By Meghan Diemel
Guided by a mission to give seniors and their families a less stressful and easier way to find senior care choices, nationwide company CarePatrol was founded in 1993. Now, three decades later, it is the nation’s largest senior living placement organization, with more than 150 local senior care advisors throughout the country — including in Green Bay and the Fox Cities.
In November, CarePatrol was recognized as the 2022 Small Business of the Year by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce.
Michelle Graf brought the franchise to Northeast Wisconsin following a transitional time in her life around 2014. She knew she needed a change from her longtime corporate career, and she wanted to do something that helped seniors.
“I love the ethics of this company and how they presented themselves,” she says of meeting the owners and other franchisees. “This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to do a business where I could make a living, obviously, but also give back to my community.”
When a senior or their family member calls CarePatrol for guidance in choosing their next home, Graf and her team of advisors assesses the client’s needs. As part of a proprietary system, CarePatrol services are provided free of charge to the senior and their family. The company is supported by the tens of thousands of vetted providers across the United States.
Tours are scheduled at each of the facilities that are considered matches for the senior, and CarePatrol advisors ask the tough questions of the staff so the senior and their family have a clear picture of what the facility can do for them. They provide families with in-depth research and performance reviews of care options. After the senior makes their decision, CarePatrol advisors will check in two days, two weeks and two months after move-in, and then periodically afterward.
“A company like ours reduces the stress on families, because a lot of families don’t know where to start,” Graf says. “Rather than them spending a lot of time [providing tours to] people who are inappropriate, that they can’t provide the right level of care for, or that maybe [the senior] can’t afford, we’re matching people’s needs and financial abilities with the facility’s care capabilities and their pay structure,” she says.
“I think we bring a ton of good support, goodwill and peace of mind to the community and to Northeast Wisconsin.”
