Patels are looking forward to helping community
Highland Falls’ Vishal and Leia Patel look at their new business as helping the community in two ways.
First, with their new Right at Home franchise, they have begun providing in-home care to seniors and adults who want to live independently, but also need a little help.
Second, they are hiring! Their business model allows them to hire both full and part-time employees, on a time available basis.
The Patels have spent the last few months settling into their new office space, on the second floor of the Rt. 9W car wash, West Point Auto Spa. They officially began serving their clients at the end of October, and have spent the last six weeks or so training their new employees. They are enjoying their new business venture; he’s the president, she’s the vice president.
Vishal is not a newcomer to the community; while he’s only lived here a few years, he’s been involved in it since his family built the Holiday Inn Express in Fort Montgomery in the late 1990s. He worked there as a teen, moved away to train in the corporate world, and then came back with his wife Leia and two daughters to help at the family business once again. But, he found he had time on his hands and wanted to do something else too.
He and Leia investigated all kinds of franchises and found that Right at Home offered exactly what they wanted — “something that was needed in this area, and something that has the potential to help people in our community”, Vishal said last week.
“This — elder care — is a really growing industry,” he said, “and there isn’t much of it in this area.”
He and Leia described what they do as “companion care”, in other words, helping people, particularly senior citizens, retain their quality of life, at home.
It is not medical care — New York State doesn’t offer a cross-over option to in-home nursing care. But, it’s things like light housekeeping. laundry or cooking; trips to doctor appointments or shopping; socialization; being a go-between for long-distance families; help with finances, help exercising, etc. They also can provide respite care for family caregivers who need it.
While Right at Home clients enjoy having a caregiver in their life, those working as the caregivers find joy in the experience too, Leia said.
“It’s a fulfilling job; you feel good helping someone, and see the difference you are making,” she said.
The Patels noted that every client’s care will be different, because it’s completely customized to them. To start the process families go through a multi-layer screening process with the Patels, and then meet potential caregivers to ensure a good match between the client and caregiver.
Employees of the company have to be over 18, and have their own transportation, because the franchise coverage area is eastern and southern Orange County as well as eastern and northern Rockland County. They noted that this may be a good job for retired seniors looking to keep active and help others, stay-at-home moms, and even college students. They pay an hourly rate, weekly.
“You might think right now that it’s out of your comfort zone,” Leia said, “but I think there are many local people who would be great at it.”
The Patels have started to work with several community groups to get the word out about their new business.
“We’ve had good response,” they said, and say they are “sleeping good at night knowing that the business venture they chose is a good one.”
There are 600 franchises of Right at Home across the United States. More information about the company can be found at www.rightathome.net.
The Patels can be reached at 845-859-4148; at www.somebodycaresny.com, or via the company’s Facebook page, Right at Home (Highland Falls, NY).