Growing old is difficult, especially for the elders who live alone or don’t have access to cordial senior home care. Having spent a childhood with his grandmother learning lessons of life and creating fond memories together, Michael Lu, Founder of CareHop Nursing & Home Care, was inspired to help elders age gracefully.
“Through my grandmother, I wanted to create a business model and build a care team that not only supports seniors to age safely but also provides them with that joy along the way,” shares Michael.
Taking forward this vision CareHop, since its inception in 2012, has been making things a little easier for elders, as well as for the families and caregivers.
Read the following interview where Michael shares how CareHop has been making difference in its clients’ lives and how during the pandemic the company has managed to provide robust home care.
Making a difference with care and affection
CareHop has established itself in the home care space by providing more than quality in-home elder care. The caregivers at CareHop go beyond aiding the elders with their health care issues. They add joy and fulfillment into clients’ lives by empowering them to enjoy their favorite things to do.
“We look after our caregivers so that they look after our clients like their own parents,” Michael says.
Appreciating the efforts of caregivers at CareHop Michael further adds, “Our caregivers, whom we call Care Bunnies, are there to make our clients happy by bringing support and sunshine to our client every day. It’s what we do best.”
Robust home care during the pandemic
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge burden on the healthcare sector across the world. While staying healthy and taking precautions have been crucial, visiting hospitals and clinics to do so became less safe for the elderly due to the high risk of infection.
The recent poll conducted by Home Care Ontario indicated that 91% of Ontario seniors hope to stay at home as long as possible, and 95% believe that being home with the support of home care is the safest environment for them during a pandemic.
Michael shares his experience through CareHop during the pandemic. “The experience CareHop during the pandemic aligns with this trend,” he says, “We’ve also seen significant business growth since the pandemic started.”
Focusing on quality in-home care
Home care is a cost-effective way to alleviate pressure on acute and long-term care settings while supporting seniors and their families. Data from Home Care Ontario shows the average cost of one week of care for seniors in hospitals is 20 times more expensive than the same services provided through home care.
As Dr. Samir Singha, Director of Geriatrics Sinai Health System and University Health Network has said, “A shift to home care would save taxpayer money from being wasted building unnecessary beds, not to mention set us up for success in the event of an infectious outbreak.”
Realizing the critical need for home care, CareHop under Michael’s leadership has been focusing on increasing its care delivery capacity while maintaining a high level of quality. Michael further explains the company’s mission while moving forward. “We are in a people business. Therefore, our focus will continue to be on our work in culture and people,” he says, “We focus on attracting and retaining the best talent. The business tends to follow after that.”
Advice for the aspirants
Before concluding the interview, Michael shared wise words for the aspiring entrepreneurs wishing to enter the home care space.
“You’ve got to love what you do and feel motivated by the notion of looking after other people, like someone else’s parents,” he says, “The caveat is that you won’t get any credit in return and, like most other new businesses, you may not make any money or, even worse, fail miserably.”
Michael further encourages aspiring home care providers by saying, “If you still feel a strong desire to venture into the homecare services sector, I encourage you to dive in and make a splash.”
