Meet Terry Ruch | Home Care Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Terry Ruch and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Terry, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After I retired from a career in the state of Colorado, I was looking for a second career where I could make an impact on people’s lives. I chose the franchise route because I believe that there is a great deal to be learned from those who have spent hours and years perfecting a system. I saw that Visiting Angels was a top 5 franchise out of two thousand franchises operating in the US, with respect to franchisee satisfaction. I decided to investigate the company, as well as others in the home care industry that were not as highly ranked. After comparing brands, we went with Visiting Angels. As far as selecting the home care industry, the idea of helping the elderly stay in their own homes appeals to me, as I also want to age in place when I am a senior and need some help with activities of daily living..

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Visiting Angels is one of the top-ranked home care franchises in the US with respect to franchisee satisfaction. Their support to local franchise owners is extensive. This in turn builds brand loyalty from clients because of the high quality of service the company delivers. Visiting Angels territories tend to be small which allows for a high degree of customization for each client’s care plan. We focus on personal relationships and doing activities of daily living together. The goal is that activities that we do with and for our clients are what they enjoy and value as we spend a great deal of time getting to know them and what they enjoy in life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Depending on the time of year, I would take someone to see a pro sporting event. For me that would be a Denver Nuggets basketball game, a Colorado Avalanche Hocky game, a Denver Bronco’s football game or a Rockies Baseball game.

Dinner could be an any number of restaurants. We like to celebrate at Ocean’s Prime, Elway’s, Aji Sushi, Tap and Dough’s at Old Town Arvada to name a few. After Casa Bonita re-opens this month, I might even take someone there to see how the new product is after the renovation grand-reopening. We used to go there when I was a kid. Not so much in the past 30 years, though.

If the person enjoys museums, there is the Forney Museum, Colorado Natural History Museum, Colorado railroad museum and others.

We might spend a day in Colorado Springs at the United States Airforce Academy, Garden of the Gods, and drive to the top of Pike’s Peak.

No trip to Denver would be complete without a drive into the mountains. We like to pack a picnic including a camp stove to boil up some corn with water right out of the river-gross!-but we do it. We either fry up some burgers or steaks near the river. We pack a card table and chairs so we can stop anyplace we want and not be limited by available picnic tables. Estes Park is a great place to walk around, and use as a base to head into Rocky Mountain National Park to spot elk or go fly-fishing.

Back at home, we like to sit on the patio and use the smoker to have a barbeque and if it isn’t too warm, have a fire in the portable pit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My grandfather was a Swedish immigrant and a pastor. His last career position before he passed was to serve as a chaplain at a retirement community. We used to visit Grandma and Grandpa at the retirement village when I was a teen, and I enjoyed interacting with all of the residents who were also friends of theirs. As Grandpa watched me interact with the senior residents, one day he raised his finger to me, and said, “Someday, you will do benevolent work.” I asked my mom what that meant and she said, “That is a very formal way of saying you will work with elderly people someday.” I thought it was kind of an interesting prediction, but after college, my path led me to a 25 year career in higher education. However, after I retired from the State of Colorado, I remembered Grandpa’s words and looked for an opportunity that included serving the elderly. If he hadn’t stated that prophecy to me that I would someday work with the elderly, I am not certain that a career in home care with Visiting Angels would have ever occurred to me.

Website: Visitingangels.com/aurora

Instagram: visitingangels_auroraco

Linkedin: Visiting Angels of Aurora, Colorado

Twitter: @angelsofaurora

Facebook: Visiting Angels Aurora

Yelp: Visiting Angels Aurora

Image Credits
Home Care Pulse Home Care Pulse Home Care Pulse Visiting Angels