BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:Business gives at-home care

Cheryl Newton has visited people in the hospital for years, both as a volunteer at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and through her church. A few months ago, she realized an occasional visit didn’t cut it for some people.

First, the Huntington Beach resident met a woman at a nursing home who suffered from dementia and who had fallen twice trying to get out of bed — breaking her arm the first time, her hip the second time, in part because the home lacked enough staff to look after her.

Soon after, a 90-year-old member of Newton’s family fell while trimming a tree in his front yard, and had to call for a neighbor to take him to the emergency room.

Newton, a retired recruiting manager for a law firm, sought to improve care for seniors in central Orange County.

In July, she launched a local chapter of Home Helpers, a nationwide organization based in Ohio that offers at-home assistance to the elderly — as well as pregnant women, new mothers and people recuperating from surgery.

“I noticed there was a need for caregivers so people could stay in their own homes,” Newton said Thursday outside her Newport Beach office.

Newton’s branch of Home Helpers covers Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach and other surrounding communities.

The business is in its infancy now — Newton’s only employee is Client Services Manager Jodi Nichols, and she’s in touch with about 15 prospective caregivers — but the founder expects to start visiting homes by September.

All the services provided by Home Helpers is nonmedical, with caregivers helping patients with housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation and more.

The company also offers a system known as Direct Link, in which clients wear devices on their neck or wrist and push a button to send a signal in an emergency situation.

Some clients, Newton said, merely need a person around to keep them on the right path.

“People who have Alzheimer’s or dementia, they don’t know they can’t do things,” she said. “Sometimes they’ll go for a walk and not remember how to get home.”

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael[email protected].