Southern Caregivers

What Southern Caregivers does

Southern Caregivers is a privately held, RN-owned and operated in-home personal care agency founded in 2015 by Blake Watson in Magnolia, Arkansas. The company delivers non-medical personal care services, including assistance with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, transportation, and companionship), plus specialized programs for dementia care, veterans, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, respite care, and 24-hour home care. Its core technology footprint is minimal: services are delivered by vetted caregivers in client homes and care facilities, with a Medicare-covered GUIDE Dementia Care Program supported by telehealth through partner Eli Health.

The business operates a hub-and-spoke model with 18 physical office locations across Arkansas (Magnolia, Hot Springs, Searcy, Texarkana, De Queen, Conway, Jonesboro, Northwest Arkansas, Little Rock, White Hall, Monticello, Mountain Home, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Hope, El Dorado, Arkadelphia) and one in Oklahoma (Broken Bow). Revenue is diversified across five payer streams: Arkansas Choices Medicaid Waiver, PASSE (developmental disability program), VA Aid & Attendance plus Vet Assist, Long-Term Care Insurance, and private pay with a 3-hour minimum per visit. The customer base is highly distributed, consisting primarily of individual seniors, veterans, and disabled clients referred through healthcare provider partnerships, chamber of commerce networks, and word-of-mouth.

The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned by five Registered Nurses (Blake Watson, Morgan Watson, Sam Gummeson, Landon Stuart, Samantha Stuart), with no disclosed external investors. Operational professionalization in 2024-2025 added a COO, CFO, Quality Assurance Director, and HR Director alongside a five-person regional community engagement team. GTM is community-based: local chamber memberships across 20+ Arkansas communities, healthcare referral relationships, Google Ads, and Facebook presence. Caregiver screening is rigorous (interviews, background checks, maltreatment checks), and the RN-ownership is consistently marketed as a trust signal and competitive differentiator.

Name

Southern Caregivers

Legal name

Southern Caregivers

Website

https://southerncaregiversar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Caregivers is a private, RN-owned non-medical in-home personal care agency founded in 2015 in Arkansas, operating 18 offices across Arkansas and Oklahoma to deliver personal care, dementia, veteran, and developmental disability services under Medicaid, VA, Medicare (GUIDE), LTC insurance, and private pay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

In-Home Personal Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Home Health Care Services (6216)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Companion Care & Social Support (non-clinical) (HLADAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dementia/Alzheimer’s In-Home Care (Non-Medical) (HLADAGAG), Dementia Companion & Engagement Care (HSABAEAA), Conversation, Cognitive Stimulation & Activity Facilitation (HSABAAAB), Companionship & Social Engagement Visits (HSABAAAA)

Keywords

• In-home personal care
• Non-medical caregiving
• Senior home care
• Dementia care services
• Veterans home care

Headquarters

HQ city

Magnolia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Medicaid Waiver Programs: Revenue from Arkansas Choices (Medicaid Waiver) and Qualifying Medicaid programs for in-home personal care services. This represents a significant portion of revenue for serving low-income and qualifying senior clients.
2. Veterans Affairs Benefits: Revenue from VA Aid and Attendance, Veterans Home Care/Vet Assist programs for veteran clients. The company works directly with the Vet Assist Program to help veterans and spouses access benefits to cover in-home care costs.
3. PASSE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly): Revenue from Arkansas PASSE program for developmental disability services.
4. Long-Term Care Insurance: Revenue from long-term insurance policies for qualifying clients who have purchased LTC coverage.
5. Private Pay: Direct payment from clients for out-of-pocket care services. Minimum 3 hours per visit required. Hourly rates vary by location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southern Caregivers is a private in-home care agency that provides non-medical personal care services to seniors, veterans, individuals with dementia, and individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Services include assistance with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility), meal preparation, medication reminders, companionship, transportation, and respite care, delivered in clients' homes and various care facilities across Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma.

