By Gabbie Burton
Contributing Writer

Since April 2022, Family Forever Home Healthcare in Nottingham has been providing services to the southern Lancaster and Chester County regions. Started by Joni Rogan and her husband John, the family business also includes their daughter, Jena, who serves as one of their field supervisors and Joni’s best friend, Tammy Chew, who is the agency’s director of operations.

Over the last two years, the agency has provided companionship, meal preparation, housekeeping and hygiene to an expanding number of families throughout Chester and Lancaster counties, and while all those components are in full operation mode, it is not lost on Joni, John and Jena that Family Forever had a rather inauspicious start. 

Rogan said that she did not want to open a home care business but after an experience taking care of a close client with her daughter, the family was given an opportunity they couldn’t ignore.

“My daughter and I had a mutual client and when she passed away the family gave us money to start a business,” she said.

Subsequently, Rogan and Jena brought the caregiving company they were associated with at the time on board to assist in the client’s care. When mother and daughter took off for two weeks for a family wedding, the company left the client unattended for four days.

“Luckily we were home, so the family called us, and we went and took care of her,” Rogan said. “When Jena and I went back we quit the company and just said we couldn’t put our name to a company that would leave somebody who was 98 years old alone in their bed.”

After the client passed, the family discussed what to do with the money and while Joni admitted that she was reluctant to invest it into a new business, John – who covers the business side of the company – encouraged his wife to start Family Forever.

“I’m not a businessperson,” Rogan said. “I’m a caregiver, so I took on three more clients, put the money in a business account for three years and when my last client passed away right before we started the company, I came home and said, ‘Okay, it’s now or never.’”

Since then, Family Forever has grown to include 30 total staff currently assisting 42 clients in both counties, in prefect step with the growth of the homecare industry. Joni said the advantage of home healthcare is the ability to have that one-on-one relationship between caregiver and client, where a caregiver can give their full attention and client can benefit from interaction and personalized care.

In order to enter the client’s home and provide that comfortable and personalized care, Family Forever ensures that the client and caregiver are compatible and provides training to their employees regularly. The state has required training and a test that each home caregiver must pass and additionally, Family Forever requires quarterly training for every caregiver in order to stay accountable and provide quality care. Field visits are also conducted during working hours to check up on the care being provided.

Beyond the technical training and responsibilities for the job there is also the emotional side of caregiving that requires attention as well.

‘We are the sunshine in their days’

“We do a pretty intense training session on hospice cases, part of that is on when a client passes and the emotional side of dealing with that,” Joni said. “At the same time, we are being the support for the client and their family, what that looks like when it happens and the support that we offer after too.”

While dealing with loss may be a part of the job, it’s not something that ever gets easier.

“It's going to be both a challenge and a process, but you have to look and see what we give them before they pass: the happy times, the smiles, the care,” Chew said. “Often, we’re doing a lot of things for them they can no longer do for themselves and we’re keeping them comfortable with dignity and respect. Sometimes we are the sunshine in their days and something to look forward to.”

Family Forever clients are not always confined to the home; with assistance from the staff, they visit casinos, see friends and family and make arts and crafts. One client even was taken out of an in-facility hospice care near the end of her life in favor of at home care before having a “complete turnaround,” and spending another four weeks with her family before passing comfortably at home.

Though home healthcare provides some benefits to clients and their families, it may not also be the best solution. Though Family Forever does offer live-in care for clients who need it, if safety is ever a concern for the client than a facility may be the best option. Additionally, Family Forever is private pay only as home healthcare is not usually covered by regular health insurance, making it a more expensive option for some families.

“We never guilt the family into keeping them at home,” Rogan said. “It’s sad because I would love to take everybody that comes in but financially it’s a strain on people.”

Though many aspects of the job can be emotional and complicated, the Family Forever team seems to focus on the positives and appreciate each client and experience individually.

“The clients are so thankful for the care we are giving them, but they have absolutely no idea that they are, in fact, are teaching us and giving back more than we give to them.”

To learn more about Family Forever Home Healthcare, call (717) 955-0245, email [email protected] or visit www.familyforeverhealthcare.com.