“They help me start my day, every day, and they actually allow me to see another day,” says Gary Wade. Wade has been a client of Family Staffing Solutions since 2008.

A member of the Army National Guard, Wade and two friends were injured in a pick-up truck accident in 1986. Two of the three were very seriously injured; Wade is now quadriplegic and the vehicle’s driver is paraplegic. The third man was able to give Wade CPR until help arrived that day.

“I was in a coma for 66 hours,” Wade remembers, “until the Good Lord woke me up.”

What makes the company special, owner Melissa Warren says, is the “individuals and families we work with every day, and our outstanding staff.”

Family Staffing Solutions of Rutherford County provides care to individuals and families, primarily older adults and disabled individuals, who need extra help within their homes so they can remain active and independent as long as possible.

“Nearly everybody wants to live independently in their own homes as long as they can,” Warren says. “Our job is to help them accomplish that goal.”

How the company began

Warren and her husband Stephen Warren own the company and live in Murfreesboro. The couple has two sons: Matthew, and Eric.

The Warrens purchased Family Staffing Solutions of Rutherford County in 2006 and work very hard every day to provide the type of service their own family wanted and needed.

Licensed, bonded and insured, Family Staffing Solutions of Rutherford County and its caregivers are able to ensure a personal solution to meet the diverse needs of any client or family.

With a growing number of caregivers on staff, Warren and her staff make every possible effort to match the patient’s needs, personality and level of care with a particular caregiver.

Care needs vary by client: it could be one hour a day, six hours every other day, 24 hours a day, two days every two weeks… or anything in between, according to Warren.

“Family Staffing was a lifesaver for our family,” Nancy, the daughter of a client couple, said. “We were already using their caregiver services weekdays to help our parents with housekeeping, errand-running and driving needs. The caregivers were responsible, thorough and reliable.

“Then, my mother developed health issues and had an emergency hospitalization. When the doctors finally said she had recovered enough to go home, my first call, on a Saturday night, was to Melissa Warren at Family Staffing. I knew we would need roundthe-clock care for my parents, and I was overwhelmed. Melissa calmly told me that she would take care of everything and would see to it that all of the necessary caregivers would be available for my parents. Melissa was true to her word then and she continues to provide wonderful service to my parents and peace of mind to me and my family.”

Family Staffing has worked with Nancy’s family since 2007.

The company has answered requests to sit with loved ones atthe hospital after family members are worn out and need rest. The company is called to help individuals in rehab or assisted living whoneed a little extra care until their strength or security with their new surroundings improves. Staffers stop by to visit a loved one when family members are on vacation just to make sure all is well.

“There is no long-term commitment needed or required,” Warren says. “We respond to what YOU need, not the other way around.”

Melissa Warren is a member of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, YMCA Board of Directors, Rutherford CABLE Board of Directors, Leadership Rutherford Board of Directors, Leadership Rutherford graduate and past President of the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club.

Cindy Lazar has cared for her son Jeff for 25 years. Not just in the usual way mothers care for their sons: washing their clothes, cooking their supper, nagging them to clean up their rooms, simply loving them.

Way beyond that. Jeff was born with spastic quadriplegia and is confined to a wheelchair. He relies on someone else to take care of his personal needs: taking a bath, getting dressed, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner and even going to the bathroom. Virtually everything Jeff needs his body to do, someone else has to be there to help.

For his entire life his mother cared for him by herself. Now, Jeff wanted to go to college, away from home, just like any other young person.

“I wanted so much for Jeff to have the kind of life he wants,” said Lazar. “He wanted to live in an apartment, earn a degree, be as independent from me as he possibly could be.”

But it was going to take a lot of help…a lot of help.

Never underestimate the power and will of a mother. Cindy Lazar got on the phone and started dialing. She began learning about community care giving resources for Jeff, but it didn’t take long to hit a solid brick wall: the first phone call.

