Working at a growing home-care company offers expansive opportunity and meaningful work

When Erienne Richie first became a branch manager for an at-home care company in Crown Point, Indiana, she was stepping into an industry that she hadn’t thought much about before. It was the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she had lost a job that was travel dependent. Working in home care sounded like a good, stable opportunity.

But almost immediately, she realized that at-home caregiving was something she could be passionate about.

“I realized this is not just a job,” she said. “This is not just to help me through the next year of the pandemic, it’s much bigger than that.”

One defining moment for her was when she was talking to a worried client, assuring her that they would find someone to fill a scheduling gap. Reassuring that client was meaningful, she said, because she knew that the woman really needed the care they provided. It wasn’t just a routine scheduling problem. It really mattered.

In-home caregiving allows people to remain in their homes longer

In-home care is not the same as “home health care.” Most in-home caregivers do not have medical training, but instead help with the non-medical needs that allow aging or clients with mobility or cognitive challenges to continue living at home. For example, in-home caregivers may help someone with hygiene needs or with meal preparation.

Without this kind of care, many clients would have to leave their homes to live in a residential facility – which might make it harder for them to keep in touch with family, participate in community events, or keep their pets.

“I liked that this position was doing something important for my community,” she said. “I liked living in Crown Point and knowing that people in Crown Point rely on the services we provide.”

Eventually, her company was acquired by Help at Home, the largest in-home caregiving company in the nation. For many people, being acquired by a larger company can be stressful. They don’t know what kind of changes the new company will bring.

But Erienne found more opportunity at Help at Home, and a supportive corporate culture that she appreciated. She was promoted to Area Leader – overseeing 13 offices and then, about a year ago, became a Strategy Implementation Manager. In this role, she manages special projects that support Help at Home’s operational strategies.

While she sometimes misses the more direct contact she had with caregivers and clients as a branch manager, she also carries those experiences with her – and she really understands the value of the work she is doing now. “It’s not just one client now,” she said. “It’s thousands and thousands of clients who are affected by my work.”

And she has been gratified by the amount of support she has gotten from Help at Home, as she has taken on more responsibilities. “I’m part of something bigger than myself,” she said. “And I love it.”