Two Leland-based businesses that provide a range of in home care services are poised for future growth with the recent announcement of their merger.
 
Senior management officials from AssistedCare At Home and Eldercare At Home said the two companies are merging together “to become one unified family of companies,” according to a news release.
 
AssistedCare and Eldercare have both been locally owned and operated by the Herring family, longtime Wilmington residents. Russell Herring serves as the CEO for both companies “and has decided that now is the time to bring the two organizations together to broaden both their services and service areas,” the release said.
 
The merger comes at a time when the region surrounding Wilmington has become an increasingly popular retirement destination for retirees, many of whom are part of the sizable baby boom generation.
 
“Combining both companies, we have almost 70 years of experience providing services in this growing market. As the baby boomers are getting older and the population continues to grow in this area, the demand for these services will also continue to grow,” Herring said in an email.
 
Herring said many people prefer to age at home rather than in an assisted-living setting. That’s where AssistedCare At Home and Eldercare At Home enter the picture.
 
“I see most prefer to stay at home as long as they can function safely in their own home with the additional in-home support services,” Herring said.
 
Baby boomers and their aging parents are expected to boost businesses like AssistedCare and Eldercare grow in coming years.
 
“Baby boomers are learning now the steps to take to age at home by taking care of their own parents,” Herring said.
 
AssistedCare was founded in 1994 by Herring. The company provides in-home services throughout eastern North Carolina, including home health and long-term at-home care. Home health services include skilled nursing and rehabilitation care such as speech, occupational and physical therapy. Long-term at-home care services include personal care for adults/ seniors, private duty nursing and working with those who have intellec-tual and developmental disabilities.
 
Eldercare has provided in-home care and assistance to Wilmington residents over the past 45 years, opening its doors in April 1973. The company was founded by Robert and Carroll Herring as the first in-home care company in Wilmington.
 
After the merger, Eldercare At Home will focus on providing “high-quality non-medical care, personal care, medication monitoring and concierge services,” Russell Herring said.
 
The merger of the two agencies began to take place internally in 2017, after Russell Herring purchased Eldercare from his parents. Small adjustments in the hiring system were made, along with some growth in management.
 
The companies are currently hiring a wider range of caregivers, nurses and therapists, the release said.
 
AssistedCare and Eldercare offer services throughout 23 counties in the eastern part of the state.
 
In combining the companies, Russell Herring said, “We have merged common functions such as human resources, accounting and finance, performance improvement, sales and marketing and the overall management to support both companies,” he said. “We will operate under both names, AssistedCare At Home and Eldercare At Home.”