It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always.
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, NC gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Selma, NC is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
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Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Edgebrook Park in Selma, NC with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local SpiceMeUp or visit National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
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While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Selma, NC, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Selma, NC understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Selma, NC 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
SELMA, N.C. – Less than three weeks after the Selma Town Council adopted its first specific regulations governing data centers, a 177,000-square-foot data center proposal is headed to the town’s Planning Board.The board is scheduled Monday, Oct. 26, to consider Project Volt, a proposed one-story facility on Noble Street near Eason Lane.Advanced Manufacturing Inc. is seeking a conditional rezoning and special use permit for the project.The property is currently zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial and is locat...
SELMA, N.C. – Less than three weeks after the Selma Town Council adopted its first specific regulations governing data centers, a 177,000-square-foot data center proposal is headed to the town’s Planning Board.
The board is scheduled Monday, Oct. 26, to consider Project Volt, a proposed one-story facility on Noble Street near Eason Lane.Advanced Manufacturing Inc. is seeking a conditional rezoning and special use permit for the project.
The property is currently zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial and is located in Selma’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The overall parcel contains approximately 101 acres, while the application has identified approximately 53 acres for the proposed facility.
Plans call for a single-story, approximately 177,000-square-foot building to accommodate what the application describes as a small data center.
The applicant says it would pay for electrical infrastructure needed to serve the project as well as a reclaimed-water system to provide cooling water.
The proposal comes shortly after the Town Council unanimously adopted new data center regulations Oct. 6 following months of discussion over electrical demand, water use, noise and other potential impacts.
New Rules Will Apply
Under the new ordinance, groundwater cannot be used to cool a data center. Facilities must instead use a closed-loop geothermal system or reclaimed water.
Data center applicants must also complete an electrical load study and demonstrate that sufficient capacity exists to serve the facility without adversely affecting other electric customers.
Other requirements address noise, screening, landscaping and eventual decommissioning of a facility.
Town planning staff said several of those requirements will be addressed later in the development process if the project advances.
The applicant has agreed to annexation of the property.
Planning Board Recommendation
The Planning Board will consider both the conditional rezoning request to Planned Unit Development-Industrial (PUD-I) and the special use permit for Project Volt.
Any action taken by the Planning Board will be a recommendation only. The Selma Town Council will have final authority to approve or deny both requests.
The proposal will be the first specific data center project to go through Selma’s review process since the town adopted its new data center regulations earlier this month.
The Selma Planning Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in the Jernigan Building.
The Paradise Mexican Buffet, self-proclaimed to be Johnston County’s largest restaurant, is officially open.A grand opening was hosted on Tuesday, Sept 15 with a 6:30 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony. The Selma-based buffet, located at 67 J.R. Rd, serves authentic Mexican food and made-to-order American favorites at The Paradise Grill.“The Paradise is designed as a vibrant community hub where Johnston County residents and I-95 travelers alike can enjoy exceptional Mexican cuisine,” Miguel Orozco, owner, said in a ...
The Paradise Mexican Buffet, self-proclaimed to be Johnston County’s largest restaurant, is officially open.
A grand opening was hosted on Tuesday, Sept 15 with a 6:30 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony. The Selma-based buffet, located at 67 J.R. Rd, serves authentic Mexican food and made-to-order American favorites at The Paradise Grill.
“The Paradise is designed as a vibrant community hub where Johnston County residents and I-95 travelers alike can enjoy exceptional Mexican cuisine,” Miguel Orozco, owner, said in a press release. “Our mission is to celebrate rich culinary traditions and culture while providing an inviting atmosphere where families, friends, and neighbors share lasting memories together.”
The 15,000-square-foot restaurant took over the space of the Old North State Food Hall, which closed earlier this year and was previously a former JRs Cigar warehouse. Open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. For customers ages 12-65, the price for each meal is $14.99, $18.99, $23.99 respectively. Military members and first responders can get 10% off every day.
Their buffet selections vary by day and meal period, but reoccurring staples are tacos, fajitas, burritos, quesadillas, seafood selections, Mexican rice, beans, tortillas, chips & salsa, traditional specialties and desserts.
The restaurant is the latest addition to Eastfield Crossing, a 435-acre mixed-use development., owned by AdVenture Development. Other additions to the “Live-Work-Play” development include Johnston County’s first Target, Sheetz, LongHorn Steakhouse and others.
“We welcome The Paradise Mexican Buffet to the Triangle East Collaborative building at Eastfield,” AdVenture Development president, Kevin Dougherty, said in a press release. “Mr. Miguel Orozco brings a powerful combination of proven business acumen and extensive culinary experience as the owner of multiple successful restaurants across the Triangle region, making him the perfect addition to our growing community.”
Orozco also owns Orozco’s Designs and Building, a custom food truck and trailer business, Elisa’s Commissary Kitchen, a food truck commissary support business, Friday 445 Grill, Second Hand Consignment and the Gran Gala Event Center, according to Johnston NOW Magazine, who awarded Orozco the “Dynamic Entrepreneur” award for 2026.
The News & Observer reached out to The Paradise Buffet and will update this story when a response is received.
