The Grant siblings’ grandmother was in perfectly good health when had a stroke. She was referred to an elder care facility to help with her recovery, but sadly, she died just 10 months later.
Although she survived, just 10 months later she passed away under their care. Her adult grandchildren knew she would’ve had a better outcome had she been housed in a different facility.
So, when their father similarly suffered a stroke just a few years later, they decided to take matters into their own hands.
In 2020, they launched the The WellNest Company, a center specializing in affordable housing and senior health care in the Bay area. He now resides in The Wellnest Pod, an ADU, which is essentially a backyard medical suite.
“It just feels like a dream to be able to work with my family to care for my family, other families,” said Bobby Grant, who handles
sales and business development for the company. He points out that one of the differentiators that set WellNest apart from other facilities is its deep empathy.
1 out of 10 adults over the age of 65 suffers from at least one type of abuse each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. This can usually be tied to underpaid and overworked staff, negligent leadership and lack of adequate funding—all factors the Grant family work to circumvent.
“I absolutely love what I do,” Bobbi said. “Our clients are an extension of our family and we treat them that way. It’s baked into the foundation of our company mission.”
The youngest of the bunch, Bakari Grant, serves as WellNest’s CEO and is the fearless leader that shaped the family-oriented workplace culture that so many families trust. It’s also at an affordable price, much to the relief of many loved ones paying for the care of their elders.
“It’s built into our business model,” Bakari tells ESSENCE. “At the core out here in California, we have the ability to build what they call ADUs or accessory dwelling units, which basically is a guest house in your backyard. Now, with that concept, like Bobby said, I think what we provide more than just an affordable price is we provide an asset to the family.”
He says the more affordable ADU concept prioritizes putting assets back into their customers’ hands so they can avoid liquidating their assets and funneling tens of thousands of dollars a month without ever getting anything back.
The cost of nursing homes in California is nearly 110% higher than other assisted living facilities. On average, a semi-private room is $9,794 per month, and a private room is $12,167 per month.
“We don’t ever want anyone to feel taken advantage of, which is common in the industry,” Bakari says. “Our reputation precedes us in everything we do. We lead from that place of principle based decisions and honestly, we treat families the way we wanted our grandmother to be treated.”