Adapted from Episode 1 of The Caregiven Podcast
After months of planning and recording, we are so excited to be launching our very own podcast, Caregiven! The show will feature amazing stories from our experience caring for families and their aging seniors. We also hope to provide helpful insights and tips to those who find themselves on the journey of caring for a loved one. Each week we will come to you with a new podcast episode and an accompanying article and video. It is our goal to provide you with resources that will best suit you in preparing for the time in your life when you might need care for a loved one or for yourself.
Caregiven features Inga Lake and Julie Brubaker, the owners of EPAGA Home Care; a senior and disability in-home care franchise brand. Since 2007, the duo, with the addition of Kevin Lake, has collected an arsenal of incredible stories from caring for veterans, moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, sons, daughters, and so many more. These stories and families have taught us how precious our loved ones are and how important spending every possible moment at home with them can be.
Both Inga and Julie have grown up with caregiving at the forefront of their responsibilities. At a very young age and for several years following, Inga volunteered at a local nursing home. This was a transformational time in Inga’s life and would later lead to her helping her own grandmother care for her grandpa in his later years. Her grandpa was determined to live out the remainder of his life from the comfort of his home, and thanks to Inga, he was able to.
Julie’s childhood was strikingly similar. Her own mother placed a high emphasis on caring for her neighbors. Her earliest memories are riding her bike to Mrs. Kreuger’s house to help with chores, bring groceries, or even help her to doctor’s appointments in town. Julie was also actively involved in 4-H, where she learned the value of community service. Alongside her family, she was active in the local church every Sunday, which has continues to be a big part of her life today.
Inga and Julie’s worlds collided through their shared love of motorcycles. Their husbands had worked together before since Mike (Julie’s husband) loved using Kevin (Inga’s husband) as his motorcycle mechanic. One day, Julie was talking to Inga about an opportunity to advertise at her motorcycle track on behalf of their mechanic shop. One thing led to another, and Julie began mentioning her dreams of opening a home care agency one day. Inga had her reservations about Julie’s dreams, that is unless she could be her business partner! Shortly after, the two embarked on a journey to start Agape Home Care.
In the beginning, the two worked hard to build trust with their community as a top choice for families with home care needs. With the success came the idea to grow the services beyond just Kalispell. That idea led to beginning the work of franchising the business. The goal was to give other entrepreneurs the opportunity to achieve their dreams of caring for their community, just as they had been able to in Kalispell.
As a part of the new franchise model, Inga and Julie felt the need to clarify and distinguish the direction of the business. The word agape is Greek for unconditional, brotherly love. Just as they expect their caregivers to act in a nature reflective of God’s perfect, brotherly love, EPAGA is the literal reflection of the word Agape, signifying consistency of this love across all new franchise locations.
The goal, both of this podcast and fostering an EPAGA Home Care family, is to give families and their loved ones a toolkit of resources to aid them through some of the toughest moments they will encounter. The time when someone needs extra care is extremely emotional, so creating a caring and judgement-free culture is essential to a successful experience. That is why we have placed a great deal of importance on operating as a Christian business, and guide each and every decision based on those principals.
We invite you to share this article and episode with your friends and family. We want to help people across the country learn about caregiving and feel confident that when the time comes for them to give extra care to their loved one, they will make decisions that are well thought out, and they will thrive.