Johnston County Animal Services — Reported County Animal ShelterGoogle Street ViewInside a 100-year-old brick cotton mill in Selma, North Carolina, 30 formerly stray cats roam freely among antique dressers, stained-glass windows, and flea market trinkets, waiting for someone to take them home for nothing more than the cost of a kind word. The woman behind it all, 68-year-old Raylene Jessup, has placed 4,411 orphaned cats into new homes over the past 20 years, all without charging a single adoption fee.J...
Johnston County Animal Services — Reported County Animal ShelterGoogle Street View
Inside a 100-year-old brick cotton mill in Selma, North Carolina, 30 formerly stray cats roam freely among antique dressers, stained-glass windows, and flea market trinkets, waiting for someone to take them home for nothing more than the cost of a kind word. The woman behind it all, 68-year-old Raylene Jessup, has placed 4,411 orphaned cats into new homes over the past 20 years, all without charging a single adoption fee.
Jessup owns the Selma Cotton Mill, a sprawling flea market and cat adoption center on Anderson Street that she bought after selling her house in Raleigh, according to the News & Observer. An unnamed CEO fronted the money that allowed her to purchase the aging building, which had a sagging roof and a skylight that needed replacing when she took it over, per the same report. Jessup, who previously worked as a social worker in Wake County, eventually started a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to formalize the rescue work — an organization now registered as Street Dogs and Stray Cats Inc. and headquartered in Selma, according to Charity Navigator.
The building itself has lived several lives since it was built as a 19th-century brick mill, according to the News & Observer. It once had eight sets of railroad tracks running through its original operation, and during World War II, workers there made parachutes. Later tenants included a furniture store that manufactured wrap-around desks for public schools and a soap factory that produced cleansers for washing transfer trucks, the paper reports.
Today, items tagged with a cat symbol inside the flea market send 100% of their proceeds back to the rescue — a solid-wood dresser recently sold for $125 and a stained-glass window went for $99, per the same account. Every cat that leaves the mill departs vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and rehabilitated, the outlet notes, and Jessup refuses to put a price on any of them. “I’m not about to charge for cats,” she said, according to the News & Observer. “There’s cats everywhere.”
Jessup's free-adoption model exists against the backdrop of a dire countywide animal welfare crisis. Johnston County's public shelter euthanized 62% of the dogs and cats it took in during 2025, a rate more than twice the statewide average, according to NC Pet Project as cited by the News & Observer. The nonprofit tracking group separately found that the Johnston County shelter euthanized 2,145 of the 3,459 animals it handled last year — a 62.0% total rate that topped all 63 reporting counties in North Carolina, according to NC Pet Project.
Cats bear the brunt of that crisis. Roughly four out of five felines taken in by Johnston County Animal Services in 2025 were euthanized, a gap NC Pet Project attributes to the lack of countywide trap-neuter-return options and alternative intake pathways. That pattern isn't new: state records show that in 2024, the county shelter took in 2,047 cats, adopted out just 363, and euthanized 1,635, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Statewide, the picture is grim but less severe — North Carolina's 63 reporting counties euthanized 26.2% of the 147,882 dogs and cats they admitted in 2025, with cats dying at a higher rate than dogs, per NC Pet Project.
Jessup doesn't turn much away. She's taken in litters of kittens left abandoned in boxes, and she once collected dozens of pregnant cats from a hoarding situation, along with ferrets, rabbits, and even a turtle, according to the News & Observer. Some animals, like a cat named Nitro, have bounced back to the mill more than once — Nitro was returned twice by owners citing allergies or difficult circumstances before coming back to the mill a third time, the paper reports.
North Carolina does fund a statewide Spay/Neuter Program under General Statute Chapter 19A Article 5, partly through $20 contributions from specialty “Animal Lovers” license plates that reimburse local governments for low-income pet sterilization, according to the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. But with limited local infrastructure to match that funding, private efforts like Jessup's have become a crucial, if informal, safety net for Johnston County's cats.
Running a free-adoption operation takes money, and Jessup's nonprofit leans on more than flea market sales to cover veterinary bills. Street Dogs and Stray Cats has held $1 yard sales and an annual “Spay-getti & No Balls” spaghetti plate fundraiser to help pay for medical care, according to The Grey Area News.
The mill, located at 1105 West Anderson Street near Interstate 95 Exit 98, draws both flea market browsers and highway travelers, functioning as a regional stop as much as a rescue, according to a Facebook post describing the site. Jessup's work has also drawn formal recognition closer to home — she and the mill's rescue efforts were featured in the 2021 book “12 Stories of Activate Selma,” published by the downtown advocacy initiative Activate Selma to honor influential community figures, according to a separate Facebook post from the organization.
Security has occasionally been a challenge for an operation housing dozens of animals at once. In January 2025, two teenagers broke into the mill, stole $60 from an animal rescue donation jar, and released 12 rescue dogs, touching off an extensive community search for a missing dog named Buddha, according to JoCo Report.
For Jessup, the math has never been about profit. Asked to sum up two decades of pulling cats out of boxes, hoarder homes, and shelter waiting lists, she offered a simple explanation to the News & Observer: “I guess I’m just a social worker.”
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