Henrico Small Business Spotlight: Old Glory Home Health Care & Assistive Care

Kim Foster and Brooke Trainer didn’t like the way home health care was adapting to the corporate world. Old Glory Home Health Care & Assistive Care became the mother-daughter duo’s response as they forged their own path forward.

Home health care became Foster's passion decades before Old Glory Home Health Care & Assistive Care came to be. But that passion was tested when the registered nurse worked for companies who placed a lot of pressure on production without adding incentive.

“There was a lot of burnout, employee dissatisfaction, and then patient care, I think, sacrifices or becomes a catastrophe,” Trainer shared of her mother’s experience.

Foster wanted to do things differently. She wanted to spend more time with patients and create a company that didn’t strain its employees. Old Glory Home Health Care & Assistive Care was founded in April 2023, as a result.

Trainer, who initially signed on as an investor, eventually became co-owner and CEO of the company so Foster, also a co-owner, could focus on the clinical side of things as she continued to work as a nurse – this time, for her own company.

Curious about the name? Foster and Trainer wanted clients to recall the U.S. flag, commonly nicknamed Old Glory.

“It's symbolic in that it does represent independence for patients,” Trainer said. “The goal with home health is to keep them independent, keep them moving and maintaining their lifestyles.”

As an Air Force veteran, Trainer says she looks at service differently than most. And that perspective has further entrenched her commitment to her company’s values.

“We're here to serve our country as veterans, but we're also here to serve our community, to serve our neighbor, to serve our friend who is in need,” said Trainer, who also works as an anesthesiologist and critical care physician. “Just like our veterans deserve this, our Medicare recipients, our elderly population, we owe it to them to give back to them, to get them to the safest and best place.”

Two distinct umbrellas of service

Today, Old Glory has about three dozen full-time employees, in addition to as-needed employees, who provide a variety of services at patients’ homes. But to understand those offerings, it’s important to note their two distinct umbrellas of services: assistive care and skilled care.

Assistive care, for starters, involves certified nursing assistants, homemakers, companions, sitters and other types of caretakers who help with things like getting the patient showered and dressed, assisting them on the toilet, cooking for them or keeping them company.

“[They] go into the patient's home and assist the family with just the day-to-day care of their loved one,” Foster said.

Skilled care, on the other hand, is regulated by the state and requires nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers and other specialists.

“Those services are provided on what is called an intermittent basis, where if somebody has had an acute episode of their disease process, or, for instance, that they've had a fall, they've broken a bone, we may bring nursing or therapy into the home to help that patient recover,” Foster said. “We deal with what's going on with them immediately, right now, in order to get them back to their previous level of functioning.”

Old Glory services a 50-mile radius from its Henrico office at 2108 West Laburnum Avenue, Suite 230. Services include caregiving, home health aiding, post-surgical transportation and care, physical therapy, skilled nursing, speech therapy, occupational therapy, IV infusions, medical equipment acquisition, remote patient monitoring and remote therapeutic monitoring, among other offerings. And Foster asserts that her company has “stepped outside the box” when it comes to caring for people in need.

“It doesn't matter what kind of help they need. Do they need help with personal care? Do they need help with obtaining services such as transportation? Home-delivered meals? That's what we're all about,” Foster said. “I think that our name is really standing out there amongst the other agencies, as well. . . We are not just there to say, ‘Oh, I'm going to go in and spend 15 minutes with this patient, and then I'm going to bill the insurance company.’

“No, we actually spend time with them. And it's showing.”

Fighting 'tooth and nail' for clients

Foster and Trainer also say Old Glory has earned a reputation as a company that will “go to bat” for their clients. They aren’t afraid to put in numerous appeals if their patients are getting denials from insurance.

“We will fight tooth and nail to get them the services they need,” Foster said.

Old Glory cares deeply about its patients and its employees. Foster and Trainer believe that putting employees first is the best way to cater to both.

“There are a lot of clinicians who do work in this industry that are not treated well by their employers; they're pushed to the max, they're forced to meet a certain quota of patients, the patients just really aren't given consistent care,” Foster said. “When we started hiring employees, one of our first thoughts was to ensure that our employees are put first. Because if we take care of our employees, we know that they will take care of the patients.”

Foster and Trainer have faith in the future of home health. 

“I think home health is the future of medicine,” Trainer said. “I think it's going to be more prevalent once industry payers, patients and hospitals all realize that we can do more at home for these patients at an earlier stage.”

They also have big goals for Old Glory. Eventually, they are hoping to double their patient census which includes “a diverse set of patients” over the age of 18.

“We take heart failure, LVAD [Left Ventricular Assist Devices] patients, really sick, complex patients, dialysis patients, patients with Parkinson's, very complex wounds. . . We don't say no to a whole lot of patients,” Trainer said.

When they do say no, it generally stems from a need for more employees rather than an unwillingness to accept the patient. That’s why they’re actively hiring. But, make sure you’re passionate about the cause, if you’re submitting an application.

“I think, really, what sets Old Glory apart first and foremost is passion,” Foster said. “We love people, and we love taking care of people.”

For details, email Old Glory at info@oldgloryhomehealth.com or call (804) 269-0637 during the business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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