Brennan, you see, is the West Valley franchise owner of Right at Home, a company that provides in-home care, companionship and other assistance to seniors to help them stay independent and living on their own as long as healthfully possible.
"It's going to be big and it's growing," Brennan said of the long-term market for his company's services. "You're just not going to be able to build enough skilled [nursing] facilities. And people don't want to go into skilled facilities; they would rather stay in the home.
"It's better for the individual - they're more comfortable, they live longer, they feel better, they're with their family, it's less expensive."
Physical therapy, occupational therapy, exercise reminders and medication reminders.
"We basically do it all up to the skilled nursing level," Brennan said. "And we're a dealer for Health Watch - the 'Help me, I've fallen' company - it's probably the No. 1 emergency alert system in the country.
Overnight and live-in services also are available. Fees range from $16.50 an hour for non-medical assistance services to $250 a day for live-in services.
Caregivers are all carefully screened and trained, and are insured and bonded, Brennan noted.
Long-term health-care provider
Robert Baxter, director of marketing and client services for Right at Home, brings experience in senior assistance with him from the private sector.
"I was in case management for Mercy Care long-term care for quite a few years, and prior to that, I was with ACCHCS [Arizona Cost Containment Health Care System] administration for 10 years and did oversight for all the case management programs for long-term care throughout the state, including the 21 Indian tribes that also had long-term care programs in the state," Baxter said.
"I've always seen through my own personal experience a need for good home and community-based services in the West Valley," he added. "It's been a very, very underserved area for a long time."
As a result of his experience, Baxter was able to secure contracts for Right at Home with ACCHCS as a long-term care provider.
"With the ALTCS program, which stands for Arizona Long-Term Care System," he said, adding that the program covers "a phenomenal population, especially in Maricopa County, of people moving into Arizona. It's one of the best long-term care programs in the country."
In addition to serving private clients and ACCHCS referrals, Right at Home also contracts with Evercare Select, part of United HealthCare; Bridgeway Health Solutions; and Scan Health Plan of Arizona.
Right at Home's service area is the entire West Valley.
"We actually have everything west of I-17," Brennan said. "We are all over the West Valley. We've literally been able to staff all the way to Wickenburg, Tonopah, Buckeye, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, Avondale and Goodyear, obviously, and Litchfield Park for sure."
"That's one of the things that has really set us apart, being able to staff in the remote areas of the county," Baxter added.
"I got into this business, my original thought, was seniors serving seniors," Brennan said, noting that many of his caregivers are seniors themselves. "We are an AARP featured employer - actually, there's only 23 of us in the country. So we've been able to hire good people, many seniors, but not all."
Sandra Machuca is staffing coordinator for Right at Home, and brings additional caregiving experience to the company.
"Our [Litchfield Park] location has allowed us to be able to staff instantly where our competition hasn't been, in the Southwest Valley," Brennan added. "The Southwest Valley has always been an orphan for these services for a lot of years. And that's really one of the key reasons we located where we are."
Right at Home's office is at 116 N. Old Litchfield Road, Suite A, in Litchfield Park. For information, call 623-547-0700 or visit www.rahwest.com online.
Darryl Henning can be reached by e-mail at dhenning@westvalleyview.com.
