FirstLight Home Care, a franchise home care company with 309 locations in 39 states, has primarily focused on personal care. But that is changing, Glee McAnanly, the company’s president and CEO, told McKnight’s Home Care last month. As 3 out of 5 clients are veterans, some of whom need physical and occupational therapy, FirstLight is beginning to move into the skilled care space. The company also is creating more disease-specific training for franchise owners. Over 2,000 caregivers already been accredited with a compassionate memory care program it rolled out in 2024, McAnanly said.
Glee McAnanly, president and CEO of FirstLight Home Care, is no stranger to franchise businesses. Prior to coming to FIrstLight five years ago, she worked her way up at ServiceMaster, a home service business. Working for a home care franchise is not so different, she said, as instead of taking care of the home, she is helping take care of the person inside the home. She also is not a stranger personally to taking care of older adults. Her first brush with care was when she was in college; her grandmother came to live with her family. To help set FirstLight apart, she is looking for franchise owners who have the capacity to be successful. This entails having both business sense and an emotional connection to home care. Innovation is also important to the company, and the company is piloting a number of technology programs including in the area of remote patient monitoring. In the next five to 10 years, the company will be more involved in skilled care. It also is putting an emphasis on disease-specific care, including dementia care. It is rolling out a pilot in Florida pertaining to the (Guiding and Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model in the next few months.
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Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Glee McAnanly, president and CEO of FirstLight Home Care