Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of South Charlotte.
Good Neighbor Podcast South Charlotte
Ep. # 123 Hallmark Home Care: Revolutionizing Senior Independence Through Perfect Caregiver Matches
What happens when you combine the concept of eHarmony with the pressing need for quality senior home care? Philip Marxen has the answer. As founder of Hallmark Home Care of South Charlotte and York County, Philip has created a revolutionary approach to helping seniors age gracefully in their own homes through a unique caregiver matching service.
The statistics are compelling: 10,000 baby boomers retire daily, and between 80-90% strongly prefer to remain in their homes rather than move to senior living facilities. Yet traditional home care models often fail these seniors with rotating caregivers, creating anxiety and frustration for people who treasure stability and routine. Philip witnessed this firsthand when his grandmother's quality of life diminished dramatically after being forced to leave her home due to inadequate care options.
Hallmark's direct referral approach stands apart from traditional agencies. Rather than employing caregivers directly, they meticulously vet independent caregivers (with an impressive 8% acceptance rate) and match them with seniors based on care needs, personality, and preferences. This model allows caregivers to earn 20-25% more than agency employees while clients develop lasting relationships with a single caregiver they've personally approved. It's a win-win that creates remarkable "stickiness" in these relationships.
What truly sets Hallmark apart is their ability to respond to emergencies within hours, sometimes placing 24/7 care within 12 hours of receiving a call. They handle all the administrative complexities while providing insurance coverage and backup support. For families facing sudden care decisions, this comprehensive approach offers peace of mind and preserves their loved one's dignity and independence. Visit hallmarkhomecare.com/southcharlotte or call 980-202-2224 to discover how this innovative care model could help your family navigate the senior care journey with grace and dignity.
Hallmark Homecare South Charlotte & York County, SC
Philip Marxen
(980) 202-2224
pmarxen@hallmarkhomecare.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Regina Lee.
Speaker 2:Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm broadcasting here out of South Charlotte and my favorite thing to do is talk to local business owners, and I'm super excited today to have a conversation with Philip Markson. He is the owner of Hallmark Home Care of South Charlotte and York County. Welcome, philip.
Speaker 3:Welcome, Regina. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I'm happy to chat with you. You know I've gone down this journey personally with my father and soon to be my mother, so you know I've got a lot of questions. So what exactly does your company do?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're happy to get into that and, just for starters, I wanted to thank you for doing what you do, featuring local businesses. It's fun to learn about people doing interesting things in the community, and so thank you for that. You know, focusing on the business of Hallmark Home Care is a direct referral agency. So what we do we recruit caregivers into a registry and then we match them with clients that are in need of care, whether it be in their homes, in their communities or in their facilities.
Speaker 3:You can think of our registry as like a bench that includes some of the best caregivers in Charlotte. They've chosen the path of a private caregiver and their hope is that Hallmark will match them with a client that's a good fit in terms of care needs, income, location, schedule and any other preferences that they have. They value their independence, they like being able to choose their own clients and they appreciate the higher income that they can generate as an independent caregiver. When clients are referred to us, we conduct an interview first to understand their needs and preferences. We take these details and we use them to create a customized match with a caregiver in our registry. It's sort of like how a tailor takes measurements to create a bespoke suit or like eHarmony. It's sort of like the eHarmony of home care.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Exactly, and so you know, because the client and caregiver each have to approve each match, what we see is a stickiness to the relationship that's really unique, and so continuity of care is huge for our clients. Instead of wondering who will show up each day and navigating a revolving door of faces, clients develop long-term relationships and routines with their caregivers that are matched by us.
Speaker 2:Very cool. So this differs, then, from some of the national agencies that have their own team of people that they bring into your house, possibly rotating them. This is different.
Speaker 3:That's right. So the main misconception we face in the market is that we're a home care agency. We're not. There are many great home care agencies in Charlotte and these agencies hire caregivers, exactly as you mentioned, to deliver care directly. Due to the high overhead of their model, they're only typically able to pay caregivers about half of what they charge clients and unfortunately that's not a very livable wage in Charlotte these days. We operate a different model direct referral agency. So what it means in practice we don't hire or fire any caregivers. We don't provide care. We place independent caregivers with clients. We're a matchmaker. As we talked about this different model, what's cool about it is it enables independent caregivers to earn about $3 to $5 or 20 to 25% more than they would as agency employees, and these higher earnings in turn allow us to attract the better caregivers. Also, what we see these caregivers stay with their clients longer because they chose them and because the earnings are livable. They love having control over their schedule.
Speaker 2:I love that. How in the world did you get into this?
