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Learn more online at www.rightathome.net/chattanooga or call the Hixson Right at Home at 423-803-2898.
An Eagle Scout and a former hospice chaplain have launched a Chattanooga franchise of Right at Home, a national company that offers in-home care for senior citizens so they can "age in place."
"The big thing is allowing people to age with dignity," said Bryan Hensley, 28, who started the Hixson-based business on Aug. 1 with Ryan Naegele, 30.
"It only takes about 15 to 20 hours a week of companion or personal care to keep someone in their home, versus moving into a nursing home or assisted living," Naegele said.
Seniors and other customers, including those recovering from a hospital stay, can hire Right at Home for a range of care, everything from a one-hour-long visit once a week for help with cooking and light housekeeping to around-the-clock care for a patient with Alzheimer's disease.
"We don't have any [hourly] minimums, which is kind of unique for this industry," Naegele said.
It costs about $20 an hour to hire a Right at Home caregiver. The employees are covered by liability insurance, the partners said, and Right at Home handles such paperwork as payroll taxes. Another advantage, the partners said, is Right at Home guarantees a caregiver will come, which isn't guaranteed when people hire caregivers through registries.
"We're guaranteeing that somebody will be there," Hensley said.
Naegele and Hensley met and became friends when they both worked for about three years as executives at Chattanooga's Boy Scouts of America headquarters. Hensley, who studied theology and ministry at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Mo., was a preacher and hospice chaplain there for a few years. Naegele is an Eagle Scout who graduated from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn.
They decided to go into business together, started researching franchises and picked Right at Home partly because they think there's a market for in-home care that's only going to get bigger.
"It's the fastest-growing segment of our population right now," Naegele said.
Hensley said, "A big number that's thrown around is 10,000 people a day are turning 65."
Right at Home Chattanooga has its office at 5138 Preschool Lane, Suite 106 in Hixson. The business partners have hired a half dozen employees already and plans to grow to 50 to 75 employees by the year's end. Employees who do companion care don't require any certification, but those who do personal care, such as bathing, have to be a licensed practical nurse or certified nursing assistant. Pay ranges from $8 an hour to $11 an hour.
Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu @timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/MeetsForBusiness or on Twitter @meetforbusiness or 423-757-6651.