Solutions for Care history

A state-funded nutrition project began operations in October 1973, serving 85 meals the first day at four sites, including the Indianapolis Senior Center, and expanding to 19 sites by the end of the year.

7, 1974, to carry out programs using local funding.

In 1983, after the Indiana General Assembly passed the Pre-Admission Screening for Nursing Homes law, CICOA received funds to staff an in-home care program.

In 1985, a nursing home regulation reported initial legislation that further overhauled American nursing homes’ federal laws, standardizing care and funding.

In 1992, CICOA was chosen to implement CHOICE in Central Indiana to help keep seniors and individuals of all ages with disabilities out of more expensive nursing home care.

The Comfort Keepers story began in 1998 when Kris Butler, a registered nurse working in home health care discovered firsthand the need for someone to assist her patients with their non-medical needs.

The turn of the century brought increased national recognition for CICOA. The agency received accreditation by the Joint Council on Accreditation in New York in 2002, a designation that has been renewed to this day.

CICOA also launched an Information and Assistance Center, which was certified by the State of Indiana as an Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) 15 years later, in 2008.

In 2009, the brand was strengthened when it was purchased by Sodexo, one of the world's leading food and facilities management services companies and the global leader in the health care and seniors markets.

That estimate is almost twice as much as the 43 million projected in a 2012 report.

The answer to the care management dilemma was found when Providence launched Providence Solutions in 2018.

During Bell’s tenure, CICOA’s annual budget doubled from $13 million to $27 million in Fiscal Year 2019, with an annual economic impact of more than $100 million through services, grants and vendor payments.