Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/516267
Katherine Peters, Founder of Comforts of Home - Care Inc. k atherine Peters is living proof that one person can make a difference. She was a social worker in a hospital when she noticed gaps in senior care. "People who were waiting to get into a care home stayed in the hospital for a very long time," she says. "I thought, 'What if we could help people go home with support?' We're socialized and conditioned to think that a personal care home is the end, but it doesn't have to be." In January 2006, she opened Comforts of Home — Care Inc. with six employees. She now has 250 employees, and over the past nine years, she's helped 1,200 seniors stay in their homes. "We're all about giving our clients the quality of life they deserve," she says. When Peters started her business, she had no idea it would hit very close to home. In 2007, her elderly mother was the victim of a brutal home invasion. "They beat her and she was unconscious for days," Peters says. "Her leg had been broken, and she was confused from being beaten in the head. I devised a plan where she could come home after only 10 days in the hospital." Thankfully, her mother made a full recovery, and Peters saw first-hand the difference recuperating at home can make. "She's 85 and she's living her life. She hasn't allowed that attack to define her," she says. Government home care services have a limited focus and scope due to funding constraints. However, the province offers funding for private care through its Self and Family Managed Care Program. "If a client is eligible for government home care, they're eligible for the funding program," Peters explains. "They can appoint us to take care of the details. All they need is our invoice to meet the accounting requirements." Her services are in demand. A new satellite office will soon open in St. James, and Peters says one of the secrets to her success is the people she hires. "They do everything a good son or daughter would do," she says. "The most important aspect of a caregiver is a caring heart. You can train people for many things, but not that." Her caregivers spend significant time with their clients, and they form strong relationships with them, she adds. "It builds confidence and self-esteem for our clients. This kind of connection is so important for people who feel isolated, forgotten and alone." Peters would like to see not-for-profit, private, and public sectors work together to find better solutions for seniors. In the meantime, she's filling that gap. "Families are often ill equipped when parents need help. We lighten the load and give families options so they don't have to move to a care home," she says. "The work we do is very rewarding." In 2011, Peters received the Women's Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Excellence in Service. She's also been awarded a Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Excellence. To learn more about Comforts of Home — Care Inc., call 204-949-3234 or visit www.comfortsofhomecare.ca. • Care & Comfort { creating quality of life for seniors at hoMe } By Holli Moncrieff Peters' caregivers do everything a good son or daughter would do. PHOTO By DARCy FINLEy