Michael Jones, Owner, Comfort Keepers, Sarasota Florida
Michael Jones, a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), and Charlotte Jones, a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and a Masters Degree in Nursing Education (RN, MS, BSN), moved to Florida with the aspiration of helping others, having no idea what kind of impact starting a Comfort Keepers would have on Sarasota and its surrounding communities. Over eight years later, this husband and wife team has realized their dream, having helped countless seniors receive the personalized, professional care that has become synonymous with the Comfort Keepers brand.
Michael Jones is the President of the local offices of Comfort Keepers which covers Sarasota and Manatee counties. Comfort Keepers is a national franchise with over 550 offices across the country. Comfort Keepers specializes in providing Non-Medical In-Home Care.
Michael Jones , certified senior advisor and owner of Comfort Keepers in
Sarasota and Venice FL has been elected as President of SCAN , the Sarasota
County Aging Network. He has been on the board of directors for 10 years and
most recently serviced as Directory Chairman and Treasurer. With over 150
members SCAN has been an advocate in serving the needs of seniors for over
20 years. Annually they provide over $30,000 in grant monies to non profits
serving the needs of seniors. They meet the 4th Thursday of each month at
Healthsouth and new members are welcome.
As a Certified Financial Planner, Michael spent 15 years helping people accumulate and protect assets so they could attain their financial goals and reach their dreams. After moving to Sarasota in 2000 to be closer to his family, he realized that the strongest need for seniors was to stay in their own homes.
Michael believes he has found the perfect business to allow him to continue his passion to be able to assist people with their hopes and dreams in retirement. His mission is to enable seniors live independently with dignity in their own homes.
Attaining his Certified Senior Advisor designation allows him the ability to be a great resource in the community. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Sarasota County Aging Network.
Previously he served on the leadership council of the local Alzheimer’s Association.
Michael also is the host of this own weekly TV show on Blab TV 189 called “Connecting with Seniors”. He writes a Q & A column in Mature Lifestyle Magazine and is on the State Board of Directors of the National Private Duty Association.
Owner Michael Jones was recently interviewed and selected as a Man of Distinction and included in the Sept issue of SCENE Magazine. Please click here for more details.
“How does Comfort Keepers set the standard in home care?”
Compassionate Caregivers
When we carefully select, screen, and train our Comfort Keepers®, we do it to make sure families and seniors receive the capable and compassionate care they deserve. Because we’re so selective, one must undergo a thorough and rigorous screening process to become a “Comfort Keeper,” which is the unique name for our carefully selected and trained caregivers. Indeed, we hire on average only 1 for every 30 who call us for employment. We do an extensive amount of background work, including credit checks, nationwide and local criminal checks, driving checks, and drug testing, rather than just the minimum state requirements or hiring quickly to fill a need.
In addition to the CPR and Alzheimer’s training each Comfort Keepers receives, we also require them to undergo rigorous caregiver training which, we believe, is second to none. After the Basic training comes the most important part – Interactive Caregiver Training. Comfort Keepers has formalized and developed this critical aspect of care, because we understand how an environment of engaging and stimulating interaction between seniors and in-home caregivers cultivates mental vitality and emotional wellbeing.
We take many unique steps to protect you and your loved ones and provide the ultimate peace of mind. We believe it is extremely important to only hire Comfort Keepers as employees. This enables us to supervise, bond, insure, and cover our employees with Workmans’ compensation. We also handle all payroll taxes so you don’t become an accidental employer (Click to see “How to Choose an Agency”).
But as critical as it is to know how to do the job, knowing the job just isn’t quite enough. Our Comfort Keepers are exceptional because each one must pass not only our psychological behavioral survey, but also what we call the “lovability test.” We hold our employees to the highest possible competency standards, but if we don’t sense a warm, “teddy-bear” heart, they’re not employed by Comfort Keepers. By only accepting the most caring, compassionate people to work for our organization, you can see the immediate difference between us and any other agency. There are plenty of people who can become a caregiver; not everyone can be a Comfort Keeper.
