A new company is offering home care services for seniors and people with disabilities in Cold Lake and Bonnyville.

Jeff Wurzer has begun serving clients through Just Like Family, a locally-owned franchise of a company that started in Vancouver. The care model is based on the premise that for many people, the best place to receive care is in their own homes.

“The biggest value is that you have your own agency over your life in your own home,” he said. 

The services he offers include companionship care, personal care, home support, and even overnight or 24-hour care. 

“Companionship could be just going to the store, taking them out, going down to the beach, playing games and cards at home, and just the mental stimulation you get from that. And meal prep making sure there’s groceries in the fridge,” Wurzer said. 

Personal care is given by certified health care aides trained to support the client with dressing, grooming, and assistance in the bathroom. Home support includes some cooking and cleaning, and 24-hour or overnight care can be a combination of companionship, personal care, and home support.

Wurzer says Just Like Family can also provide in-home support for palliative or respite care.

He says the one-on-one nature of care is a big advantage. Caregivers are carefully selected for compatibility with each client. 

Eventually a caregiver will be able to serve more than one client, but under current Covid-19 restrictions, Wurzel says each caregiver will be able to help one client exclusively.

Service is available long- or short-term. Wurzer says patients in post-surgical recovery are good candidates to try his service out over a shorter period.

His own background is in the oil industry, which he says left him unsatisfied. “It didn’t make me feel whole, and I wanted to try to find something that did,” he said. He was attracted to Just Like Family because it’s the only Canadian-based franchise operation offering this service for seniors.

“I’m a local boy
who grew up here and still lives here, and I want to serve my community first. That’s why I’m doing this,” he said.

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