47:36
because working because comp refer to us.
47:39
But some of the big changes that are happening right now is that
47:43
health insurance is beginning to recognize home care as a
47:47
valuable tool. Health insurances never covered
47:51
home care. They cover home health, which is
47:53
very different than home care. They never covered home care.
47:57
Well, there are two insurance companies out there in Louisiana
47:59
right now. There's one called People's
48:01
Health and the other is Humana. Humana is now offering limited
48:06
amount, but some home care. So in other words, they'll refer
48:10
a client to us as coming out of a hospital that needs some help
48:14
from maybe a certain amount of time, or they get 12 visits, or
48:18
they may get 20 visits. They're assigning them visits to
48:22
help them get through the crisis of coming out of a hospital.
48:26
Because as we know, hospitals are concerned about readmission
48:29
rates. It's a big thing right now.
48:31
And they get dinged if they're constantly readmitting their
48:33
patients. So now some home cares are some
48:37
insurance companies are beginning to recognize, hey, if
48:40
we use a home care agent, that's huge and get them in there and
48:43
they can help. We can't afford long term, but
48:46
we can afford at least maybe 20 visits for 8 hours.
48:49
Then we know that person's got their feet on the ground and
48:52
they're moving forward and they're going to keep them out
48:54
of the hospital. Which is much more expensive for
48:56
the insurance company to have to.
48:58
Pay for paying for that little bit of home care that they're.
49:01
So that is, I say one of the biggest changes.
49:05
The other thing is very amazing now is the veteran care veterans
49:11
here in the state of Louisiana. I know across the country, the
49:15
Veterans Administration has improved their home care so
49:18
much. We have a massive amount of
49:20
clients. We, that's not something we
49:23
don't pursue. The individual comes out of the
49:25
VA, they send us clients when they have someone that they
49:29
assess that needs home care, they will go ahead and send us
49:33
the, the, the person's information.
49:36
We reach out to them and the VA is providing home care sometimes
49:41
up to 20 hours a week of care for that individual, for that
49:46
veteran. And when I tell you it makes a
49:49
world of difference because, you know, our veterans struggle,
49:52
they struggle so much and sometimes they can't afford to
49:56
pay for home care. But the VA has stepped up.
50:00
They're doing it right. They're running an amazing
50:03
program. And this really, really has
50:05
evolved and it's getting better and better over the last 6-7
50:10
years and it's amazing what the VA is doing for their veterans
50:15
these days through home care. Any other trends that you're
50:19
seeing like that? I mean, both of those seem
50:20
pretty significant. the VA Humana, the other group that you
50:24
mentioned, anything else that looks encouraging for the the
50:28
home healthcare industry? Well, I think really the more
50:33
hospitals and health insurance begin to recognize what home
50:38
care can do, I'm hoping that that will continue to evolve.
50:42
I mean, I think it's still a very slow process and still
50:45
there are so many people that don't even understand what home
50:47
care does. But I think those are some of
50:50
the primary things is getting our government to understand the
50:53
value of home care, insurance companies understanding the
50:57
value and hospitals understanding the value.
51:00
And I think some hospitals are starting to recognize that, hey,
51:04
home kick and home health is one thing, but home owns only goes
51:07
in once, twice a week, you know, and they do some therapy, but
51:11
who's taking care of that person to see if they have food or if
51:13
they're taking their meds? So hospitals are beginning to
51:16
take a turn around to recognize that home care is a valuable
51:21
tool. You know, so I think it's just
51:23
coming more to the forefront of realizing just like Hospice,
51:27
just like home health, home cares right there, right there
51:31
at the top of the ring with those others.
51:33
What's the difference between home care and home health?
51:36
Okay, well, home health is the doctor has to prescribe an order
51:40
for it and the nurse comes in and they'll review their
51:43
medications, they'll make sure they're, they're, you know,
51:47
whatever's happened inside the home.
51:48
And generally they, the nurse will come in and do their blood
51:51
pressures check, make sure they're OK, they're visiting 1/2
51:54
hour in and out, maybe just to make sure the person's not going
51:58
totally. Off more of a medical a short
52:00
medical visit. Medical release and then there's
52:03
PT and OT. So if you have some you need
52:05
some physical care. They'll come in and then for and
52:08
thankfully Medicare has been taking a lot of hits.
52:11
So like they used to maybe get PT and OT for three months, now
52:14
they're getting it for six weeks, you know, so even that's
52:17
decreased a lot. So that's all that home health
52:21
does. Whereas home care can be in
52:22
there from 4 hours a day to 24 hours a day, just depending on
52:27
the need of the client. And we'll assist with their
52:31
we're looking at their whole picture, their whole life, their
52:34
whole self, and taking all of that into account and trying to
52:38
tap into each part of that person to keep them on track and
52:42
keep them healthy. You've mentioned multiple times
52:45
in the interview how you're somebody who always wants to be
52:48
learning, always wants to be growing.
52:51
Is there a particular resource, a book, a podcast, a course
52:57
that's been helpful for you that maybe some of our listeners
53:00
might get some benefit from? Well, you know, honestly, I'm
53:04
constantly reading, mostly is a big reader.
53:09
So like I have every magazine that's anything that's published
53:13
about dementia care or Parkinson's, so all the
53:16
different diseases that are out there now.
