Why Lakeshore
Not a franchise. Not trying to be.
Chicagoland has plenty of big-name home care franchises, and some of them are fine. We're just a different kind of agency — and for the right family, that difference matters. Here's an honest side-by-side.
Lakeshore
Helping Hands
Typical
Franchise Agency
Who answers when you call
The founder. Every time.
A call center, or a rotating regional manager.
Who hires caregivers
We do, personally. Every application read by a human.
A local franchisee working from a corporate checklist.
Who the owner has worked with
25+ years of personal caregiving experience.
Often new to caregiving. Home care was the business model available.
How caregivers are matched
Personality and values, then skills. Families help choose.
Whoever is available. Schedule-first matching.
Consistency
Same caregiver with same client whenever possible.
Rotation is common; caregivers often change weekly.
When something isn't working
You reach the owner. We fix it.
You open a ticket. A manager calls you back.
Pricing transparency
Rates published openly on our website and brochure.
Rates behind a 'call for a quote' wall.
Scale
Small, intentional, built for depth.
Built for scale. Depth varies by location and owner.
An Honest Caveat
We're not the right fit for every family — and that's okay.
If you need a huge provider with a nationwide footprint, a franchise may fit better. If you're paying through Medicaid waivers or VA benefits, you'll want an agency enrolled in those programs. If you need specialized skilled nursing, you're looking for home health, not home care.
But if what you want is a small, owner-operated agency built by someone who has actually needed a caregiver — where every match is personal, every caregiver is vetted by us, and every call is answered by the person responsible — that's us.
Want to know if we're the right fit?
The only way to know is a real conversation. Free, no-obligation, and always honest — even if we end up pointing you somewhere else.