People looking for medical help so they or their parents can stay in their homes longer now have a new option with a Nurse Next Door franchise that just opened in Red Deer.
Carolyn Faechner, a registered nurse, and her husband Ty, an agricultural consultant, say they want to provide an affordable alternative to nursing homes and offer a way to keep aging loved ones in their homes so they are not forced to move into institutional care facilities.
“That’s my passion,” says Carolyn Faechner, “That’s my niche. I just love it. We know it’s going that way. About 10 per cent of Red Deer’s population is over 65, by 2030 that will double. Government, financially, will not be able to handle it all and most seniors don’t want institutional care; a good 80 per cent of them want to remain at home.
“We can do that for them, we can provide them with the care they need while they still live at home. It can provide a lot of peace of mind for the senior and their families as well. We really want to do that. We are very passionate about it. We know seniors want to stay home and even go back home if they are already in institutional care. In my experience seniors always say they want to go home.”
Faechner, who was raised on a farm near Eckville, graduated from the Misercordia School of Nursing in Edmonton, and before her recent return to Red Deer worked as a clinical nurse manager with Edmonton’s Chinatown Care Centre.
She has 35 years of nursing experience with 20 of those in elder care. Her husband Ty’s background in business allows him to provide management support for the home health and elder care business.
Faechner says her company, which is now in the process of hiring staff, will provide a full spectrum of care from companionship services to complete medical coverage.
“The cost of our services is very competitive, and depends on the time frame and the services required. It’s very reasonable. We also collaborate with government provided services to make the best possible use of everyone’s resources.”
Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services was started in 2001 by Jim Sim and John DeHart. They realized this was a business opportunity after both going through a difficult personal experience of trying to find reliable, safe and professional medical help for people in their families.
All Nurse Next Door caregivers are professionally screened, going through a multiple interview process and a criminal record and professional credential check as part of a rigorous screening process.
Faechner says they always look for people who are passionate about providing excellent service. Based in Vancouver, the company now has 38 locations across Canada. While this is the first Nurse Next Door franchise in Red Deer, there are three franchises each in Calgary and Edmonton.
