Boris Zecevic said he’s had quite a change of pace since becoming HomeWell Care Services Chief Executive Officer last March.  

But there’s one aspect that continues from his former profession to what he does today and that’s working with people.  

Born in Croatia, Zecevic’s family migrated to Nashville some 20 years ago. Zecevic went on to study at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, where he graduated in 2011. From there, he went on to work as a business developer in financial software.  

HomeWell is a nationwide care service and Zecevic’s location services Columbia, Shelbyville, McMinnville, Manchester, Tullahoma, and surrounding areas to provide different levels of care for individuals.  

And, so far, Zecevic says, the Shelbyville-Bedford area has proven to be a great location. Since the area is more rural than Metro-Nashville, care services were much needed, he advised. Plus, a little over 15 percent of Bedford County’s population is 65 and older, according to the Census Bureau’s 2019 study.  

Even though home care services are traditionally marketed toward seniors, HomeWell provides services to a variety of those who need it—those with disabilities or going through a severe illness. Like Zecevic’s mother, who’s 63 and was severely ill with COVID-19 the past year. She required adequate home care or possibly living in a nursing home.  

It was an instigator for Zecevic to get into the home care business. This, plus the stories his wife, a nurse practitioner, would tell him about people not receiving proper care because they wanted to stay home, encouraged him to open a HomeWell center.  

Zecevic today co-owns the business with his wife. A ribbon cutting, conducted by Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, was held on Aug. 19 at their office on the second floor of 112 Public Square.  

“We can provide caregivers, certified nursing assistants, home health aides. And then when it’s time to go to a nursing home, we can discuss that. But this is definitely another option,” Zecevic said.  

The care they provide comes in three levels: companion care, which is pretty hands off and includes services such as housekeeping, cooking, cleaning; standard care, which is more hands on and includes helping individuals to dress and maintain general hygiene; and specialty care, which is for those who cannot function alone, and includes more intensive care, such as bathing and constant attention.  

“It depends on how hands-on you want to be,” he said, giving families the freedom to choose what best fits their lifestyle.  

Zecevic, in addition to growing an apparently much-needed company, said he is most looking forward to seeing how many families HomeWell can help.  

“This is completely different but in a good way. It’s more fulfilling in a lot of ways...here it’s more about people in front of people,” Zecevic said.