Product overview

Southern Caregivers operates as a private in-home care agency offering a unified portfolio of non-medical personal care services. The core offering consists of In-Home Care Services and Personal Care Services, supplemented by specialized programs including Dementia Care (GUIDE Program), Care for Veterans, Intellectual and Developmental Care Services, Respite Care, and 24-Hour Home Care. All services are non-skilled and provided by caregivers who undergo rigorous screening, with supervision by licensed nurses. The company accepts Qualifying Medicaid, Arkansas Choices, VA benefits, PASSE, and private pay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Home Care Services Non-medical in-home assistance including help with bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, medication reminders, light housekeeping, transportation, and companionship, helping individuals remain independent in their own homes.
• Personal Care Services Hands-on assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) including bathing, toileting, dressing, mobility transfers, and incontinence care, delivered by trained caregivers to help individuals maintain dignity and independence.
• Intellectual and Developmental Care Services Support for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities focusing on skill-building in housekeeping, shopping, laundry, medication management, transportation, meal preparation, financial management, and use of technology to promote independence.
• Dementia Care Services (GUIDE Program) Comprehensive dementia care under the Medicare-covered GUIDE program, providing 24/7 access to geriatric-trained professionals, personalized wellness plans, respite care ($2,563 annually for qualifying families), and family communication support.
• Care for Veterans In-home care services for veterans and surviving spouses, including assistance with daily activities, mobility, toileting, meal preparation, companionship, light housekeeping, medication reminders, and dementia care, with support accessing VA Aid and Attendance benefits.
• Respite Care Services Temporary care services providing family caregivers with breaks while ensuring their loved ones receive professional, compassionate care, available 24 hours a day.
• 24-Hour Home Care Round-the-clock continuous care providing constant attentive support to ensure safety and comfort for clients day and night.

Quantifiable outcome

• $2,563 annually in respite care funds for eligible families through GUIDE program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Harding Place Retirement CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Southern Caregivers of Searcy has been happily partnered with Harding Place Retirement Community since 2023, providing Personal Care Services to residents at request. This collaboration allows professional caregivers to extend specialized in-home personal care services directly within the Harding Place community, enhancing resident well-being and encouraging independence in familiar surroundings.
• Eli HealthcoreTechnology or IntegrationHealthcare partner providing telehealth support and geriatric-trained professional access for Southern Caregivers' dementia care clients. Each client receives a personalized dementia wellness plan that adapts as needs evolve, with continuous access to specialists through telehealth.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves20 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Amedisys: Large public home health, hospice, and personal care services provider operating across the U.S. Overlaps with Southern Caregivers on home-based personal care delivery and referral relationships with hospitals and physicians, though Amedisys is substantially larger and more clinically oriented.
• Addus HomeCare: Public, PE-influenced provider of personal care, hospice, and home health services with strong Medicaid waiver exposure across multiple states. Broad incumbent in the same space as Southern Caregivers, with significant scale advantages and overlapping Medicaid waiver payer model.
• Aveanna Healthcare: Large public provider of home health, hospice, and private duty nursing with significant Medicaid exposure including pediatric and adult personal care. Overlaps with Southern Caregivers on Medicaid-driven in-home personal care delivery and serves similar intellectual/developmental disability populations via PASSE-like programs.
• Help at Home: PE-backed (Centerbridge) leading U.S. provider of Medicaid personal care services to seniors and individuals with disabilities in their homes. Closely comparable payer mix (heavy Medicaid waiver) and care model to Southern Caregivers, but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple states.

Direct peers

• FirstLight Home Care: National non-medical in-home care franchise offering personal care, companion care, dementia care, and respite services. Operates on a franchise-based hub-and-spoke model similar to Southern Caregivers and serves overlapping senior, dementia, and disability populations.
• Synergy HomeCare: National franchise specializing in non-medical in-home personal care, dementia care, and companion services with a hub-and-spoke geographic model. Comparable to Southern Caregivers in service mix, target segments, and local-agency delivery structure.
• BrightStar Care: National franchise providing non-medical and medical in-home personal care, senior care, and dementia care. Directly comparable to Southern Caregivers in core service offerings, payer mix (private pay, Medicaid, VA), and franchise-vs-corporate operating model, though at much larger national scale.
• Visiting Angels: National franchise providing non-medical in-home personal care, respite, Alzheimer's and dementia care, and companion services. Comparable service portfolio, franchise-based hub-and-spoke distribution, and reliance on caregiver labor pools — directly competing with Southern Caregivers in overlapping Arkansas markets.
• Home Instead (now HomeWell): Large in-home senior care franchise network offering personal care, companionship, dementia care, and respite services. Operates on a hub-and-spoke franchise model similar to Southern Caregivers and serves overlapping customer segments including Alzheimer's and dementia families.
• Comfort Keepers: National franchise offering personal care, companion care, dementia/Alzheimer's care, and 24-hour in-home services. Closely aligned with Southern Caregivers on core offerings, customer segments (seniors, dementia, veterans), and franchise operating model across U.S. geographies including the South.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-caregivers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Caregivers