Our Story – Providing Home Healthcare for Over 20 Years

Passionate About Seniors

Golden Years In-Home Senior Care was founded by Ken and Carrie Ballard. Their passion for providing compassionate quality care for seniors began years ago, when they assisted in the operations of their family’s home care facilities. It was there, they realized their life long calling. Even at a young age, they both knew caring for seniors was what they wanted to do. This was long before home healthcare started to grow.

After assisting in the family care business and learning how best to relate to the needs of seniors, Ken and Carrie took the first step in fulfilling their dream. In 1996 they opened their first state licensed facility, and called it Golden Years Guest Home. Although they had family to go to for advice, the family didn’t help much. “At first it was really tough; our family believes you’ve got to prove you have what it takes to stand on your own two feet. Thankfully, with my wife at my side, we had four feet. We can laugh now, but we weren’t laughing then. Early on, we had some very difficult cases. As a matter of fact, the first senior we cared was suffering from the effects of bone cancer. We literally had to help this elderly man with all of his daily living needs, 24 hours a day. It was tough, but we loved every minute of it,” recalls Ken.

Our Early Challenges in Senior Healthcare

Ken and Carrie opened their hearts to every senior that knocked on their door, literally reaching out to every senior that asked for their assistance. As new clients came in, Ken and Carrie would get to know them on a personal level. This included determining the seniors care needs, and if possible, helping them rehabilitate. However a growing trend became apparent; adults desiring to have their aging parents and loved ones “age in place” in the comfort and familiarity of home. Senior centers, senior citizen homes, assisted living facilities and skilled nursing facilities increasingly became less desired. Their environments were seen as institutional, impersonal and highly expensive.

Yet this trend also created new challenges. “How can mom remain at home, with safety and companionship?” “How can I take care of my parents, yet still work and care for my kids at the same time?” These were some of the many questions soon being asked. California and local governments also had to “catch up” with how to address new challenges with this changing legal environment.

In effect, many seniors who came to Golden Years to stay, found themselves going home after rehabilitation. “Every senior we helped get better was so happy. They would tell us how beautiful our home was and how much they appreciated our heart-felt care and then ended up going home,” said Carrie.

Senior Care Leading to Home Healthcare

As Ken and Carrie’s reputation for rehabilitation spread, Golden Years became known as one of the top senior homes in the Sacramento area. As a result, in 1998, Ken and Carrie opened Golden Years Guest Home II. In the years to follow, many more seniors came to stay, but only long enough to rehabilitate. “It took a while for us to realize we had a gift. When people move from their own home and come to a care home to live, it’s because they have made a decision to stay there permanently. Then, it finally hit us. These seniors really don’t want to leave their home and move to another place, no matter how nice it is. Why don’t we take our services to them so they don’t have to leave the comfort of their own home?” said Ken.

This created a new opportunity that would forever change the face of localized, personalized home healthcare. And Golden Years In-Home Senior Care services were born.

Transforming the Sacramento Area’s In Home Care

Throughout the past 20 years, our knowledge and expertise of home healthcare has refined and grown. We opened up offices and hired staff in Elk Grove, Roseville and serving Lincoln Sun City Del Webb. And as California’s senior care regulations and environment changed, we were able to adapt and develop. Now Golden Years is the #1 locally owned, family operated senior home healthcare provider throughout the region.

Since then, Ken and Carrie have expanded their care services by opening Golden Years In-Home Senior Care, a subsidiary of Golden Years Home Care Solutions Inc. Today, Ken and Carrie provide the same great care to seniors as before, but now, they send Care Specialists to the home of the senior. As one would expect, Ken, Carrie, and the Care Team they have assembled, has achieved the same great results assisting seniors at home. With over 40 years combined experience, and having assisted hundreds of seniors, Ken and Carrie’s reputation has made them one of the best in-home care agencies in the Sacramento and surrounding area. To date, they have the most five star client testimonials for the areas they service, and are currently in the process of expanding into other cities.