“After being turned down by four different agencies in Murfreesboro, I ended up on the phone with Melissa Warren and Family Staffing Solutions of Rutherford County,” Lazar remembers. “I was so very disappointed at that point, and I didn’t know what we were going to do. The other agencies said they could not staff the number of hours needed for Jeff’s care as an MTSU student living in an apartment. I couldn’t accept that Jeff ‘s chance to go to college away from home wouldn’t happen because we couldn’t find the help he needs.”

Not only did Warren say she would provide the care Jeff needs, she promised Cindy that if she didn’t already have the right staff member to become Jeff’s primary caregiver, she would not stop until she found and hired the right one.

“Cindy and Jeff are exactly why I went into this business,”Warren says. “I want to help people. I’m determined to help people find good solutions so they can live their own lives as they choose to live them, as independently as possible.”

Cindy Lazar can’t say enough about Warren and Family Staffing Solutions of Rutherford County. “Taking care of Jeff is a big job, and Family Staffing has been right there, caring for Jeff just like I would myself. Knowing they are there for us has made all the difference in the world. I am extremely grateful for Melissa Warren and her staff of terrific caregivers for all they have done for Jeff and for me.”

Melissa Warren and FSS In Home Senior Care services featured in Who’s Who of Rutherford County, TN

Parents, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles – our elderly loved ones are so precious. When their daily lives require care beyond what you can give, Family Staffing Solutions of Rutherford County in Murfreesboro offers a helping hand, being there for your loved one when you cannot.

FSS specializes in providing personal care and in-home assistance with daily-living activities to seniors. Melissa Warren of FSS says, “Of the many families and clients I have spoken to, the desire to stay home is enormous. People want to stay where they have the memories.”

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, FSS’ services include transportation, light housekeeping, bathing, errands, meal preparation, and overall companionship and support. “We place caregivers with clients based on needs, personalities, and likeness,” says Melissa.

FSS is reliable. Their large pool of caring, trained, bonded and insured caregivers is always prepared to help. “Our number one focus is to take care of the client to the best of our ability not some of the time – all the time.”

FSS was born out of President Becci Bookner’s own struggle to juggle work with caring for two beloved aunts. Upon discovering that comprehensive, non-medical, in-home care simply didn’t exist, her vision for such a company was born, opening the first office in Dallas, TX followed by an office in Nashville, TN. The Rutherford County FSS opened in November of 2006.

Contact Family Staffing Solutions at 615-848-6774, email mwarren@familystaffing.com, or visit www.familystaffing.com. Their office is located at 530 Uptown Square in Murfreesboro.

As printed in the Murfreesboro Post.

Alison Drowota,Leigh Huddleston, Tricia Nobles, Buffy Bundshuh, & Melissa Warren

A May 12 Wine & Cheese party at the home of Leigh Huddleston will benefit the Rutherford County YMCA’s “We Build People” financial assistance program, keeping the doors to the YMCA open to all.

Tickets for the 5 to 7 p.m. event are $25 per person.

The party will be hosted Rita Ash, Buffy Bundshuh, Terri Davis, Alison Drowota, Cheryl Harris, Leigh Huddleston, Andrea Loughry, Mary Dodd Mifflin, Tracy Mifflin, Tricia Nobles, Barbara Sutton and Melissa Warren.

Anyone wishing to attend needs to RSVP to Leigh Huddleston 895-9370 or leighhuddleston@comcast.net.

Checks should be made payable to Rutherford County YMCA and mailed to Leigh Huddleston 1526 Riverview Drive Murfreesboro, TN 37129 or payment may be made at the door.

Anyone unable to attend but wishing to make a donation may mail a check to same address.

In 2007 the Rutherford County Family YMCA provided $640,001 in financial assistance to our community for families to take part in the YMCA’s programs and services. Approximately 33 percent of our members have received some form of financial assistance.

The current 2008 goal is to raise $120,000 for the assistance program.

Last year the YMCA taught 1,500 children to swim in Rutherford County. The YMCA is a 5013-C Not for Profit Organization.