Speaker 3:So you know, when my grandmother struggled living on her own in the 80s, she became super frustrated. She was a fiercely independent woman and as she really struggled with some of the basic things of upkeep in her apartment, it was it was really sad to see, and so you know her home was her happy place. We tried to figure out a way to allow her to stay there, and so that was where she felt safe, comfortable and in control. To help her keep that, we used local home care agencies in San Diego where I grew up, and unfortunately it just didn't work. You know, it was very difficult to earn her trust, and the inconsistency of caregivers, the sort of revolving door of faces every few days, it made her very anxious and nervous and prone to frustration, and so at that point we didn't see a model like Hallmark out there, and so, unfortunately, we felt there was no alternative other than bringing her into a community, into a facility. So we did that and it was so sad, it was so clear that that was the beginning of the end. She lost control, became very frustrated, had to give up her home, and so I brought Hallmark to Charlotte because I'm convinced it could have made a difference for her and I think there are many others in her situation in Charlotte that would also benefit, I think.
Speaker 3:Also, you know my background is as an investor, so you know that's sort of the personal attractiveness to the business. From an investment standpoint, your senior care is a really attractive market to serve due to the demographics. So you've got 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day. And then the other factor that's driving demand for home care is consumer preference. So studies show that somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of seniors strongly prefer to age in place instead of going into a community. Now, that's not possible for everyone, but for those that it is. We really take pride in helping them achieve that. So you know it's really for those seniors it's not just about adding years to life, but really about trying to add life to those years.
Speaker 2:I love this model. You kind of nailed it with the journey with my father, you know. We went through all of these different agencies where they were bringing in their people and it just wasn't a fit and we ended up placing him somewhere. And now we're dealing with my mother and I think this just makes so, so much sense. So I understand caregivers want to make more money, but how do you know that they're great.
Speaker 3:So you know it's a four-step process, a really detailed vetting process that we use, because that is really the key question. It all starts and ends with the quality of those individual caregivers that we place. If we're not placing good ones, the whole thing doesn't make sense.
Speaker 3:And so to get into it quickly.
Speaker 3:The four steps are the first step is resume screening, the second step is an interview, the third step is professional reference checking and the fourth step is a comprehensive background check, including even motor vehicle registrations and that sort of thing. The interview is really key because, beyond checking for certifications and and and their experience, you really want to get a good sense for their personality, because that's a a good sense for their personality, because that's a key part that comes into the matching, and so we really try to focus on that as well. Our registry right now is up to 158 caregivers and what we're really proud of is the acceptance rate is 8%. So it's very difficult to get through. We're really trying to be very selective and it's interesting in terms of getting to those figures. You often hear in the news about a shortage of caregivers in the marketplace and, broadly speaking, that's absolutely right. We don't see that at all because of the differences in our model. We don't see that because they're attracted to the livable earnings and the control they get working as an independent caregiver.
Speaker 2:So how do you match them then with the I don't know the client, the patient?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So the way we do that is when we get a referral that comes in through one of our partners and we start speaking with the client. We conduct an interview in order to understand all the different activities of daily living that they would like assistance with, and then also get into things like their preferences. So, for example, one of the most common ones is does mom like somebody who's more the chatty type and going to be really engaging? Yes, that's perfect, you know, and some people love that, others hate it. Right, they want somebody that's more of a wallflower and is going to let them do their thing and only help when asked. So, you know, we try to get into both what are their qualifications to assist, when are they looking for that assistance, what are their needs? But also, what are their preferences, what's a good fit?
Speaker 2:What about like medical needs? You know that kind of. Do you have qualified caregivers that fit that model?
Speaker 3:Yes, so we do sometimes see clients that have needs that extend beyond basic personal care and activities of daily living into light medical needs. An example would be you know, maybe they have a wound that requires application of anointment, maybe they've got a medication that they need assistance with. Because these are private caregivers, they can act in the direction of their own clients, and so what we do is we are able to match caregivers and check that they have the sort of experience that the client needs, and then we advise the client. Look, this is the qualification that the caregiver has. It allows them to do X, y, z, but it's up to you if you'd like them to do more, if they're comfortable and you're comfortable.
Speaker 2:I imagine your business is often emergency based. How do you handle that? How quickly can you respond?
Speaker 3:Philip, yes, I broke up for a second, but I caught it, so I think you know in terms of you're absolutely right.
Speaker 3:The majority of our inquiries, unfortunately, are from people who are in an emergency situation. Maybe maybe their loved one fell, was hospitalized or received a concerning diagnosis that has changed their lives and what the family needs to do, and so they're scrambling. Many times the people that are on the other side of the phone from our team there's someone in tears or in shock, and so it's a very difficult situation and it's a privilege to be able to help them. They're worried not only about their loved one, but often what we see as well is they're worried not only about their loved one, but often what we see as well is that they're trying to figure out what the impact is going to be to their broader family as well, and so we are able to respond very quickly, and that's one of the things about our model it allows us to be very nimble, because we have all of these independent caregivers that are anxiously eagerly awaiting placements with clients where there's a mutual fit.
