Franchisee Profile: Never Say No

Each year, Homewatch CareGivers awards outstanding franchisees in their network. One of the legacy awards given is in honor of Dave Paschall, one of the company’s first franchisees who built his successful business despite many struggles. The award recognizes a franchisee with a “never say no” attitude that helps them rise above challenges and competition. 

John Cochran, owner of Homewatch CareGivers serving Birmingham, Alabama, was the 2015 recipient of the Dave Paschall Award. We spoke with him about his business and what this award means.

HWCG: How long have you been in business?

JC: We signed in 2010 and opened in 2011. 

HWCG: Can you share a story about “never saying no” to meet the care needs in your community?

JC: I’ve got a lot of them! We do a lot of complex care here in Birmingham, and many home care agencies tend to shy away from those cases. These are cases where a client might need services that we cannot provide due to our licensing, such as inserting a feeding tube or managing a morphine drip. We find a way to still provide the “hands on” personal care needed while communicating to the individual’s family other ways they can personally provide care that is out of our scope. One client comes to mind: an 85-year old man who was living with ALS and was totally non-weight bearing, so we needed to use a Hoyer lift to transfer him. It was a very difficult case to staff because the caregivers needed to be strong enough to assist with the lift and transfer. Interviewing for the right staff took a lot of time, but we were able to provide care for the client for about eight months until he passed. 

We have another client now who is a 45-year old woman who truly needs a skilled nurse, but she cannot afford that. She has a brain injury and requires a feeding tube. We have been able to coordinate with her family and neighbors so that they can administer medications, which we cannot do per our license but our caregivers can be there to provide the necessary personal care like helping her bathe.  Just coordinating with the family of a client with complex needs can take additional training and time, but it is worth it when we see how much we can help these individuals and their families. 

HWCG: What does it mean to you to be recognized for your perseverance in this business?

JC: When we see that these people need assistance and their circumstances are preventing them from getting it, we want to find a way to help them. We all face adversity in our lives and we have clients who are sick and have nowhere else to turn, so we want to help them overcome this adversity. If that means we can do something that no one else can do, then it’s the right thing to do to help improve their quality of life. 

Truly it is such a tremendous accomplishment for us to receive the Dave Paschall award after only our fourth year in business! We always looked at the legacy awards as something for those who had been in business between eight and 12 years. When we shared this award with our team, it meant so much because what we do takes a team of caring people.