Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Care & Comfort, formerly located on the Houlton Road, recently relocated to a more spacious office at 167 Academy Street to better serve clients from throughout Aroostook County.
Based on the original company founded in 1991 by Susan Dempsey Giguere and her husband, Leo Giguere, the business has offices in Waterville, Bangor, Presque Isle, Machias, Farmington and Wilton. The social services agency specializes in home services throughout 13 Maine counties, ranging from visits to elderly clients and children, to in-office mental-health counseling sessions.
The Gigueres know all too well how difficult it can be to find help for children in need or the elderly who want to retain an independent lifestyle but without assistance may otherwise be forced into some form of residential or nursing home.
“When my mother got older and began suffering the effects of Alzheimer’s, I found out just how few options there are out there for families with a loved one with a health issue. It was even harder if that loved one had a mental health issue,” said Susan Giguere.
Add to the matter the fact that Susan’s mother was blind, making it even more difficult to find quality care.
“Sue’s mother was also blind and would wander off. It was difficult. Someone had to be with her around the clock,” said Leo Giguere.
“We had to get creative. I shopped at midnight because there was no help available then,” said Susan.
To add to the situation, Giguere also had a child who needed help for a mental health issue. It was at that point Giguere decided to do something about such circumstances, she and a partner established Healthcare Temps in 1991. That partnership eventually dissolved, at which point Susan decided to transform the business into one she knew was desperately needed.
“My experience in the realm of health care was a as a caregiver. I have always been entrepreneurial. I wanted to develop this business into one that would help people in their homes, whether they were seniors who needed medical or personal care assistance or children with disabilities,” said Susan.
The venture has expanded from two to over 400 employees throughout the state. In Presque Isle, hours of service have expanded and with it the need for more staff.
“We’ve expanded our staff hours. We’ve undergone a lot of changes in the last three months with the addition of home health services. We have between 15 and 18 home-based workers. We’ve also been busy at recent meetings talking about adding clinicians,” said Christopher Morse, clinical team leader.
To accommodate the increased work load and staff, the decision was made to look for more office space. The Academy Street location met those needs.
“We’ve been looking at the facility for quite some time. It’s cozy and larger and will better serve our clientele,” said Susan.
“We were pushing out the walls here. We needed the additional space,” added Morse.
Services provided through Care & Comfort help clients live a more normal lifestyle, be it through instructing youth on anger management techniques or comforting an elderly client by making lunch or playing a game to make the day go by more smoothly.
“If we see a need we can’t handle, we make the necessary referrals,” said Morse. “We all have parts to play in the community. To make the community work well, it takes all of us.”
In today’s society, it’s no longer just a parenting issue involving children. With an aging population, more and more often the children serve in parental roles to their own parents. Morse said the key to handling parenting – be it for a child or a senior citizen – is to stick with the same method throughout, with room for adaptation.
“Parenting involves being clear and consistent – but being willing to change as necessary,” said Morse.
Sometimes techniques have to be adjusted to get the best results, said Susan.
“Sometimes you have to change strategies and ideas. It’s a bittersweet place when a child becomes a parent and a parent becomes the child. It’s a sad place,” said Susan.
“To see from the other person’s perspective – it’s hard to do. That’s why we’re here, to help with those transitional phases in life,” said Morse. “It is challenging, whether it’s parents or children struggling with mental health and/or home issues.”
Coming from a home that had several generations under one roof provided the Gigueres with hands-on experience and knowledge of how difficult, yet enjoyable, such relationships can be.
“Being able to have that extended family – sometimes we miss the strengths of having a large family. But sometimes it takes the support of someone outside the fish bowl to see what’s happening. Mental health is a societal problem,” said Morse. “That’s why we’re here.”
Care & Comfort’s move was completed on April 2, to meet the needs of people throughout Aroostook County. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We usually do one later night for folks who need flexible hours to accommodate their work schedules,” said Morse.
For information, call 764-3071. Mental health services are covered by MaineCare, private insurance, as well as cash payments. Care & Comfort take children up to 21 years of age, as well as senior citizens.
Susan credits her company’s success to two important factors, commitment and compassion.
“Commitment to the families served is achieved through analyzing the overall needs and providing services that help the families remain together and grow despite the difficulties. All services are provided with overwhelming compassion that comes from the heart (of a leader) in a company design based on my personal experiences,” said Susan.
