La Grange couple helps others find help

Bryan and Lisa Romane opened ComForCare Senior Services in La Grange.

Updated: March 12, 2013 11:32AM

LA GRANGE — Husband and wife team Bryan and Lisa Romane became first-time business owners when they opened ComForCare Senior Services last year to serve the needs of a growing senior population opting to stay at home rather than move to an inpatient care facility. Both former corporate finance employees, the Romanes left their busy careers in their pasts and now live a simpler life running a franchised ComForCare, a small 12-employee business that provides in-home non-medical care via qualified caregivers. Bryan Romane shares why they chose the senior care industry.

Q: What is it like running a business with your wife as a partner?

A: We’ve been married 23 years. We met sophomore year of high school, then went to college and grad school together. Running the business together has been working out very well for us. Lisa looks after the office and I’m out in the field meeting with clients. The work we do is close to both our hearts because both Lisa and I have had family members who weren’t able to take care of themselves in their old age and had to go through the process of finding someone they can trust to care for them in their homes.

Q: Why did you both leave the financial industry?

A: Lisa was working downtown in the Chicago Loop for a financial services firm but when we started a family she left that job to stay home to raise our three kids. I had spent more than two decades working in finance and accounting for multiple Fortune 500 companies and I was ready for a change. I had always wanted to be an entrepreneur and Lisa wanted to go into business with me.

Q: Why did you choose the senior services field?

A: The senior population is growing rapidly. Statistics say 10,000 new seniors turn 65 every day in the U.S., so there’s definitely a growing need for care in the home. About seven years ago my father-in-law had a massive stroke and we saw first-hand how the family had to deal with the huge change his condition caused in our lives. We saw what my mother-in-law went through finding a caregiver and it wasn’t easy. After dealing with that situation as a family, we felt that the senior care field is now a lot closer to our hearts.

Q: How did the caregiver your family hired for your father work out?

A: At first my wife’s father was hesitant to have a stranger come into their home, but eventually they became good friends. The caregiver has helped him get his life back — now they are able to do every day things like go out to dinner and run errands like normal. The same caregiver is still with the family seven years later, so we really lucked out by finding her. I know not every family is as lucky.

Q: What’s the benefit of using a service like ComForCare versus going out and finding a caregiver on your own?

A: Our team is involved with each case from opening to close, and we screen all our nurses, who are registered nurses or certified nursing assistants to make sure our clients get the best care possible.

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