Speaker 3:In recent months, as an example, there were three situations where we were called upon to match caregivers to provide 24-7 care around the clock that they wanted to begin. They needed it to begin within 12 hours, and so this is why they couldn't work in many of these cases with traditional agencies that would not be able to respond that quickly, and so we made the requested placements in all three cases within the timeframe requested by the clients, and the reactions of these families is just so rewarding. You know, we're able to move incredibly quickly because the model is unique, and it's great to see. You know how happy the families are when they see it come together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I really, really love this model and I did not know it existed. So I imagine you run across a lot of misconceptions when you talk to potential clients. Tell us about those.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, I think that really stems from the topic we touched on earlier around how you know the difference between agencies being employees and us being a traditional home care agency versus what we are, which is, you know, we're not that, we're a matchmaker, we're a referral agency, and so we're recruiting and placing these caregivers, and so that main misconception is really around helping people understand what that means and, by extension, what it means we can do and can't do.
Speaker 2:Gotcha. I love it. What are some of the things you wish our listeners knew about you guys that we haven't covered in this conversation?
Speaker 3:You know, I think it's just that we're a different sort of option. You know that can be compelling for many situations. I think there are certainly some situations where a family member really needs to move into a community. Maybe it's socialization need, maybe it's the level of acuity where it's it's so medically oriented that they need to be near that sort of equipment and and and RNs and that sort of staff. So I think it's not for everyone, but we really believe that this different option compelling for a lot of situations, you know, for people who want their own private caregiver that's professional, vetted and insured, our referral agency can be a great fit.
Speaker 3:You know, we deliver clients with a comprehensive solution that makes working with an independent caregiver really easy, whereas, for example, if you got one off carecom you'd sort of be scratching your head what do I do now? How do I handle hours? How do I handle 1099 generation? How do I handle? What do I do if they call out? You know we're there to help clients with all of those things and sort of navigate the process and make it seamless. So, you know, just just helping people understand that there's this, there's this different option out there that can be a good fit and it's worth checking out.
Speaker 2:Understand that there's this different option out there that can be a good fit and it's worth checking out. So when you match someone to the person at home, the elder person, who are we, the client paying you guys, or that caregiver?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so in our model it's super transparent. I'll contrast it with an agency. In the case of an agency, you're paying one fee to an agency and then they pay the caregiver as their employee. In our case, the client pays their caregiver directly and then they pay us a fee. That fee is essentially two things it's essentially a payment over time of the matchmaking fee, and then it's also a payment in respect of the administrative services that we offer to help make working with their private caregiver a seamless experience.
Speaker 2:So when you say that caregiver is insured, that is through your agency.
Speaker 3:So there's a policy that covers that caregiver in respect of any sort of accidents or issues that could arise in the home, and the fee that they pay us does cover that policy.
Speaker 2:Gotcha, I'm clear now. Awesome. Well, this is a phenomenal model. I'm sure most people like me don't know it exists, haven't spent years with my dad and going through trying at home, and then all of this Very, very cool, philip. So when you're not running this amazing business, what do you like to do for fun in the area?
Speaker 3:Yes, I love living in Charlotte. My daughters are 10 and seven years old, which are just really fun ages are 10 and seven years old, which are just really fun ages. You know we, we enjoy playing card games, board games, video games. We do pickleball. You know playing soccer, the younger one is super into soccer and then you know, on my own, I love racket sports, so I probably play tennis and and more recently started adding pickleball. I probably play tennis or pickleball two or three nights a week which.
Speaker 3:I really love you know great exercise and get the competitive juices out and social as well. I'm also a foodie and wine lover and love some of the developments in Charlotte scene on those fronts. You know, as examples, I mean I think flower shop is a super underappreciated restaurant. I mean I think Flower Shop is a super underappreciated restaurant. Just amazing pasta. And I'm a huge fan of Petit Philippe right nearby. Just an awesome wine shop that you know does weekly tastings and has an amazing event space. Those are some of the places I like to go.
Speaker 2:Oh, I was going to ask you. I'm not familiar with both of those. I'll have to try it. Well, it has been a pleasure having you on the show.
Speaker 3:How do our listeners find you guys, yeah. So thank you so much for having me and it's been really fun to talk about the business and people can find us in a couple of ways. The website is Hallmark, just spelled, just like the TV channel hallmarkhomecarecom slash South Charlotte, all one word. So Hallmark home carecom slash South Charlotte and, if bonus preferred, the business line is 980 202 2224. So 980 202 2224 and we're happy to take any inquiries, even if people are just sort of exploring ideas and proactively thinking about options in order to be prepared.
Speaker 2:I love it Awesome. I will have some personal questions for you. By the way, thank you, philip, so much for joining us and, yeah, charlotte's a great place.
Speaker 3:Happy to have you on our show today thank you, regina, it was a pleasure, and take care thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast.
Speaker 1:To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpsouthcharlottecom. That's gnpsouthcharlottecom, or call 980-351-5719.