The Story Behind Sylvian Care: Building Relationships, Not Just Services

by Cristina Grancea, Chief Executive Officer, Sylvian Care Franchising

My grandmother didn’t want to leave her home when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

She wanted to stay in her own village, in her own house, surrounded by her familiar walls and memories. But there were no home care services available to help. Instead, she moved between different family members, staying with each of them for a while.  

It was a difficult time. She didn’t have her own space, only the sofa in our living room. It was challenging for my parents too, they were already looking after four children and working hard in the factory, and now they had to care for grandmother too.  

She was in her late seventies, and I could see that she was unhappy. Sometimes she cried, she talked about wanting to go home but my family knew she couldn’t take care of herself alone. 

My grandmother was an incredibly strong woman who had raised four children, my dad was only 14 when she lost her husband. She had lived alone ever since.  One summer, I remember she talked to us about her funeral, she had a chest of drawers filled with the clothes she wanted to wear. Looking back, I think she felt like a burden and that upset her deeply. I believe she suffered more from loneliness than from her illness. I felt so sad and helpless. All I wanted was for her to be happy. Eventually, she made the decision to go back home, and she passed away a few months later. 

That experience had a huge impact on me. I always had a caring nature, and I knew I wanted to help others. 

I did a degree in social work and started working as a social worker in a mental health hospital. I also set up a charity to raise funds for community-based opportunities for people with mental health conditions. It was important to me that they felt they had a purpose. 

In 2007 I moved to the UK from Romania and worked in a day centre for people with learning disabilities, I loved it. Then I moved into social work, spending three years in child protection, but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. I knew I still hadn’t found my true purpose. 

I took out a loan and enrolled in a master’s degree in psychology. It was during my studies that I came across the concept of home care and something clicked. It felt like my grandmother was guiding me, showing me that this was the path I was meant to take. 

Before I’d even completed the degree I started Sylvian Care with my brother. I thought about how different my grandmother’s last years could have been if she had access to home care. She could have stayed in her own home, and received professional care, and we could have visited her as children and grandchildren rather than being her care givers. That gave me a deep sense of purpose. 

I was 37, and a single mother, and I was starting the business with nothing- no money, no business experience. I had to learn everything: finance, HR, managing people, commercial contracts. But I believed so strongly in what I was doing. I knew that If I could work long hours as a social worker, I could put the same energy into my own business, and that’s exactly what I did. 

We started small, from one location, but we grew rapidly. Within a year we grew to a £1m business. By year five we scaled to 2.4m.  There was this fantastic feeling of being able to help so many people. I loved visiting clients and hearing their stories, listening to the impact our care professionals were having on their lives. That really kept me going. The clients felt like my grandmother, I had the opportunity to do for them what I couldn’t do for her. 

In 2018 someone read an article about us and approached me saying: ‘We trust you, and we believe you are the right people to help us build our own business.’ They became our first franchisee, and they are still with us today. I saw franchising as an opportunity to scale our impact, to help even more people. 

 Now Sylvian Care has over 40 franchisees. I measure my success by the number of lives we have touched- the lives of our clients, the care professionals and the franchisees.  

When I’m looking for new franchisees, I want people who are driven by passion and purpose. We recruit partners who align with our values and mission. Our brand stands for family values, reliability, and a deep commitment to enhancing lives.  My vision is to make Sylvian Care a global pioneer in relationship-based care, I believe that genuine human connections are the foundation of a fulfilling life. 

I will never forget the people I’ve met along the way- the woman who collected bells from around the world, another who filled her home with elephant ornaments. Their memories and their lives matter. I am grateful every day that I can make a difference.  

Looking ahead, I want to grow and to expand Sylvian Care internationally, I’m excited for the future. I know we will continue to change lives for the better.  

I really do feel that my grandmother is still with me, still guiding me. And I know she would be so proud of Sylvian Care.