About Comfort Keepers of Traverse City
Longtime area residents Russell and Leslie Knopp opened Comfort Keepers of Traverse City, Michigan, in 2005 to serve the growing senior population of Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey, Gaylord and the surrounding areas of northwest Michigan. They discovered Comfort Keepers through a friend who owns another Comfort Keepers franchise.
Previously they had been management consultants, helping nonprofit organizations with planning. Now, with Comfort Keepers, they enjoy making a positive difference in the lives of seniors. Russell and Leslie make it possible for seniors to maintain independence at home and help their families manage the responsibility of caregiving.
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Bethany Ostlund, Human Resource Coordinator
Bethany coordinates Comfort Keepers client and caregiver schedules and makes sure we hire the very best people to serve our clients. She strives to ensure our “comfort keepers” receive continuous training to constantly improve their skills and knowledge of the industry. Bethany teaches Arthritis Self-Help Workshops at various locations throughout the region. As Staffing Coordinator, she understands that having happy and fulfilled caregivers helps make Comfort Keepers successful. Bethany is a graduate of Central Michigan University where she majored in Elementary Education. A lifelong resident of the Old Mission Peninsula, Bethany loves kayaking, hiking, and getting out in our beautiful northern Michigan environment whenever she can. She also enjoys hanging out with her three brothers and Sophie, her three year old basset hound.
Gena Hohman, Administrative Assistant
Gena has been with Comfort Keepers for three years where she coordinates payroll, invoicing, client insurance compliance and data management. Clients and caregivers alike appreciate the time she takes when discussing any questions they bring to her. Her business background is in hotel banquet and group sales, as well as in various administrative procedures. Gena, her husband John and their two beautiful daughters enjoy camping, snow shoeing and skiing. An avid reader, Gena is President of the Kingsley Friends of the Library Board.
Judi Maloney, Director of Marketing
Judi works closely with physicians, long-term care centers, independent and assisted living facilities, and other community organizations to keep Comfort Keepers up to speed on and involved in northwest lower Michigan's community. She gets great satisfaction working with prospective and current clients and their families discussing the many ways we can provide services to help them be independent and remain in their own homes. Judi has 15 years of experience in the retirement/assisted living industry in sales, marketing and management. She is a host on the local television show, The Faith Group and is serving a two-year term as President of Willow Hill Elementary PTO. She has enjoyed living in Northern Michigan for 13 years with her husband Tom, son Logan and Chocolate Lab Sparty.
Janice Vipond, Client Care Coordinator
Janice works closely with clients to determine their needs and keep abreast of changes in their conditions. She develops care plans, communicates with caregivers and clients and conducts regular client reassessments to ensure that we are meeting their needs and providing them with the highest level of quality of life. Janice worked for Comfort Keepers for two years before moving to Maryland with her husband and daughter. She recently moved back to her hometown of Traverse City and returned to work for Comfort Keepers in February.
Helen Brothers, R.N., Nurse Consultant
Helen Brothers, R.N., Nurse Consultant. Helen provides wellness visits to homebound Comfort Keepers’ clients, in-home assessments and telephone consultations when Comfort Keepers’ caregivers have questions or concerns about health-related issues. Helen has nearly 40 years of nursing experience, having previously worked as a public health nurse, program director and supervisor in hospitals, clinics and nursing homes in the Bay City area. Most recently, she served as the Kingsley Community Nurse, responding to the health needs of community members, coordinating health services with various agencies and providing home visits for a multitude of nursing services.