The Flemings Create A Supportive And Rewarding Environment For Caregivers And Clients
Shared values laid the foundation for Ken and Mary Ellen Fleming (above) and their employees to wholeheartedly own the responsibilities of their FirstLight Home Care franchise. As the Flemings evaluated brands, FirstLight’s culture of care stood out, tipping the scales in its favor. “We have always felt our values were in alignment,” Mary Ellen says.
She and Ken, who opened their Charlotte, N.C., franchise in 2016, emphasize FirstLight\’s care-centric mission to employees. “For our office team, we continue to bring the conversations back to our values and the metrics that indicate our performance,” Ken says. “We share goals and challenges at our weekly meetings, encouraging employees to share their ideas for continuous improvement. For our caregivers, we focus on them, on being the best employer they have ever had in this industry, and challenging ourselves to always do more. We have also established career ladders for them and help them achieve their career goals.
“Any employee can talk with us about professional or personal concerns at any time and know we will take those concerns seriously and help however we can.” Not surprisingly, the couple’s FirstLight business was named one of the Best Places to Work in Charlotte.
The Flemings bring a firsthand perspective to their franchise because they have an adult son with special needs. “We were customers of this type of care for years. We know what a big difference a caregiver can make in the client’s life and in the life of their family,” Ken says. “Mary Ellen comes from a large family with many relatives living into their nineties, so we often helped them. Specializing in caring for seniors, we meet many amazing people and love to hear their stories and experiences. With FirstLight, I found meaningful work in a growing industry with a support team that enabled our success.”
Fulfilling Work
Mary Ellen, who previously worked in health care and customer service, also finds the work fulfilling. “Ken is a veteran and considers it an honor to care for other vets. Navigating the changes that come with aging can be stressful for older adults and their grown children. Providing care and educating them about available resources to make this process easier is rewarding. There is no better feeling than knowing that you have made a client smile, provided a stressed-out family member with a respite from the demands of caring for a loved one, or helped an employee advance their career for the betterment of their family.”
FirstLight improved the Flemings’ lives, too, says Ken, who formerly held corporate leadership positions involving finances and management. “Instead of traveling almost every week for work, I was there for my children during their high school years, driving them to school and practices, attending their games and performances. That was wonderful. Now that they’re in college or post-college and in the workforce, we take special trips with them.”
So FirstLight proved to be a fit personally and professionally. Home care providers must be caring and competent, Ken says, and “FirstLight wants only franchisees who have a caring heart. Then they provide you with the tools to build your competence. They continuously innovate and listen to franchisees about what we need to grow and improve.”
Mary Ellen says “an unexpected benefit is the friends we’ve made with fellow franchisees around the country and bonds we have forged with clients and family-care partners. Some look at this as a sad business because many of our clients leave us because they have passed away. I view this as a privilege to hold those clients’ stories and memories in our hearts and learn from their experiences and wisdom.”
For more information about the FirstLight Home Care franchise, visit https://www.firstlightfranchise.com/.
