Business : Home Instead offers help for seniors, job opportunities

Home Instead owner Karen Huber, with employees Kay Peacock and Sue Noren.

Home Instead, a non-medical home care company, is now serving Benton County clients from a new office in Vinton.

The company offers a variety of services, at one hourly rate.

"We do everything that is non-medical," says owner Karen Huber.

One Home Instead client goes to Iowa Hawkeye football games, accompanied by a home care provider. Most providers, however, provide more common services, including house work, driving clients to medical appointments or other places, or simply accompanying them in activities they cannot do alone.

Sue Noren and Kay Peacock will staff the Vinton office. Huber's business is one of more than 1,000 franchise in the company that began in 1994.

In her office, Huber has photos of her family members. She said the business is about helping families take care of their loved ones when they are not able to do so.

"Sometimes people can live on their own, if they only have someone come in for an hour or two a week," she says.

The company charges clients one standard hourly rate for all of its services. Other companies, said Huber, charge extra for particular services. There is also a mileage fee, unless the client uses his or her own car.

Employees needed

Huber said she hopes to develop a pool of 25-30 part-time employees who can be available to meet a variety of scheduling needs. Employees must be 18 or older; the company offers a six-hour training that covers the basics.

Home Instead is located at 408 B Avenue (across the street from Farmers Savings Bank & Trust). The phone number is 472-4004.