Homecare By Design Named August Small Business of the Month
“What’s it like to be old?” a young Traci Goudy once asked her grandmother, Evelyn Norem, who lives in Plymouth, Ind.
Grandma answered, “It’s exactly the same as being young. I’m surprised when I look in the mirror and I don’t look 20.”
Grandmother Inspired Her
Her grandmother’s comment that day, the countless hours the two spent together, and a nursing home job Goudy held as a teenager all inspired her lifelong work. “I became an advocate for what it would take for seniors to have a good quality of life,” Goudy says. “It was a call to action.”
You might say all the adults she’s helped care for and still assists today are her grandparents.
“I used to go to my grandmother’s house a lot, and she came and stayed with us,” Goudy recalls. “She would spend the night or a week with us and help my mom out with four kids.
“She was always fun and always active. She played baseball with us until she was probably 60. She’s an independent spirit, very kind, very giving of herself. Because of her, I saw that being older looked fun, and I wanted the same for other seniors.”
Nursing Education, Experience
That spurred Goudy to earn her education and gain experience. She got a nursing degree at St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, became a registered nurse, served as a home health nurse, directed a homecare agency, worked at an assisted living facility, and in sales and marketing for a retirement community.
Then, in April 2008, she founded her own business: Homecare By Design, at 955 Mezzanine Drive, Suite A, in Cascada Business Park, 765/446-8080, www.homecarebydesign.net. It is a full-service, nonmedical homecare agency with services for the whole family.
“We provide assistance to adults so they can remain in their home or preferred residence with the independence they desire and the peace of mind their loved ones need,” Goudy says. Last year the business added in-home nanny/childcare and housekeeping services.
Grateful Clients
She’s garnered many a testimonial, including these: “You’ve given us our Mom back” and “Traci and her team became a part of my family when I needed help with my mom’s care. Mom approved, too, and she was a nurse for 47 years. She knew what good care should be.”
“We are the extra set of hands that a senior or a family needs,” Goudy says. The business serves Tippecanoe and surrounding counties plus Howard County, and employs about 50, with services available around the clock.
Lafayette has been a good choice for her to become an entrepreneur, says Goudy, who hails from Royal Center and Plymouth, Ind. “We love Lafayette and have deep roots here. We moved her 14 years ago because of my husband’s job. I grew up as a professional in this community and I see how we can complement other service organizations.”
‘Passion and Love for Seniors’
While her husband, Lee Goudy, doesn’t work in her business, she enjoys his full support. “For me, life is go get the job, have the family, retire,” he says. “Traci has gone in several different directions, which is scary for me. But each time she has done it with passion and love for seniors. I’ve seen her grow and learn more about our community. And I see her eyes light up whenever she gets to sit with the seniors. I’m really proud of her.”
Goudy feels similarly about her employees. “Faith is the heart of the agency, and key to that is the caregiver, the backbone of our business. It’s a very selfless job.”
In the business’s three years, Goudy has been active in the community—Relay for Life, the Ultimate Pink Party to support breast cancer awareness, Alzheimer’s Association, Heart Walk, March of Dimes and others.
The organization has also contributed to Big Brothers Big Sisters, Almost Home Humane Society, Toys for Tots, churches and many more groups.
“We believe in the same things that God and grandmas do, and we find innovative and progressive ways to make those values apparent in our workplace,” Goudy says. “It is because we believe everyone, young and old, has a purpose. We believe that because of what we do and how we choose do it, we will have left the world a little better off than we found it, like the seniors we serve have.”
Sponsored by: Lafayette Savings Bank
