The Business of Improving Quality of Life: New Home Care Business to Open in Hazelwood

Jacqueline O’Quinn has always wanted to help other people improve their quality of life, and on Oct. 1, she will begin to fulfill that lifelong goal when she opens her own in-home care business in Hazelwood.

The business will be located at 320 Brookes Drive, and it will become the first FirstLight HomeCare franchise in the state of Missouri.

FirstLight has plans to open a total of 12 Missouri locations in the next 3 to 5 years, with five of those being in the greater St. Louis area.

“I have been a caregiver since childhood, when I cared for my grandmother after a stroke,” O’Quinn said. “Owning a home care business is my true purpose in life.”

Before she worked for FirstLight, O’Quinn worked long hours at top law firms in Washington, D.C. She came back to the St. Louis area in 1999 when her father became terminally ill. Through the time she spent caring for him, she said she rediscovered her passion for helping others.

Soon afterward, O’Quinn’s mother began displaying signs of Alzheimer’s disease, which led her to become a caregiver once again. She had resumed her legal career just before her father’s death, so she hired several top homecare companies to help her mom when she couldn’t be there.

She said that the disastrous results that arose from those situations cemented her resolve to open her own business.

“Caring for my parents, who had loved me and cared for me their entire lives, showed me that home care is truly my calling and an obvious next step in my career,” O’Quinn said.

Before she became a FirstLight franchisee, O’Quinn said she has been telling friends and family about her desire to open a home care business for years. In fact, she said that FirstLight was the best option for her because it offers resources for business owners and has a conscientious approach to home care.

“With FirstLight, I’m able to combine my personal experiences, business skills and passion for giving people a better quality of life with the support of a top-notch franchise that has 40 years of senior care experience,” she said.

Once her Hazelwood location opens on Oct. 1, O’Quinn said she will look at expanding her business by opening another location in or around her hometown of Alton, IL within the next 18 months.

Please join Hazelwood Patch in welcoming Jacqueline O’Quinn and her new home care business to town! Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below.