As we age, body parts begin to fail, memories fade, and lapses in judgement become a normal occurrence. Before we know it, we are seniors or called the “elderly”, and our families must make difficult decisions, like whether to put us in a nursing home or whether we should move in with them – our son, daughter, grandchild or someone else altogether. What would it mean if we could stay in our own home for as long as possible?
Griswold Home Care provides non-medical care for seniors, clients, and families. On their website they state: With over four decades of experience and a storied legacy of compassion and integrity, we focus on the people we meet and the connections we make right here in our own community.
This month, Griswold Home Care celebrates 35 years of service, working to keep people in their homes for as long as they possibly can and want to be. Founded by Frances and Cathy Malafronte in 1991, after Cathy’s grandfather (Frances’s father) battled with dementia. What Cathy and Frances wanted for him was a companion, someone to help with daily living that they could not. At the time, Stratford did not have any non-medical home care options for their family. After Cathy’s grandfather died, the family launched Griswold Home Care.
Since 1991, Griswold Home Care has helped over 5,000 families and continues to fill a need in our Stratford community and beyond. Serving other neighboring towns in the surrounding area—Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Shelton, Southport, Trumbull— Griswold Home Care continues to call Stratford home.
“Our first office was in Stratford, and we’ve always been in Stratford ever since. We’ve moved building to building, but our Stratford office is considered our hub. I grew up in Lordship. My mom, who started the business with me, still lives here,” Cathy shared in an interview with her daughters, Kelly and Jessica. Cathy’s daughters both work with their mom at Griswold Home Care as directors, and one day, they will lead the company.
As a young mom, Cathy had a passion for helping others, including families like her own. Jessica and Kelly, became a mainstay in the office early on. Cathy said, “I started the business when Jessica was only a few months old, and Kelly was just 2 years old, never thinking that my two babies, who are now grown women and married, would have any interest in taking over what I thought was going to be just my career.”
What was “just my career,” per Cathy’s reflection, has turned into a family business. When Cathy steps back from Griswold as the owner, Kelly and Jessica are ready to fill her shoes. Kelly said, “I would say over the next 35 years, Jessica and I will continue our mission and vision, and assist our clients to live where they love as long as they possibly can.”
What does it mean to stay in one’s home as an elderly person? What does it mean to stay as long as you possibly can? Griswold Home Care provides a wide range of care options for families in need, from companionship care to live-in care to veteran care services.
“Our clients have a vast plethora of needs, from someone who needs companionship to someone who needs round-the-clock care. While family engagement varies, sometimes we are talking to family members who are in California, and we update them. For some of our local families, sometimes it’s helping them navigate systems. No matter if they have family local or far, we make sure that families are fully aware and fully involved in their care,” Jessica said.
For families, Griswold Home Care provides peace of mind. On Griswold’s website, Dave Tarone, the son of one of their clients, shares, “We knew they were going to be taken care of when the family wasn’t around.”
Being a caregiver, whether for a family member or for another in our community, is not always easy. It’s work that is done from the heart, and lifts the soul of the person on the receiving end. If you or someone you know would like to continue their education, elevate their career, and serve people with deeper training, The Jean Griswold Foundation provides scholarships, and has raised almost $1 million in support of the education of caregivers.
May we all remember what the Griswold Home Care team reminds us: that caregivers make a difference every day.