53:18
And like I said, I'm a certified senior advisor, so I do get a
53:22
lot of curriculum from the organization that helps me and
53:26
they're always on top of their game as to what's changing and
53:30
what's evolving. And actually we have an amazing
53:33
person up at our corporate offer called Stephanie And Stephanie
53:38
she is constantly out there with different organizations and
53:44
different constantly staying on the new developments that are
53:47
happening in diseases and and sharing.
53:50
So she's a big mentor to me because she brings me
53:53
information that can help me learn.
53:57
And so she's, and that's something that comfort care is
54:00
really good at is that they're not just sitting back on their
54:03
laurels. They're constantly trying to
54:05
develop us as individuals, as business owners to learn more,
54:09
to know how how we can better serve our clients.
54:13
So I really take in a lot and truthfully out in the field in
54:17
in when I'm marketing or in the community, there are so many
54:20
people that are involved and care about these subjects that
54:25
if you're willing to sit down and listen and talk and have
54:29
lunch and brainstorm ideas, that's a lot where I get a lot
54:32
of my information from. That's great.
54:35
And Lori, I've just got one more question for you today.
54:37
But before I ask it, I want to pause and do two things.
54:40
First of all, everyone listening, I'm going to ask if
54:43
you could just set aside a second, open up your podcast
54:46
app, hit the follow or subscribe button there, maybe even leave
54:49
us a comment or review. These are ways that you will
54:52
continue to get more great interviews into your feed and
54:56
it's a way that you can help the show and help others find us.
54:59
Or I also want to let people know the best way either to get
55:02
in touch with you directly or your staff or to continue to
55:06
follow your story. What would that be?
55:09
Well, you can reach us here at our office.
55:12
We have two numbers. We have a 985-781-6619 or we
55:18
have a New Orleans off number which is 504-833-7726.
55:25
You can reach us on either one of those numbers.
55:27
You can go online and just pull up comfort care and you can pull
55:31
up the territory that you're looking for.
55:33
We're all over the United States and Canada and even overseas.
55:36
You can just go online, pull up comfort care, home care.
55:39
Comfort care, senior services will come up and you can find
55:42
any office that you need in any area necessary.
55:45
You can also reach me personally at my e-mail, which is
55:49
elfranzo@come4care.com. I welcome anytime anybody
55:54
reaching out to me, me personally, you can find that
55:57
information on our website, my numbers, my emails.
56:01
So there's so many ways to get in touch with us here in our
56:05
office. Everybody is trained, everybody
56:07
knows what we do and everybody's really good at communicating.
56:11
So there's so many ways to get a hold of us.
56:14
And look, you may be just reaching out because you just
56:17
want to learn or you maybe you're not ready.
56:20
That's OK. If we can help you to understand
56:23
and have more information so that when you are ready or when
56:26
you are ready for a loved one for home care, knowing that you
56:30
have options and choices and what your choices are matter to
56:34
us. So whether you choose us or not,
56:37
if we can educate you and give you the information you need,
56:40
then we felt like we've done a good job.
56:42
Doing a little bit of homework in advance is going to pay
56:44
dividends for down the road when you eventually need that help
56:49
because often times it comes suddenly, right?
56:52
Last question I have for you, Lori, you and I reconnect a year
56:56
from now and there is one big specific thing that you're
57:00
celebrating. You're very excited about it.
57:03
What's that one specific thing you're celebrating a year from
57:06
now? Let.
57:10
Me, think about that. Well, I would think a year from
57:17
now the development of some of our newer programs that are
57:21
coming on board. And I think that's what I'm
57:25
excited about because, you know, understanding different diseases
57:30
and how to handle them. We just started a new
57:31
Parkinson's program and we're just starting to roll this out
57:35
and learn about a little bit more about Parkinson's and how
57:38
to help our Parkinson's clients. So I'm hoping at that point we
57:42
will be in the throes of, of that and, and being able to
57:46
train our carers on this program that we're developing at here at
57:49
Comfort Care on Parkinson's. So and really celebrating
57:54
another year. You know, like I said, I have
57:56
been here to going on 23 years. I'm not ready to retire yet.
58:02
I'm still moving forward and, and really it's just developing
58:05
this company to be the best it can be.
58:09
And that's what I celebrate every day.
58:11
Is, is, is, is us constantly having our caregivers be the
58:15
best they can be and giving them the tools to be make a
58:18
difference because we're so many challenges out in this world
58:21
right now. And if we can help our
58:24
caregivers and help our staff and help ourselves and help our
58:27
families learn how to handle the things that they're dealing
58:31
with, whether it's with their families, their loved ones,
58:33
whether it's dementia or it's Parkinson's or all these other
58:35
diseases, cancers that we're facing, we can help them and get
58:39
them through that. And we can celebrate the
58:42
differences that we make. And one of the things that I do
58:45
is very important to me, and I've kept them since 22 years,
58:48
is our thank yous. We get a lot of thank yous.
58:51
And I break out that folder once a year.
58:53
And it reminds me through all the challenges that I face,
58:57
through the days where I feel discouraged with the times.
59:00
I'm like, Oh my God, how am I going to go on?
59:03
I open that folder and I take out that folder and I read those
59:06
cards and I read those letters and I read them again.
59:10
And it reminds me what we do here at Comfort Care does make a
59:16
difference. I love that Lori Franzo from the
59:20
slide Allen New Orleans, LA Comfort Care.
59:24
I'm going to be the first to thank you for sharing both your
59:26
time and your story with us today.
59:27
I really. Appreciate you for having me, I
59:29
really appreciate it. Folks, that's a wrap on another
59:32
episode of the Inspired Stories podcast.
59:34
Thanks for learning with us today.