EP 538: Laura Smithen: Why Good Home Care Starts With Listening And Details

What makes Laura Smithen with ComForCare Home Care a good neighbor?

We talk with Laura Smithen about the important role non-medical in-home care plays in helping older adults maintain independence, dignity, and quality of life. Laura shares how families often find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory after a parent’s health changes and explains why having the right support system in place can make all the difference.

We discuss what non-medical home care actually includes, from assistance with bathing, toileting, meal preparation, light housekeeping, and mobility support to the everyday tasks that help people remain safe and comfortable in their own homes. Laura explains how these services provide practical help while also giving families peace of mind.

One of the biggest misconceptions we address is the difference between home care and home health care. Laura breaks down when skilled nursing and Medicare-covered services may be appropriate and when ongoing caregiver support becomes the key to helping someone age in place successfully. Understanding those distinctions can help families make more informed decisions and access the right resources at the right time.

We also explore the unique needs of individuals living with dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Laura shares how specialized caregiver training and education can improve outcomes and create a better experience for both clients and their families. She explains why understanding the progression of these conditions helps caregivers provide more effective support and respond to changing needs over time.

The conversation also highlights the importance of community partnerships and caregiver education. Laura discusses how connecting families with trusted local resources throughout Dallas, Collin County, and the greater DFW area helps them navigate challenges before they become crises.

If you are caring for an aging parent, supporting a loved one with dementia or Parkinson’s, or simply want to better understand your options for aging in place, this conversation offers practical guidance and valuable insight.

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Guest Info:  ComForCare https://www.comforcare.com/texas/dallas-park-cities/in-home-care/

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of in-home care? Well, the right company may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Laura Smith, with Comfort Care Home Care. Laura, it is lovely having you on today. Now we are so excited to learn more about you and your business. So go ahead and tell our listeners just a little bit more about what you do.

What In Home Personal Care Means

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Thank you so much. Nice to be here. We provide in-home personal care. So that means anything that a family member would do to help a loved one, maybe after surgery or as they're aging. So cooking, cleaning, bathing, toileting, nothing that is, we are licensed by the state, but we're we don't do skilled services. So it's not a nurse per se, but they do a lot of the things that nurses might do, but no injections or prescriptions. And we do all the things that a family would do, like cooking and cleaning that a professional nurse would not do. So we are in that in between.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Wonderful. Now, Laura, diving a little bit more into your story, where was your passion for this type of business born?

A Pandemic Stroke Sparks Purpose

SPEAKER_02 1:20

Well, when during the pandemic, my father had a stroke and he's in the Austin area. And I was working here and couldn't be there for him and realized how important it was to have a resource to go to make sure that he was taken care of, to know that they were qualified, that they were insured, that they were communicating well, that they had a whole system and not just simply having the neighbor go over and check on him. So my boyfriend at the time, he's now my partner and husband, he was just getting started into this business. And so it all came together and I realized how important it is and how many people need this service and how many there are like me that are in the sandwich generation dealing with growing adult children and aging parents that both need help in their own ways.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Oh, yeah, most certainly.

Home Care Versus Home Health Nursing

SPEAKER_01 2:19

Now, diving into some of those misconceptions that you face on the day-to-day, which one would you like to put to rest today for our listeners?

SPEAKER_02 2:29

I guess the first is probably people think that they're a nurse. Nurses are very valuable these days. And generally what people need for home care is help with the things like toileting, bathing, making sure that they're if they're bedridden, that they're properly in the bed, but they don't need a nurse. If they do need a nurse, a nurse will come through with home health, and that is typically paid for by Medicare. And they'll come in periodically, but they don't need to be tending to them for long term. That's what our people do. And so it's increasing quality of life, making sure that they're keeping them mentally stimulated, doing their exercises, keeping them strong, making the most out of life, as opposed to being in a nursing home where they're withering away and just not enjoying life.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

I love that nurturing aspect to what you provide. Now we're gonna go ahead and switch gears here.

Reaching Families Across DFW

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Marketing really is the heart of every business. So ideally, who is your target audience and how are you reaching them today?

SPEAKER_02 3:39

That's a good question. And we're always trying to figure that out. We've been in business since 2019, and we started in the Dallas area in East Dallas, and now we're in Park Cities and Preston Hollow, and just have recently moved into Collin County. So as everyone knows, it's a huge area, and it is hard to reach the target demographic. So we're doing a lot of different things. We're partnering with other professionals like doctors and elder services that go into the home. And we are connecting with them to find those people who specifically need our resources. We also do a lot of work with the Alzheimer's Association. We have a program called DementiaWise that is certified by the Alzheimer's Association, and it is an education program for dementia and then also Parkinson's. A lot of people don't realize how much the rate of Parkinson's diagnosis are going up. It's really scary and it's a really complicated disease. And caregivers need to know a whole set of different things. It's different concerns there. So we're specialized in that and we're getting involved in those communities specifically.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Wow, that's wonderful what you're doing

Meeting People Beyond Work

SPEAKER_01 4:58

here. What about outside of work? What do you and your husband like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02 5:04

Well, to be brutally honest, we really enjoy just going to restaurants and meeting people. We we just like to be out and about and we enjoy people and meeting new people recently. We've had a good time. We went down to Texas Live, which I hadn't been there before, and we just talked to all the different people from the different countries and had so much fun hearing their points of view and what they thought of the DFW area and that kind of thing. So we really just enjoy people.

Why Aging Is Not Cookie Cutter

SPEAKER_01 5:35

Now, focusing back on your business, what is the greatest takeaway you would like our listeners to gather from learning today about comfort care home care?

SPEAKER_02 5:46

Well, I think that the main thing is there's I think I may have already said it, there's so many nuances in aging. There's no cookie cutter, there's no, if someone's diagnosed with dementia, it means this. If somebody has had a fall, it means this. It's very complicated and every situation is a little bit different. So we really need to band together and find those resources and those experts in each little subject as you need them. And so that's what we're hoping to provide as answers for aging, one place to come up with answers for DFW. So we're not really into talking about our feelings, but we'll find the resources where there is a place for that. We really want to get to the answers and make life better.

How To Find Comfort Care

SPEAKER_02 6:31

What is the first step towards finding this care? You can find us online. We are CFC, stands for Come Fort Care-homecare.com, or you can look us up or Come for Care Dallas and Collin County. And we have partners all that cover the entire DFW area. We carry, we cover probably the most of it, and we're one of the older agencies, but we have wonderful partners that cover the other areas. So glad to connect you with them if we're not the right spot for you.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Well,

Closing And Business Nominations

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Laura, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you having me.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco dot com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four five.