Page 16 - BusinessWest January 20, 2021

Entrepreneur
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down that foundation,” said Ruiz. “We have grown by leaps and bounds in terms of our census, not only with our clients, but also with our caregivers; overall, we’re an organization that’s now managing more than 1,000 peo- ple, including administrative, caregiver staff, and clients.
“And the exciting thing,” he went on, “is that we’ve only scratched the surface.”
Not even a global pandemic has been able to slow this company down.
ing that the virus also slowed the pace of expansion into the Central Mass. market.
But, ultimately, opinions concern- ing homecare during this pandemic changed, she said, adding that many came to view that option as being far more attractive than a nursing home or other types of long-term-care facility, places that saw outbreaks of the pan- demic and, in some cases, large num- bers of deaths.
This change in attitude is reflected in the growing numbers of clients
in the Greater Springfield area, she
“Over dinner, we realized that we had the same thoughts of creating a company that would satisfy a recognized need. We thought we could do better; we knew we could do better.”
OK, it did slow it down a little. Last spring, as the virus invaded the region, some of the company’s home-care clients became understandably con- cerned about bringing people into
the home and canceled or suspended services, and some caregivers decided they no longer wanted to be in that line of work, said Mary Flahive-Dickson, the company’s chief operating officer and a 30-year healthcare veteran, add-
said, adding that the census is now approaching and perhaps over the 500 mark, representing roughly 20% growth over the past year — again, in the middle of a pandemic.
“Having been in home care for more than two decades, and in health- care for more than three, the home is far less of a risk, with the pandemic protocols that are going on now, than a facility,” she said, adding there is
Cesar Ruiz Jr. projects that Golden Years could again double in size over the next five years as the venture expands into new markets and new service areas.
16 JANUARY 20, 2021
TOP ENTREPRENEUR 2020 BusinessWest
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