Griswold is More Than Home Care

Darrin J. Mills

Owner

One of my first jobs as a young teenager was mowing lawns and doing odd jobs for many of my neighborhood seniors. After the work was done, of course I was excited to get paid, but the most enjoyable and rewarding part was sitting and chatting with them for several minutes. I was excited to hear about what it was like when they were growing up or how the neighborhood has changed, but as much as I loved hearing from them, I know how much they enjoyed visiting with me and hearing what was happening in my life. Creating those memories and relationships was an amazing and impactful part of my life.

Fast forward many years, I have had a fulfilling career for the past 30 years with some of the top Retailers in the US with positions at the VP level or higher. Although it has been very impactful building, hiring and managing successful teams, I felt my purpose in life was much greater and always felt like I was yearning towards something much bigger. I knew there was a more meaningful chapter to come in my life.

When finally deciding to go in a different direction career wise, I thought back to my childhood while working with seniors and realized that providing Home Care to those in need would make a significant impact on the most vulnerable years in a person’s life. Although that is a huge responsibility, what an amazing blessing of an opportunity to make a positive impact one person at a time. I researched many Home Care businesses and Griswold Care had the most passionate and supportive approach to the business and aligned perfectly with my vision and character.

Laura Mills

Owner

My journey of helping people started as a teenager, one of my first jobs was working at a group home for developmentally disabled teenagers. My purpose was to help the teens navigate their independence by helping them cook, do laundry and other everyday tasks that would enrich their lives and help them maintain dignity and independence despite their disabilities. This role was extremely gratifying and rewarding as you saw what a positive impact you had on each of these young adults.

My professional career path lead me to become a small business owner with a few different businesses. We opened a “Paint Your Own Pottery Studio” in early 2000’s, and in 2019 purchased a Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids Hair Salon. Both businesses were extremely rewarding and helped pave the path to where I am today. Being a small business owner allowed me to support employees and customers as we nurtured a rewarding culture filled with fun and positive experiences.

Soon after selling the Kid’s hair salon in 2022, my 95-year-old father's health started to decline rapidly. He had lost a lot of weight, was forgetting to eat and take medications and was showing signs of dementia. Our family was unaware of the severity of his condition since he was living abroad. Once we understood the reality of his condition, we moved him back to the US to live with my sister in NY. Although my sister was initially his main caregiver, my brother and I helped out periodically, we saw the toll it took on my sister as she was also working a full-time job and taking care of a family. Due to these challenges, we were encouraged to hire a caregiver, and this made a significant improvement in every aspect as my sister, brother and I could be his Kids again and not his caregivers, we were able to spend quality time with him in his final months.

The experience with my dad made me aware of the positive impact a caregiver can make, so when my husband Darrin and I started researching business opportunities, we both quickly realized “In Home Care” was our future. We researched several different Home Care Franchises and the people at Griswold Home Care were so genuine and supportive, it made our decision very easy.