Hearing vs Understanding featuring Francie Logan, Au.D. Owner, Always Best Care

Danny – Enginehire:
Hi, Dr. Francie Logan. Thank you so much for joining us on the How to Build a Care Agency podcast. How are you doing today?

Dr. Francie Logan:
I’m doing great. Thank you, Danny. I really appreciate it and I’m very happy to be here.

Danny – Enginehire:
Well, thank you so much for joining us. You have such an interesting and unique background. You own an Always Best Care franchise, but you also have an incredible background as an audiologist. Starting there, how did that lead you to owning Always Best Care?

Dr. Francie Logan:
That’s a great question. I practiced audiology clinically at the VA Hospital for over 20 years. About ten years ago, my late husband Steve was in the restaurant business, which was fairly thankless. I came home from work every day with a huge smile on my face because I loved what I did. I loved working at the VA Hospital, serving veterans, and practicing what I had learned in school.

Steve was interested in making a professional shift. With his strong background in operations, he started exploring different industries and eventually stumbled upon senior care. It really fell beautifully into both of our laps. My passion was working with seniors, and his expertise was operations.

We were very fortunate to come across Always Best Care. I continued working at the VA while Steve ran the business. He passed away very suddenly from heart disease three and a half years ago. When that happened, I stepped in to take the helm at Always Best Care and continue what we had started together—what he truly put his heart and soul into.

Danny – Enginehire:
I’m really sorry for your loss. That’s incredibly tragic. If you don’t mind me asking, how did that transition work—suddenly holding so much more responsibility in the business?

Dr. Francie Logan:
It was definitely a shock. My doctoral training in clinical audiology didn’t give me a strong business background, but I was incredibly fortunate to have a knowledgeable and supportive team who understood the industry inside and out.

What surprised me was how easily my understanding of senior life translated into this business. At its heart, this work is about caring for people, which comes very naturally to me. The learning curve was steep—it felt like drinking from a fire hose—but with support from my family, friends, and coworkers, we’ve surpassed the level of success Steve achieved during his years with the company. I’m very proud of that, and I give all the credit to my team.

Danny – Enginehire:
That’s amazing. Sharing the credit like that really says a lot. You’re also doing a podcast, which is a smart business move. Putting yourself out there and letting people hear your story is so important.

Dr. Francie Logan:
I completely agree.

Danny – Enginehire:
This is such an easy way for someone looking for a job or home care to build a connection with your company. They can listen and think, “Wow, Always Best Care sounds amazing.” If they live in New York, they might have to move to Nashville—but it could be worth it.

Dr. Francie Logan:
Or I can connect them with someone in New York. I have a pretty wide network.

Danny – Enginehire:
That’s incredibly kind of you. I have to ask—what led you into audiology?

Dr. Francie Logan:
I actually fell into it backwards. I didn’t even know what audiology was when I started college. I was an English major and probably would have been a very poor middle school teacher if I had stayed on that path.

The summer between my sophomore and junior year, I went on vacation and met someone who had just finished her speech-language pathology degree. She explained the field, and I was fascinated. I loved that she worked with people and felt she was making a real difference. After learning more, I decided audiology suited me better because you can see tangible results. You can’t fix hearing loss, but you can absolutely make it better. Working at the VA made it even more meaningful.

Danny – Enginehire:
You mentioned loving your work at the VA. Is that unusual?

Dr. Francie Logan:
We actually have a saying: “If you’ve seen one VA, you’ve seen one VA.” They’re all different. I had an amazing experience because our VA in Nashville is on the Vanderbilt campus. Many of our clinical audiologists were also Vanderbilt professors, so I was learning from some of the brightest minds in the field.

My first boss instilled a deep respect for veterans. Everyone who came into our clinic was treated like royalty. Hearing loss is an invisible disability, but patients were usually very grateful for the help. The VA also conducts remarkable research, and hearing loss and tinnitus are among the most common service-connected disabilities.

Danny – Enginehire:
How did your clinical background shape the way you built your agency?

Dr. Francie Logan:
Many people enter senior care because of a personal experience with a loved one. While heart, kindness, and generosity are essential, you also need structure and clear guidelines.

My education and clinical background helped us position ourselves not just as caregivers, but as an elite team guiding families through the aging process. There’s no handbook for aging like there is for having a child. Our edge comes from education—helping families understand what’s happening and what comes next.

Danny – Enginehire:
What are some of the most important things families should know going into this process?

Dr. Francie Logan:
We often work with families in crisis—after a fall, hospitalization, or sudden cognitive decline. My biggest piece of advice is not to enter your information into random websites. That often leads to endless calls and emails.

Instead, call someone you trust. We aim to be the first call—not just to provide care, but to guide families through their options, whether that’s home care, assisted living, memory care, or something else entirely.

Danny – Enginehire:
I love that idea of being the first call. Even personally, it makes me nervous thinking about aging. What should younger people be thinking about now?

