Photo by David W. Smith/Daily NewsComfort Keepers employee Alice Boards helps client Shirley Mracek open her pillbox on Saturday.

As the soured economy forces some businesses to close their doors, some local operations that cater to senior citizens have recently opened or expanded.

“When people are dealing with a situation and they need assistance, they need what they need,” said Todd McGee, franchise owner of Comfort Keepers on Fairview Avenue. “Most of them have not had a problem with (the economy).”

McGee opened his business in May after deciding he wanted to branch out into the senior service field. Comfort Keepers provides in-home, non-medical services to elderly residents who need assistance with everyday tasks. After working with in-home care and assisted living businesses for nine years, McGee decided he wanted to open his own business.

“It was time to strike out in a different area,” he said. “I did some research and found there was a need (in Bowling Green).”

Comfort Keepers services about 25 clients and hires 10 employees, and McGee expects the demand to increase as the population ages. And, as that happens, McGee will search for qualified workers.

“If we don’t have qualified and trained workers, we can’t grow,” he said. “That’s our No. 1 concern is hiring those qualified people.”

And McGee welcomes a clientele boost for more than business-related reasons. The clients are McGee’s favorite aspect of the job.

“They’re so full of life and stories. You learn something new from them every day,” he said. “I didn’t know what job satisfaction was until I did this.”

Brad Cannon, franchise owner of Home Instead Senior Care, has expanded his business, purchasing an office in Florence that serves Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties. Cannon opened the Bowling Green office in 2002, and it has steadily grown in the past few years, prompting Cannon to branch out.

“People, when they get sick or need help, they want to stay in their homes,” he said. “The recession has had little to no effect on our business. In a bad economy when, for a lot of sectors it would be bad to expand, in our industry it’s a good time to expand.”

The Bowling Green office hires 200 caregivers and is “always looking for quality caregivers,” Cannon said.

“Finding quality caregivers is always a challenge,” he said. “We have seen an increase in the number of people inquiring about a job here due to the bigger picture of what’s going on with the economy. So it’s become a little easier for us to hire than say a year ago.”

And like McGee, Cannon anticipates further need for workers as the baby boomer generation ages and requires assistance.

“It already has and will continue to grow,” he said. “And seniors are the fastest growing segment.”