By: Samantha Rojewski
Growing up in church, LaWanda Moore had a special bond with the older women in her congregation. As she became a young adult, Moore volunteered at nursing homes and residential facilities as a senior caregiver. Whether her time was spent combing their hair, reading with them, or listening to their stories, Moore cherished the connections she made with the elderly. This passion led to her obtaining a bachelor’s degree in behavioral health with a focus on gerontology. Her experience as her mother’s primary caregiver was the catalyst for opening a Nebraska state-licensed home health agency: Love Thy Neighbor Senior Care.
Moore began her business ownership journey in March 2014, working two jobs to finance the project herself. “I didn’t have a mentor. I had to kind of find out the hard way, where you invest money and lose it,” she said. Additionally, Moore only knew one other organization, called Home Instead, that provided the services she wanted to provide: homemaking, companionship, personal care, and respite care.
Though she has seen this market expand over the last five years, Moore said Love Thy Neighbor Senior Care stands out as a faith-based agency.
“You can’t put a price on when you go into the home and help someone who’s no longer able to help take care of themselves, and they can be a perfect stranger to you. It takes love to do that, and compassion, absolutely– the kind that you know God teaches us to have for our neighbors,” Moore said
This compassion is the backbone of Love Thy Neighbor Senior Care’s mission.
Moore’s experience culminated in words of wisdom she shares with other entrepreneurs. She stresses the value of having an attorney and CPA to help track documentation and ensure compliance with state regulations. This is especially crucial when scaling a business.
“Since the first couple years, I didn’t know anything about [state taxes and payroll], and I found out, like maybe two, three years later. I had to go back and pay taxes on the employees,” she said.
Looking to the future, Moore is exploring further involvement with GNWBC and The Commonwealth to scale her business. Currently, she is refining Love Thy Neighbor transportation services, which will include obtaining a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, and open a CNA school. The vision for the school entails training and certifying medication aid and feeding.
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LaWanda Moore
Love Thy Neighbor Senior Care
info@ltnseniorcare.com
402-393-2525
