Elder Independence

For Kim Clatworthy, business ownership was never about climbing higher. It was about going deeper. After years in the pharmaceutical industry, Clatworthy reached a moment many professionals recognize, though few act on. The career path ahead was defined and comfortable yet no longer answered the question that mattered most.

“I had to decide,” she said. “Do I want to keep chasing what people consider success, or do I want to look for significance?”

It wasn’t dissatisfaction that prompted the pause, but discernment. Clatworthy describes it as a reckoning between staying in the corporate race and choosing work that would let her see and feel the impact she was making in other’s lives. That question reshaped everything.

With the help of a career coach, Clatworthy began examining patterns that had quietly defined her life. “You’re an old soul,” the coach told her. “You’ve always loved working with the elderly population.” 

“That really stuck with me,” Clatworthy added. “I thought, ‘This is a space I want to be in, in my life and career moving forward.’”

Today, Clatworthy owns Elder Independence Home Care, a Bryant-based provider serving families across Central Arkansas. She and her team focus on helping older adults remain safe, supported, and independent in the place they most want to be—their own homes. 

But the roots of that mission run far deeper than a simple career pivot. “Serving others really comes very naturally for me,” she said. “Making people happy, keeping them comfortable…that’s where I’m at my best.” Clatworthy was raised in Hot Springs, where her parents owned a resort and restaurant on Lake Hamilton. Their home sat on the property, and hospitality wasn’t a concept. It was an expectation.

That foundation shaped both her education and early professional life. Clatworthy earned a degree in health education/exercise physiology from the University of Arkansas. She helped launch a corporate wellness and fitness program at Baptist Hospital, worked in outpatient surgery centers, spent time at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and later attended nursing school.

“I’ve worked across the gamut in the medical field,” she said. “And I loved every minute of it.”

The most influential lessons, however, were personal. Growing up, Clatworthy’s grandmothers lived with her family at different times. Caring for aging relatives was simply part of life. “It seemed like the natural progression,” she said. “You lean on your family.”

That belief was tested when her grandmother’s care needs eventually exceeded what the family could provide. “It was a terrible scene when she had to go to the nursing home,” Clatworthy said. “She was so terrified, this little, sweet, mild-mannered lady. She was none of that in that moment. It was awful.”

The memory remains vivid. It also became formative. “Being able to keep people in their homes by bringing resources to them, that matters,” she said.

When Clatworthy began exploring home care professionally, the work immediately resonated. She joined another home care agency, learned the business and confirmed that this was where her values and skills aligned. Over time, however, she realized she wanted greater accountability for how care was delivered.

“I wanted to be able to control how things were run,” she said. “And whether promises were followed up on.” That desire led her to partner with Elder Independence founder Mike Gross and eventually take over ownership in 2014 when he stepped away.

Since then, Elder Independence has grown into a trusted resource for families navigating aging, recovery, and long-term care decisions. The company provides non-medical care wherever clients live, including private homes, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and residential care settings. It also operates a small residential care home in Little Rock, offering round-the-clock support for three residents.

 “We don’t do everything,” Clatworthy said. “But we can bring everything.” She describes a network of trusted “bridge partners,” including skilled home health, hospice, attorneys, and other specialists. “We ask all the right questions, figure out where the gaps are, and do the absolute best we can to fill them.”

Often, those gaps belong to families who are overwhelmed. “When people call us, they’re at their wits’ end,” Clatworthy said. “They’ve tried doing it all themselves and need help.” She speaks plainly about the toll caregiving takes. “Forty to sixty percent of family caregivers die before the person they’re caring for,” she said. “They wear themselves out and don’t ever really think about taking care of themselves.

“We give caregivers permission to step back into their roles as spouse, daughter, son,” she added. “They’re not supposed to be the expert caregiver.” That same philosophy guides how Clatworthy leads her team. “Caring is our purpose,” she said. “We all feel called to this. We have two full-time RNs, a recruiter, an operations manager, and an office manager. It’s a great team doing great things, with approximately 120 of our caregiving team that do this hard, yet rewarding job.”  

Looking ahead, Clatworthy sees Elder Independence continuing to expand, offering additional nursing services, medication support, and non-emergency transportation. But the heart of the mission hasn’t changed. “I just love helping people,” she said. “Giving families peace of mind, helping people stay home, that’s what lights my fire.”

For more information on Elder Independence, visit their web site at www.elderindependence.com or call 501.847.6102.