REGINA – Jan Gallant never thought she would be the owner of a caregiving company until one incident led her to change her career path entirely.
In 2019, Gallant worked as an esthetician in her home. One day, Gallant heard a crackling sound coming from her house. She thought the sound was from her son watching YouTube videos upstairs. Gallant kept hearing the sound and noticed it was coming from the garage. There. Gallant discovered her garage was on fire, and her family quickly made it safely outside.
Because of the fire, Gallant lost all her equipment for her esthetician work while having to move into a rental space where she did not have an area to work for her job. So, she decided she would make a career change.
Gallant had always enjoyed taking care of people, especially her sister. Gallant’s sister has cerebral palsy, so when her mom and dad would go out to the movies or take a trip, Gallant would stay behind to take care of her sister.
After realizing she loved taking care of people, Gallant wanted to work in an area where she could aid others.
She focused on senior care because Gallant admires them alot and always loved hearing the stories they told her. Gallant also understood seniors needed help with groceries or laundry, but what they sometimes wanted more than anything was a companion.
This led to Gallant starting a caregiving business called ‘Companion Elderly Care.’
She promoted her business across the city while getting lists from places of those in need of a caregiver. Gallant became very busy as she started getting clients who needed 24-hour care. With the rise in demand, Gallant decided to enlist the help of ladies working in care homes themselves who could use part-time work.
Gallant and the four ladies handle various clients throughout the week, working long hours into the night to ensure their clients get the care they need. Gallant said she treats each client “like they are my grandmother and or grandfather.”
While talking about her work, Gallant highlighted the challenges seniors face when dealing with caregivers. One of her clients gets aid from an agency where women come to look after them. However, these caregivers tend to neglect the client, sitting on their phones instead of interacting with the client.
The client also told Gallant the women would disappear for hours after they asked the caregivers to pick up a few groceries.
Gallant noted some seniors depend on caregivers for essential items, like paying their bills or buying groceries, and there needs to be trust established between not only a caregiver and a client but the client’s family as well.
She added “there’s more of a nervous side to the families that are trying to find this [type of] care for their loved ones.”
Gallant gave an example of how one of the women that she subcontracts to clients earned their trust and love with ease.
The client was “very stuck [up] in her own ways” and on the “verge of Alzheimer’s,” according to the client’s daughter. Gallant said the caregiver went there for the first time, and after, the client’s daughter told them, “she [the client] can’t say enough about you [the caregiver]. She [the client] said that she would have her sleep over at any time because she [the caregiver] is her new best friend.”
One difference Gallant has for her business over other agencies is she asks the caregivers “to message the family members and update [them] on your visit.” She added, “I want [the caregivers] to continue to do that until the family feels comfortable.” Once the family feels comfortable, the caregivers will only message them if they have questions or concerns.
Gallant feels this is a great way to ensure families know how their loved ones are doing while the family members don’t have to worry so much.
The service Companion Elderly Care provides enables clients to stay in their current independent living situation, which most clients prefer over having to go into care homes.
Gallant highlighted that elderly people going into care homes won’t be “getting the care they should” because alot of the homes are understaffed.
She added seniors tend to go downhill when they leave their residence or living space and end up in care homes. Gallant can’t say she knows the exact reason why, but she said it could be because “they [seniors] don’t feel independent anymore or they get confused at their age.”
The issue of seniors leaving a familiar area is why Gallant feels her service, Companion Elderly Care, is helpful. The service can aid seniors living in care homes, independent living and senior living complexes. The company has been around for four to five years and is growing in the number of clients it serves.
The success is giving the company the potential to become a larger business. Gallant has thought long and hard about where she wants to take her company but feels it is best to continue running it the way she does.
Gallant noted she is a mom with multiple kids and wants to be able to enjoy her time with family while she is still healthy, so expanding her business would not allow her to have enough free time.
However, Gallant plans to add a few more caregivers in the near future to continue helping those most in need.
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