Jul. 16—ASHLAND — Nearly a decade after three local attorneys launched a business inspired by their own loved ones, Jeff Stevens said Village Caregiving has expanded beyond his, Andrew Maass' and Matt Walker's initial vision in 2013.

From the spring of 2021 to the summer of 2022, alone, the organization experienced a drastic leap from 900 to 1,700 employees, and about 2,000 to now 3,000 clients. Geographically, Village projects to have 50 operating locations by the end of the year — ranging from Baltimore, Maryland, to Omaha, Nebraska (and as far north as Ann Arbor, Michigan, and as deep into the south as Nashville, Tennessee).

Stevens, a University of Kentucky graduate, said he, Maass and Walker — all of the Barboursville, West Virginia, area — learned plenty of valuable lessons along the way.

When asked to highlight those lessons during an interview this past week, he looked across the desk at Josh Yates, the executive director of the Ashland office.

"How important it is to have talented staff members," Stevens said. "At first, I thought we needed people experienced in home care, but that's not necessarily the case. It's more important to have good, honest people who are ridiculously talented and who are good at solving problems. ... and to have directors like Josh, who's tremendous. He's an all-star."

Caregivers, though, are the face of the company, Stevens acknowledged.

"Our reputation lies in their hands," he said. "That relationship between the caregiver and the family is really special — more than I might have guessed. ... There's a really special bond. It provides a great sense of purpose because it drives home the point of what we're doing. It's a business, sure, but it's changing people's lives.

"Sometimes, the caregiver is one of the three most important people in someone's life," he continued. "It's their doctor, their pastor and their caregiver."

Maass, Walker and Stevens all called upon similar services for a grandparent. "The results were mixed," Stevens said. So, an idea was born.

"We thought we could provide a better level of care," he said. "It was something that was personal to us. For me, it was the end of my grandmother's life, and I would find myself taking on a lot of the duties to take care of her. That can be very exhausting.

"It's important that if you have a limited time left with somebody, you try to enjoy that as much as you can," he added, "and that it doesn't turn into a burden or work for you. If you have a company like Village Caregiving that can provide that, it changes your life."

Both Yates and Stevens said their goal isn't to take away from other facilities such as nursing homes, but it's to supply people with an option that allows a loved one to remain in their home while still receiving assistance.

"On the caregiver side, they can come from any background — the main focus is, again, good, honest people," Stevens said. "Experience is more important on that side because they may need to have certain skills. We do have nurses on staff that train them up, too."

All hires must pass a background check (state- and federal-level fingerprint) and go through some training courses.

Both Stevens and Yates said Village offers a flexible schedule to caregivers. Employees get as many days off as they need.

"Does this fit with your life?" is one of the main questions for a prospective employee, according to Stevens.

Yates said Ashland's caregivers range in age from 18 (the minimum) to 71. They stick around, too, Yates said, citing very little employee turnover.

Stella, the 71-year-old, is Yates's best, he said. It's not uncommon for Heidi Pennington, Director of Operations, to schedule her for 60-hour weeks.

"She's taking care of people younger than her and they absolutely love her," Yates said.

Another young woman drives from Greenup to Louisa just about every day, and "never misses a day," Yates said.

Then there's also a female employee who hasn't missed a single shift in three-plus years.

"That's almost scary, too, because I don't have a backup for her," Yates said, cracking a grin.

Ashland has about 100 caregivers now. The office overs Lawrence, Elliott, Carter, Boyd and Greenup counties, Yates said.

"It's pretty easy on a day like today," he said on a clear, 85-degree mid-July morning. "But put 3 inches of snow on the ground, and it's a different story."

Village's clientele's needs vary from just a little help cleaning house to serving someone who is bedbound and/or incontinent.

"Our caregivers are so selfless," Yates said. "There have been multiple times where they stay the night at someone's house because they know the shift starts at 7 a.m., and it might snow that night or whatever."

In Kentucky, half of the clientele are private-pay and the rest are VA-eligible. There's a waiver program that allows it to be Medicaid-funded in Ohio, something Yates hopes can happen soon in the Bluegrass State.

Stevens is pleased with Village's growth, which has been slow and steady, he said. Yates and Stevens both said research indicates Village is now the largest privately owned home care agency in America.

"We're not trying to microwave our success," he said. "It's been responsible."

Yates said Village "bridges the gap between living at home independently and going to a facility." Village does have a presence in some assisted-living facilities, too.

For more information about Village Caregiving, visit villagecaregiving.com, email josh@villagecaregiving.com or call (606) 327-1148. The Ashland office is at 2401 Carter Ave.

(606) 326-2664 — asnyder@dailyindependent.com