About Comfort Keepers^® of Sarasota and Manatee Counties

Michael Jones, a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), and Charlotte Jones, a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and a Masters Degree in Nursing Education (RN, MS, BSN), moved to Florida with the aspiration of helping others, having no idea what kind of impact starting a Comfort Keepers would have on Sarasota and its surrounding communities. Over eight years later, this husband and wife team has realized their dream, having helped countless seniors receive the personalized, professional care that has become synonymous with the Comfort Keepers brand.

Michael Jones is the President of the local offices of Comfort Keepers which covers Sarasota and Manatee counties.  Comfort Keepers is a national franchise with over 550 offices across the country.  Comfort Keepers specializes in providing Non-Medical In-Home Care.

As a Certified Financial Planner, Michael spent 15 years helping people accumulate and protect assets so they could attain their financial goals and reach their dreams.  After moving to Sarasota in 2000 to be closer to his family, he realized that the strongest need for seniors was to stay in their own homes.

Michael believes he has found the perfect business to allow him to continue his passion to be able to assist people with their hopes and dreams in retirement.  His mission is to enable seniors live independently with dignity in their own homes.

Attaining his Certified Senior Advisor designation allows him the ability to be a great resource in the community.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Sarasota County Aging Network.
Previously he served on the leadership council of the local Alzheimer’s Association.

Michael also is the host of this own weekly TV show on Blab TV 189 called “Connecting with Seniors”. He writes a Q & A column in Mature Lifestyle Magazine and is on the State Board of Directors of the National Private Duty Association. 

"How does Comfort Keepers set the standard in home care?"

Compassionate Caregivers

When we carefully select, screen, and train our Comfort Keepers®, we do it to make sure families and seniors receive the capable and compassionate care they deserve. Because we’re so selective, one must undergo a thorough and rigorous screening process to become a “Comfort Keeper,” which is the unique name for our carefully selected and trained caregivers. Indeed, we hire on average only 1 for every 30 who call us for employment. We do an extensive amount of background work, including credit checks, nationwide and local criminal checks, driving checks, and drug testing, rather than just the minimum state requirements or hiring quickly to fill a need.

In addition to the CPR and Alzheimer’s training each Comfort Keepers receives, we also require them to undergo rigorous caregiver training which, we believe, is second to none. After the Basic training comes the most important part – Interactive Caregiver Training. Comfort Keepers has formalized and developed this critical aspect of care, because we understand how an environment of engaging and stimulating interaction between seniors and in-home caregivers cultivates mental vitality and emotional wellbeing.

We take many unique steps to protect you and your loved ones and provide the ultimate peace of mind. We believe it is extremely important to only hire Comfort Keepers as employees. This enables us to supervise, bond, insure, and cover our employees with Workmans’ compensation. We also handle all payroll taxes so you don’t become an accidental employer (Click to see “How to Choose an Agency”).

But as critical as it is to know how to do the job, knowing the job just isn’t quite enough. Our Comfort Keepers are exceptional because each one must pass not only our psychological behavioral survey, but also what we call the “lovability test.” We hold our employees to the highest possible competency standards, but if we don’t sense a warm, “teddy-bear” heart, they’re not employed by Comfort Keepers. By only accepting the most caring, compassionate people to work for our organization, you can see the immediate difference between us and any other agency. There are plenty of people who can become a caregiver; not everyone can be a Comfort Keeper.

Making Every Moment of Life Matter

We know that quality care isn’t only about making sure your mother’s kitchen is clean and her laundry is done.  Quality care means keeping your mother engaged in her life and providing her choices that will keep her outlook positive.  We call it Interactive Caregiving™ and it is a philosophy of care derived from numerous studies and practical experience.  It is about “doing with” versus “doing for” because we know that keeping a senior physically and mentally active helps them enjoy life better.

Personalized Home Care Service

Because we treat each of our clients as an individual, we take such extraordinary consideration in matching our clients with just the right Comfort Keeper. After assessing the client’s personality and interests, only then do we match a client with a Comfort Keeper. We also work to develop a unique program that keeps our clients mentally and physically challenged, to fit his or her specific needs.

Since our unique Bradenton caregivers can work anywhere from a few hours, full-time, and everything in between, our clients also have the say in how much time his or her Comfort Keeper will work. By constantly obtaining feedback from our Comfort Keepers, once a program is up and running we make sure to keep all parties updated of any possible concerns and important changes we make.

Setting the standard in Excellence of Care means that we provide ongoing reassessments for our clients and send supervisors to the home even after hours and on weekends if necessary.  This allows us to confirm that your loved one is happy and consistently receiving the level of service he or she needs.

Industry Leaders

Comfort Keepers is one of the largest in-home care agencies in the U.S., so you can rest assured knowing we have the backing, experience, and knowledge to deal with any situation. Currently, Comfort Keepers has over 550 locations worldwide, including locations in Canada, Australia, and Singapore, and as far back as 2003 Comfort Keepers was listed as the #1 agency in Senior Care by Entrepreneur Magazine. Our size as a global organization allows our part-time residents to have Comfort Keepers consistency when they change locations, while being locally owned gives us the freedom to provide superb personal service right here in Manatee County.

Because each office is independently owned and operated, the success of the Bradenton office relies heavily on the leadership and guidance of its owners, Michael and Charlotte Jones. Charlotte Jones, RN, MS, BSN, currently supervises, trains, and assists the home health aides of Comfort Keepers, while Michael Jones, C.S.A., continues to lead and expand the office, which has consistently ranked as one of the top Comfort Keepers in the nation.

The Comfort Keepers franchise is comprised of a network of special individuals committed to providing comforting care solutions.  In fact, many of our Comfort Keepers were drawn to this business as a result of their own experiences in caring for a loved one. It’s this combination of an experienced, knowledgeable support base with unique, caring individuals that makes Comfort Keepers today’s standard of in-home care.