Home Instead celebrates 20 years of senior care

Dan Pahos was standing at the sink washing dishes when he heard a gasp and turned around.

It was his first day at the home of one of his first clients after starting the Home Instead Senior Care franchise in Vestavia Hills. He was afraid that sound meant something had just gone really wrong.

“I showed up for my first day, and she [the adult daughter of the client] sat me down at the kitchen table, saying she would be right back, get her dad from his room and bring him to the kitchen to start the day,” Pahos said.

While he was alone, Pahos decided to start washing the dishes.

And as it turns out — that gasp he heard was a good gasp.

“The daughter looked right at me, and with a smile on her face, she said, ‘I knew I picked the right agency.’ It was at that moment that I realized how big of an impact we can have on these stressed, anxious families by simply having a great attitude, and doing the seemingly smallest of things,” he said.

And 20 years later, Pahos said he’s still running the same kind of business — the kind he hopes will make a difference. When he opened Alabama’s first Home Instead franchise in 1997, it was a natural fit — he’d been caring for his own aging parents in Minnesota and felt compelled to help others dealing with the same issue.

And in the time since, he and other staff members have delivered more than 3 million hours of service to more than 12,000 families.

Linda Campbell’s family is one of those.

“I’ve been really pleased — they take such good care of my mom,” Campbell said. “I have four kids, so it’s impossible to be everywhere at once. It’s been a blessing to have them.”

One caregiver colors in coloring books with Campbell’s mom and occasionally takes her out to lunch, so she doesn’t have to stay in the house all the time, Campbell said.

“They take a personal interest and do things with her that are above and beyond what would be required,” she said.

That’s what Pahos said he’s aimed for Home Instead to be all along.

“Twenty years of experience tells us great employees start by having a great attitude,” he said. “After our rigorous hiring process, we concentrate on training them via our 1,500-square-foot, in-house training facility with three labs, taught by our RN training managers.”

They’ve also adapted over the years to the needs of aging baby boomers, who expect a quicker customer response than previous generations, he said.

“Ten years ago, we had the luxury of two to three days to deliver what the consumer now expects same day, because if we can’t, our competitors will,” Pahos said. “So we have developed an infrastructure that aligns with ever-changing consumer expectations.”

The industry has a promising future for growth, he said — more than 11,000 baby boomers turn 65 each day in the U.S.

“I always tell people ours is a service that people don’t want, but they need,” he said, noting that it’s an “honor and privilege” to step into that gap for the community. “We love all that Vestavia Hills has to offer and plan to be here a long time.”

Home Instead is at 2059 Columbiana Road. For more information, call 918-7601 or go to homeinstead.com/163.