18 | JANUARY 14 • 2021 

N

ow more than ever, 
with a steadily 
increasing elderly 
population and continuing 
COVID-19 concerns, 
people are searching 
for compassionate and 
trustworthy care for their 
aging loved ones. With 
this in mind, two longtime 
friends combined their 
shared skills and interests 
to start a home healthcare 
business dedicated to 
personalized, 
professional 
caregiving.
Matt Yaari, 32, 
of Royal Oak, and 
Guy Lavi, 31, of 
Plymouth, have 
been close friends 
for more than 20 
years. The two 
met at the Zionist 
youth group 
Habonim Dror’s 

summer Camp Tavor and 
were active group members 
growing up. In 2012, Yaari 
received a degree in brain 
behavior and cognitive 
sciences from the University 
of Michigan. Lavi studied 
biology at Eastern Michigan 
University and, in 2013, 
completed the Huron Valley 
EMT (Emergency Medical 
Technician) program. 
It was their common 
interest in the healthcare 
field that led them to found 
My Family Home Care in 
September.
“I was pre-med in college 
and worked as a caregiver to 
gain patient care experience,” 
said Yaari, who serves on 
the board of the Samaritan 
Counseling Center, a 
Farmington Hills-based 
provider of mental health 
counseling. “Medical school 
wasn’t right for me, so I 

decided entrepreneurship 
was a better fit. I worked 
for a property management 
startup, learning business 
development and 
operations. I next worked 
as an insurance agent, to 
learn sales and marketing. 
Then moved to Bankers 
Life, selling Medicare 
supplement policies to get 
an understanding of senior 
healthcare insurance.”
Lavi brings extensive 
medical knowledge and 
experience to the new 
business.
“After completing the 
EMT program, I spent the 
next two years responding 
to medical emergencies, 
operating an ambulance and 
training new staff,” he said. 
“I received my paramedic’s 
license and have been 
working as a paramedic in 
the University of Michigan 

Hospital’s emergency 
room and am a certified 
advanced cardiac life support 
instructor. I’m here to ensure 
My Family Home Care is 
providing the highest level 
of care.”
The two believe the 
coronavirus pandemic 
created the opportunity for 
their startup and feel the 
nursing home model isn’t an 
appropriate place for seniors 
to age.
“Nursing home residents 
make up less than 1% of 
our nation’s population, 
but account for 40% of 
coronavirus fatalities,” Lavi 
said. “It’s much safer to 
provide care to seniors in the 
comfort of their own homes.”
In addition to Yaari and 
Lavi, the business employs 
one caregiver, a 21-year-old 
who is pursuing a nursing 
career. The two do plan to 

Two friends start home healthcare business 
- with personalized service at the forefront.

JUDY GREENWALD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Keeping Seniors Safe at Home 

Guy Lavi

Matt Yaari

IN 
THED
JEWS

