FirstLight Home Care News

FirstLight's President and CEO surprised the winning caregiver in Southbury, CT

SOUTHBURY, Conn. // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // March 13, 2024 - FirstLight Home Care, an award-winning provider of home care services, has named Susanne DiDonato as its National Caregiver of the Year.

Susanne was presented with the honor this week during a caregiver appreciation event at FirstLight Home Care's Southbury, CT, office. She was nominated by our franchisees from Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven, John and Wenjun Richards.

This is not just a job for Sue, it is a calling.

"Sue has a profound ability to connect with every client she works with," said John Richards. "She isn't just a caregiver. We and her clients consider her family. Sue is also a true problem solver who consistently displays dignity and respect. Her warmth, patience, and how she engages with every client set her apart. This is not just a job for Sue, it is a calling."

Read more about FirstLight Home Care Announces National Caregiver of the Year

March 01, 2024 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OH - FirstLight Home Care announced today that it has been named a 2024 Best of Home Care® Endorsed National Provider by Home Care Pulse (HCP).

As a Best of Home Care Endorsed National Provider, the home care company ranks among the top businesses that consistently set and meet the highest standards of care for their clients and families.

“It is an honor for our organization to be recognized among the best of the best,” said Kristen Duell, Executive Vice President of Experience and Innovation for FirstLight Home Care. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Home Care Pulse first as their CMO and now as a customer. It’s so fulfilling to see our franchise network get the recognition it deserves for continuous dedication to improving client and caregiver satisfaction.”

The Best of Home Care Endorsed National Provider recognition is given to those whose members h…

January 26, 2024 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // Piscataway, NJ - FirstLight® Home Care has announced the opening of one of its newest offices in Somerset, serving Piscataway, Somerset, Edison, Plainfield, New Brunswick, Middlesex and surrounding communities.

FirstLight Home Care of Piscataway owner, Yasmine Rifi, and her team provide companion care and personal care services to individuals who need support in the place they call home, including older adults, veterans, those who are recuperating and individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Professional, trained caregivers help with many needs, from companionship, transportation and household tasks to individual responsibilities like mobility, bathing and personal hygiene.

Rifi has been caring for her aging parents for more than 15 years. Her father lived with advanced dementia throughout the last years of his life, and her mother has multiple health and mobility challenges.

Read more about FirstLight Home Care Now Caring for Clients and Families in Piscataway, New Jersey

December 15, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OHIO – FirstLight Home Care has announced that Kristen Duell, Executive Vice President of Experience and Innovation, has been honored in the Agent of Change category by McKnight’s Pinnacle Awards. She is recognized for driving change and innovation across the field. 

The Pinnacle Awards are a joint effort of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and sister media brands McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. Honorees include veteran long-term care operators, caregivers and affiliated professionals performing at the highest levels in skilled nursing, senior living and home care for 20 years or longer.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this recognition and to be among such an outstanding group of industry professionals,” said Duell. “Whether driving change, setting new standards or inspiring others, we have all spent our careers focused on advancing this indust…

October 25, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OHIO - FirstLight Home Care will open two new locations in the state of New Jersey, including Piscataway, opening later this year, and Princeton, which is set to open in March of 2024. The offices will be owned and operated by Yasmine Rifi.

An interior designer, Rifi’s career portfolio includes a multitude of freelance endeavors in residential and commercial decorations. In addition, she’s an accomplished artist and world traveler who has lived in various regions around the globe.

Rifi has been caring for her aging parents for the last 15 years. Her father aged at home with advanced dementia throughout the last years of his life, and her mother has multiple health and mobility challenges. She is thrilled to take this new journey and bring FirstLight’s Culture of Care to her community.

“The experiences I’ve had with my own parents have taught me a lot about…

October 20, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OHIO – FirstLight Home Care will open a new location in Alameda, CA, later this year. The office, which is set to open in December, will be owned and operated by Nicole Freeman.

Over the past 15 years, Freeman has contributed to the marketing efforts of several Fortune 500 companies. She is a marketing professional who holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley, as well as an MBA from Georgetown University.

Freeman also has personal caregiving experience. She has seen firsthand, with her grandparents, how painful and confusing finding care for a loved one can be. She wants to help prevent that stress from happening to families in her community by making the path to care as easy as possible.

“My goal is to be a beacon of light that helps families find their way during a potentially dark time and give back to those who have given so much to me during m…

Promoted from VP of Strategy to CGO ensures holistic and intentional focus on growth.