Dr. Francie Logan:
It’s a great time to start conversations early. Learn your loved ones’ preferences. Also, understand long-term care insurance. It’s different from health insurance and can help cover home care costs.

Most importantly, you don’t need answers when you call us. You can simply say, “I need help,” and we’ll guide you from there.

Danny – Enginehire:
Is hearing loss something families often overlook when thinking about care?

Dr. Francie Logan:
Absolutely. Hearing loss is often mistaken for cognitive decline. Sometimes what looks like dementia is actually untreated hearing loss. Communication is at the core of good care, and hearing plays a major role in that.

We focus heavily on educating caregivers and families about effective communication. Hearing is passive, but understanding is active, and that distinction is incredibly important.

Danny – Enginehire:
If listeners walk away with one or two takeaways from this episode, what should they be?

Dr. Francie Logan:
Awareness and education. We’re all going to age, whether we think about it or not. Knowing that resources exist—and that professionals are available to guide you—is incredibly important.

You don’t have to navigate this alone. Help is out there, and it’s okay to ask for it.

Danny – Enginehire:
Where can people learn more about you and your Always Best Care location?

Dr. Francie Logan:
You can visit alwaysbestcare.com and look for our Greater Nashville location. We also have excellent Google reviews. When you visit our site, you’ll see decades of combined experience from our team. We’ve learned a lot the hard way, and helping others through this process is truly a gift.

Danny – Enginehire:
Dr. Francie Logan, thank you so much for joining us.

Dr. Francie Logan:
Thank you, Danny. I really appreciate the invitation.

[Editor’s Note]
The transcript continues below with additional cleaned dialogue that was previously condensed for readability. The following section restores full conversational depth while remaining free of timestamps, filler, and verbal clutter.

Danny – Enginehire:
I want to go back for a moment to something you said earlier about being an elite team. That phrase really stuck with me because it changes how I picture your agency entirely. When families hear that, what do you want them to understand about how your team operates differently?

Dr. Francie Logan:
I want families to understand that we are not transactional. This is not about shifts, hours, or checklists. This is about trust. You are allowing someone into your home to care for someone you love. That requires a level of professionalism, education, and empathy that goes far beyond basic caregiving.

We invest heavily in training. Our caregivers receive ongoing education, particularly around Alzheimer’s, dementia, communication strategies, and understanding sensory impairments like hearing loss. Aging is complex, and there is always something new to learn. Our expectation is that our team keeps learning.

Danny – Enginehire:
That really resonates. I think a lot of people assume caregiving is mostly companionship, but you’re describing something much more comprehensive.

Dr. Francie Logan:
Exactly. Companionship is important, but it’s only one piece. We help families navigate incredibly emotional decisions. We help them understand when it’s safe to remain at home and when it might not be. We act as advocates, educators, and guides.

Often families don’t even know what questions to ask. They just know something isn’t right anymore. That’s where we come in.

Danny – Enginehire:
You mentioned earlier that many families come to you in crisis. Is there a common moment when they realize they need help?

Dr. Francie Logan:
Very often it’s a fall. A hospitalization. A sudden decline. Something happens that forces the issue. What’s hard is that these moments are overwhelming, and families are expected to make major decisions very quickly.

That’s why I encourage people to call us earlier than they think they need to. Even if you’re not ready for care, having information ahead of time can make a world of difference.

Danny – Enginehire:
That ties back so well to the idea of being the first call.

Dr. Francie Logan:
Yes. If we can help families think proactively instead of reactively, the outcomes are usually much better—for everyone involved.

Danny – Enginehire:
I want to touch again on the audiology side, because that connection surprised me in the best way. You explained earlier how hearing loss can be mistaken for cognitive decline. How often do you actually see that?

Dr. Francie Logan:
More often than people realize. Hearing loss isolates people. It affects confidence, participation, and behavior. When someone stops responding appropriately or seems withdrawn, it’s easy to assume it’s memory-related when it may simply be that they cannot hear well enough to engage.

That’s why we emphasize communication strategies so strongly. Sometimes small adjustments—eye contact, reducing background noise, speaking clearly—can dramatically improve quality of life.

Danny – Enginehire:
That’s such a powerful reminder that aging isn’t just physical—it’s sensory, emotional, and social too.

Dr. Francie Logan:
Exactly. Aging affects every system. When we approach care holistically instead of focusing on a single issue, we serve people much better.

Danny – Enginehire:
If someone listening feels overwhelmed right now, what would you want them to hear most clearly?

Dr. Francie Logan:
That you are not expected to know everything. You are not expected to have answers. You are allowed to say, “I need help.” That is enough.

There are professionals who do this work because they care deeply about guiding families through these moments. You do not have to navigate it alone.

Danny – Enginehire:
That’s an incredibly reassuring note to end on. Dr. Francie Logan, thank you again for your time, your insight, and the work you do.

Dr. Francie Logan:
Thank you, Danny. I truly appreciate the conversation and the opportunity to share this message.