A Haven For Cherokee Seniors And Beyond
Dominique and Midelyn Louis of Cherokee Angel Senior Care for Black Business Month
We’re celebrating Black Business Month this August by highlighting Cherokee’s Black business community, in partnership with Cherokee By Choice investor Georgia Power.
Cherokee Angel Senior Care is a senior care service company headquartered in Canton. Cherokee Angel Senior Care assists seniors in their later years through personal care homes, adult daycare and private home care services. As a Medicaid provider agency, they also provide subcontracting services to smaller facilities across Metro Atlanta and beyond.
Dominique and Midelyn Louis opened Cherokee Angel Senior Care aiming to create a homey environment for seniors. “My background is in nursing, and when I was in nursing school and went into nursing homes, it pained my heart to see seniors in conditions that I wouldn’t want my mom to be in, said Midelyn. “I believe that seniors have to be cherished and treated with dignity, so providing a home environment is the best thing for them. I wanted to give them a home to live in and call their own.”
Cherokee Angel Senior Care strives to create a sense of normalcy and comfort for their seniors. Residents enjoy home-like décor, activities and the freedom to leave the facility with family members to go out on dates and spend weekends with loved ones.
This normalcy is paired with true quality care. “Quality care means superior care. It’s providing resident-centered support, support that can change their outcome and impact their well-being,” said Midelyn. “Providing the home is one thing, but it has layers. It’s making sure that they are happy, they are content, and they are provided with activities that stimulate them, keep them healthy and safe.”
Dominique and Midelyn opened Cherokee Angel Senior care in July 2006. “If you open a senior care service, it makes sense to open it next door to where you live,” said Dominique. “Cherokee has also been very welcoming to us. It made sense to open here and continue to contribute to our community.”
“We’ve watched Cherokee grow so much since coming here in 2004,” said Midelyn. “Watching it grow so much gave me the passion and commitment to give back to the community. We want to be part of that growth.”
Today, Cherokee Angel Senior Care has three personal care homes (PCHs) in Cherokee County. Two of them are in Canton and one in Alpharetta. The company also subcontracts to 47 small personal care homes throughout the metro area, but they still call Cherokee County home.
Cherokee Angel Senior Care gives back to its home community by fostering current and aspiring business owners. They are part of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED)’s Black Business Roundtable.
“I feel a sense of pride and resilience about being a Black business owner, but I also feel a sense of needing to bring in the younger generation to teach them that it’s only a vision and if you don’t push yourself, you will not get there. I want to show them that nothing should be in the way of realizing your dreams,” said Midelyn. “I try to mentor the younger generation. It’s important that we leave our trace behind, especially in this business because a lot of seniors are in need. We need to help people, not only Black people, to continue the path and make sure seniors are well taken care of.”
While staying connected to the Black business community, Cherokee Angel Senior Care wants to serve all of Cherokee. “We don’t just serve Black populations. We serve everybody who needs our services,” said Dominque. “We don’t want to be seen as just Black business owners. We are business owners who happened to be Black.”
“We hope that when people say Cherokee Angel, people know what it means,” said Dominique. Cherokee Angel wants to touch not just residents, but the community at large. “We want Cherokee Angel to be somewhere people will want to live, somewhere people will want to work and where people can be impactful in the community and those we serve. More importantly we want to be a resource for the community.”
“Cherokee Angel Personal Care Home is a home. It is a place of comfort, a haven for seniors. It’s a place where they can create memories with friends to leave behind. I know we’re just passing through, but we should live moments to be remembered by,” said Midelyn. “My vision for Cherokee Angel is to create an environment where seniors will all walks of life feel remembered, cherished and empowered.”
Visit cherokeeangelsc.com to learn more.