Our History
In the winter of 1996, Al Gauvin's sister Muriel was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer. Al brought her from Connecticut to stay with his family in Rochester, NY, where she could live out her final days. Al and his wife would provide the care and supervision she needed.
In the beginning, everything went about as well as could be expected. Al went to his job late and checked on his sister at lunch. His wife, a teacher, was home to care for her by 3:30pm. With this schedule Muriel was only alone a few hours each day. During one of his lunch-hour checks, Al came home to discover Muriel stuck under her hospital bed - she had been laying there unable to get up for three hours.
Al and his family realized more help was needed; that afternoon the family started calling homecare agencies to set up services. Unfortunately, none of them could complete an evaluation for 72 hours. Even once services were arranged, Al and his family found them completely inadequate. In the week and a half that service was scheduled, only a few shifts were filled in their entirety. Later that week, Muriel was taken to the emergency room, where she passed four days later.
After the funeral, Al reflected on the care his sister received. He mused, "There must be a better way to treat people." He began to search for alternatives to meet the needs of individuals in distress. From his experience and research, Al Gauvin ultimately decided to establish his own solution and in October of 1997 Companion Care of Rochester, Inc. (CCOR) was born.
Initially our agency offered non-hands on care, providing quick responses and quality care for older adults and individuals with disabilities who needed support. In 2008, CCOR became a Licensed Home Care Services Agency, now able to provide both medical and non-medical care. Throughout the years, our goal has remained the same: to treat those we care for and their families like our own, at times when they can't be there.
Since our inception in 1997 we have built our reputation by providing quality, in-home personal care to loved ones, when their caregivers can't be there. We have discovered that there are thousands of families facing the same dilemma Al's family once faced - how to provide simple, day-to-day assistance to their loved one while avoiding institutional care. Whether the service is highly skilled or basic companionship, a couple hours or full-time care, our staff encourage a safe, nurturing, independent lifestyle for you or your loved one.
CCOR strives to give you and your family responsive and quality service, allowing you peace of mind knowing your loved one is well cared for. Let us give you and your loved one the care, dignity, and independence you deserve.