Dawnelle Carper's mission in life is to give the elderly their last wish.  

After more than three decades caring for seniors as a Certified Nursing Assistant, she knows one of those final wishes all too often goes unfulfilled.  

"Everything I heard was, 'I just want to be home. Why can't I be at home?'" Carper explained. "So, I just made it kind of a personal goal to keep everybody at home for as long as possible. They are much happier in their own surroundings, and so I work with all the people throughout the Valley to keep their loved ones at home to be where they want to be and give them their last wish." 

To fulfill that goal, Carper founded Sunflower Companions in 2023 out of her home in Evergreen to provide in-home care for the elderly. With services ranging from dementia care to housekeeping to meal preparation, Carper and her small team of nurses do all they can to ensure their elderly clients are able to spend their last years in the homes that are full of so many memories.  

Growing up on a farm in Kansas, Carper discovered what would become her lifelong passion to help others. She developed a love for animals and for the elderly and dedicated her life to caring for those who can't care for themselves. 

"I enjoy talking to the elderly,” she said. “They are a wealth of knowledge. Some of the things that they have lived through... It’s amazing to learn about what they’ve lived through and hear the stories. The history is really amazing." 

Carper first became a Certified Nursing Assistant and then pursued further education to increase her skills and provide the highest level of care to the elderly. She is a certified Home Health Aide, certified Medical Assistant, EMT-B, EMT-I and a Training Office and Instruction coordinator. She received her Assisted Living Facility Administrator Certification in 2021 and became a certified Death Midwife in 2023 and earned her Phlebotomy Technician Certification in 2024.  

Carper has been living and working in the Flathead Valley since 2011 and in 2023, she joined the team at Glacier Nurse Direct, a concierge nursing service specializing in direct-to-home care. They encouraged Carper to start her own business focused on in-home care for the elderly, lending her help with the website, and shortly after, Sunflower Companions was born.  

Advertising was mostly through word of mouth, but interest in Sunflower Companions' services was immediate, owing in part to Montana's aging population. 

According to data from the United States Census Bureau, of the more than 10,000 who moved to Flathead County between 2020 and 2025, more than 4,000 were 65 or older. As a state, Montana claims many of the nation's oldest residents, with approximately 21.2% of residents older than 65 as of 2024.  

Initially, Sunflower Companions served clients in Kalispell, Bigfork, Whitefish and Columbia Falls, but in just a few short years, Carper has expanded her company's range to include Ronan, Polson and Eureka. In March, Sunflower Companions set up shop in Idaho and opened an office in Coeur d'Alene. 

Carper believes part of this growth is driven by family members who want to care for their aging loved ones but are unsure how to do so or have started to realize there are alternatives to nursing homes and assisted living. 

"Some people want to care for their loved ones themselves, but we're finding that people are burning out caring for their loved ones at home by themselves, so that's when they seem to start looking for caregivers to come in," Carper explained. "Some people just want to put them in a nursing home or assisted living, but it doesn't always need to be that. There are caregivers out there that will help take care of their loved ones in their home." 

To meet the growing demand for in-home care, Sunflower Companions now boasts a team of seven CNAs and offers a wide range of flexible services and schedules that are tailored for each client. 

These services include respite care that provides temporary relief for caregivers, dementia care, adult daycare and nail care. Other seniors are grateful for help with housekeeping, daily living skills and meal preparation. On-call services are available 24 hours a day from carefully screened companions, and the business is licensed with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.  

"At Sunflower Companions, we are very flexible with times. When I see clients' needs change, I contact family and explain their options and work closely with the families to provide the best care for our clients," Carper said. "When families come to Sunflower, they are treated as if they are family.  We love all of our clients in our Sunflower Companions family." 

Carper's dedication is clear, as she often spends long days driving all around the Valley, from Polson to Columbia Falls, just to ensure her clients are well taken care of. It's never been about the money for Carper; rather, she has dedicated her life to helping a group of people she loves dearly.  

“The most rewarding is getting to see these people get their last wish of staying at home,” Carper reflected. “Working with hospice and seeing the families be there with their loved ones, that's probably the most cherished memory, their last dying wish of being at home.” 

For more information, visit sunflowercompanionsllc.com. 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.