2013 has been a fantastic year for Home Instead Senior Care, the winners of the bfa Gold Franchisor of the Year award and No. 1 home care provider, taking the lead not only in franchising but in the care they provide. So it followed that their National Conference this year was a celebration of all that is great about Home Instead and as they are now fast approaching 150 offices the conference just gets bigger and better.

Home Instead made a successful return to the ACC in Liverpool, where franchisees met up with the support team from national office and with all the other owners from around the UK. Also attending were Roger Baumgart, Global CEO and Bob Maguire, Vice President who came from Home Instead Senior Care in the US and were delighted to meet the UK team who are part of the global family of over 1,000 offices in over 17 countries.

The conference, with the theme ‘Take the Lead’, was held over two days and was attended by over 500 delegates from franchise offices. The conference was a vital chance for franchisees to learn about new initiatives and to share their successes from the previous twelve months.

The keynote presentation by CEO and co-founder Trevor Brocklebank was about taking the lead. He reiterated the importance of leadership in everything Home Instead do and spoke of their mission “to become the UK’s most admired company through changing the face of ageing.” He explained, “We have great people, a great culture and a great vision. We have been on a remarkable journey with an incredible future ahead of us, and our owners are committed to making a difference, not only to their own lives but to the lives of the people they employ and the people they care for.”

The highlight of the conference was undoubtedly the award presented to the ‘Caregiver of the Year’. Caregivers are wonderful people devoted to what they do and to the people they care for. This year a number of tremendous caregivers were shortlisted and the five finalists were all made regional winners, but only one person could be named Caregiver of the Year and this year the title was awarded to Kinga Dabrowska from the Swindon & Vale of the White Horse office. She was described as being the perfect caregiver, and her cool head and compassionate nature make her a truly inspirational person.

Without exception everyone was touched by all the nominee’s stories and they really outlined what Home Instead is all about.