August 04, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OHIO - FirstLight Home Care, today announced the promotion of Kerri Pendley to Chief Growth Officer.

In this role, Pendley will focus on driving business growth by opening up new paths to revenue and building the mechanisms to get there. This includes aligning teams around shared goals, improving the processes that generate revenue, and planning for the future.

“Kerri is data-driven and lives for predictability and scalability,” said Glee McAnanly, President and CEO at FirstLight Home Care. “In her previous position, Kerri successfully built and developed FirstLight’s National Accounts department and led the expansion of service offerings to include skilled care. Her knack for connecting different parts of the business and getting everyone to row in the same direction will he…

July 21, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OHIO – FirstLight Home Care, a leading provider of home care services, announced today that Kristen Duell has joined the company as the Executive Vice President of Experience and Innovation.

“We are excited to have Kristen join our team,” said Glee McAnanly, President and CEO at FirstLight Home Care. “She is a dynamic leader passionate about enriching the client, caregiver, and franchisee experience. Her vision and commitment to shaping the future of the home care industry through disruptive ideas will undoubtedly impact the growth of our franchise owners.”

Duell has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She joins FirstLight from Home Care Pulse, where she acted as Chief Marketing Officer.

Recently Duell was selected as one of Aging Media's 2023 Future Leaders, under 40, in Home Health and Home Care. Duell is dedicated to continuall…

New team additions, moves and promotions

June 23, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OHIO – FirstLight Home Care announces several moves and new additions to its franchise support team.

Changes to the Operations Team Mark Vanase has been named Chief Operating Officer. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of Business Development and Field Operations. Vanase manages the company’s daily operations and continues to provide leadership and support to the business development team. Kevin Samov moved into the Director of Organizational Training & Development role. Previously Samov was Business Development Director for FirstLight’s Central Region, working directly with franchisees to help them grow. Samov now plans, organizes and leads internal training programs for franchise owners and their teams, and develops consistent educational curricula across the FirstLight network. Tanya Duncan joins the team as Business Dev…

Family-owned provider continues to serve local communities, meet demand for home care services

April 25, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // SCOTTSDALE, AZ - FirstLight Home Care® has announced a change in ownership for its territory in Scottsdale, AZ. Randy, Tyler and Kristi Olson now operate FirstLight Home Care of Scottsdale. The team will continue providing home care services to clients in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Sun Lakes, Fountain Hills, Rio Verde and other surrounding communities.

FirstLight Home Care delivers companion care and personal care services to adults who need support in the place they call home, including seniors, veterans, those recuperating and individuals with dementia. Professional, trained caregivers help with many needs, from companionship, transportation and household tasks to individual responsibilities like mobility, bathing and personal hygiene.

The Olson family is honored to support aging seniors to ensure they get th…

March 03, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // LAS VEGAS, NV - The International Franchise Association (IFA) has named Don and Craig Randall, owners of multiple FirstLight Home Care territories in South Carolina and North Carolina, as a 2022 Franchisee of the Year. The Randalls were honored at the 63rd IFA Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, for being outstanding franchise establishment owner-operators.

“Franchisee of the Year recipients represent the best in franchising,” said Matthew Haller, president and CEO of the International Franchise Association. “This is the highest honor IFA awards to individual franchisees, and local business owners like Don and Craig Randall exemplify the power of franchising and its positive contributions to communities around the world."

The Franchisee of the Year Award, sponsored by IFA’s partner Paychex, recognizes leading franchise owners from IFA member brands whose outstanding performance and contributions help prot…

Some offices were also recognized with Employer of Choice and Leader in Experience Awards

February 15, 2023 // FranchiseMarketingSolutions.com // CINCINNATI, OHIO - FirstLight Home Care has announced that 44 of the company’s franchise locations have received the Best of Home Care – Provider of Choice Award from Home Care Pulse.

The Provider of Choice Award is granted only to top-ranking home care providers, based on client satisfaction scores gathered by Home Care Pulse, an independent satisfaction research firm for home care. These FirstLight locations are recognized among a select few home care providers across the country who have proven their ability to provide outstanding care.

“We’re excited to congratulate the FirstLight Home Care providers for their well-deserved achievement on earning the Best of Home Care – Provider of Choice Award,” says Todd Austin, President of Home Care Pulse. “It’s wonderful to see the hard work they are putting in to prov…