Member-owned Home Instead Provides Valuable Option for Many Seniors
By Valerie Connelly, Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Relations
Nestled into a business park on the outskirts of Easton is a gem with dedicated staff providing services to thousands of seniors across five counties on the mid-shore. Home Instead offers aging adults the opportunity to stay in the homes they love while contracting for various levels of support services.
Ben and Jenna Marchi, Choptank Electric Cooperative members from St. Michaels, own the franchise and employ more than 150 caregivers, offering services for Alzheimer’s and dementia support, and personal, hospice and chronic illness care.
“We feel truly blessed to be able to make a living this way,” said Ben as he discussed their dedication to identifying and training staff to assist seniors in our rural community. Experts expect a growing number of aging adults will need support services in the years ahead.
Some of the Home Instead care professionals are contracted to help clean a home, shop for groceries and provide nutritious meals. Others provide transportation to doctors’ appointments, worship services, fitness classes and more. Regular companionship to talk, garden or play cards is also a need for many aging adults and can be organized through Home Instead.
Members of the Choptank Board of Directors visited the Easton location with our President & CEO, Mike Malandro, to learn more about the operation and to honor Ben and Jenna Marchi with the 2024 Good Samaritan Award.
While the business is one of 635 similar franchise operations across the United States, Ben and Jenna consider it a family business. Ben’s parents own a franchise in Bozeman, MT and Jenna’s parents recently retired and sold their operation in Bel Air, MD.
“We love being cooperative members,” explained Ben. “We recognize the importance of investment and concern for our community—a key Cooperative principle.”
To learn more about career opportunities and home services through Home Instead of the mid-Eastern Shore, visit their website at > www.homeinstead.com/location/561.