2014 Family Business Awards

Providing Care In Her Grandmother’s Memory - Kit Whittington | Seniors Home Care

by Julia Paulus Ogilvie

In 1987 Kit Whittington was a working single mom with two kids who was also caring for her paternal grandmother who had breast cancer. “I hired private people out of the neighborhood paper,” she says. “Before I would pick up my kids, I would go to visit my grandmother. I would find her slumped over in a chair or find that she was never taken to her chemotherapy. That’s when I quit my corporate advertising job to work as my grandmother’s caregiver.”

After her grandmother died, Whittington realized she could start a business as a caregiver in her memory. “After five years I realized that I needed more formal training,” says Kit. “I saw that many of my clients were going from doctor to doctor with the same ailments and receiving conflicting medications. That’s when I decided to go to nursing school. I received a four-year Bachelor of Nursing degree. I majored in geriatrics.”

With her education and caring nature, Kit has grown Seniors Home Care into a business serving people all over St. Louis City and County. “We help people stay in their homes by providing quality caregivers,” she says. “I have over 175 people who help others with the activities of daily living from personal care to transportation.”

In 2008, Kit’s son unexpectedly approached her to ask whether she would be willing to let him work in the family business. “He said he could see how meaningful it was, and he said he would start anywhere,” says Kit. “He joined the business as a caregiver on a trial basis. After two years he transitioned to working in the office while still working as a caregiver. Now he is in his second year as a business partner and is becoming an owner. My husband, Mark Whittington, joined us four years ago.”In the future, the Whittington family hopes to continue to provide meaningful jobs and quality service to people wanting to remain in their homes for the rest of their lives.

Source: http://www.sbmon.com/Awards/Article/440/2014-Family-Business-Awards