Nonprofit Senior Living Providers Join Forces to Expand Home Care Services

Two nonprofit senior living organizations serving southeastern Michigan have recently joined forces to expand home care services to more elders living in Washtenaw County.

Caring Partners Home Health is a collaboration between Ann Arbor-based Glacier Hills Senior Living Community and United Methodist Retirement Communities, Inc. (URMC) of Chelsea. 

Both partners agreed to change the name of the organization to Caring Partners Home Health to better reflect its new direction, according to a release from URMC. Established in 2004, the company will continue to be headquartered in Ann Arbor and governed by jointly-appointed board, including community members.

Currently, Caring Partners serves approximately 100 clients, a number that both organizations behind the conjoined entity expect to grow in the coming months, especially as Michigan’s aging population grows and forces nonprofits to find new ways to meet increased demand for services, says John Thorhauer, UMRC’s president and CEO.

“The creation of Caring Partners Home Health allows our two organizations to take a long-term view and expand out proven track records to meet the needs of seniors for whom home care is the best option,” Thorhauer said in a written statement. 

Because Caring Partners is comprised of two nonprofits, the partnership plans to continue to invest in its mission and provide differences that benefit both clients and their families, including regular supervisory visits to client homes. 

Founded in Chelsea in 1906, UMRC has become an equal partner in the new collaboration alongside Glacier Hills, which was founded in 1973 in what was Glacier Hills Home Care. 

“Our two organizations bring 150 years of experience with seniors to home health care clients,” said Ray Rabidoux, president and CEO of Glacier Hills. “As nonprofit organizations, we are solely focused on service to this local community.”

Written by Jason Oliva