Photo via TruBlue | Dr. Miriam Rizkalla (far left) and Dr. Magued Rizk (far right) opened a TrueBlue franchise in Bakersfield to assist mobility-impaired individuals, specializing in senior in-home accommodations and improvements.

As adults age, the importance of mobility is key. However, access to mobility improvements can often lag behind the availability of many home repair, handyman and general maintenance companies.

In Bakersfield, Dr. Magued Rizk and his wife Dr. Miriam Rizkalla have gone from caring for patients’ health directly to assisting their continued well-being in their homes.

The physician duo Rizk and Rizkalla co-own the newly-opened Bakersfield TruBlue, a dedicated, full-service handyman company that performs everything from lightbulb and filter installations to full kitchen and bathroom remodels, providing ease of access within the home to an ever-growing community of individuals hoping to age in place.

The franchise, founded in 2011 and based out of Cincinnati, is licensed to perform senior-essential improvements such as the installation of accessible ramps, bathroom grab bars and other essential safety equipment.

Rizk said that, with a high percentage of injuries to seniors occurring inside the home, the need for these services is essential, not only for aging seniors, but also for anyone experiencing accessibility issues.

“I was in the mindset of actually starting my own business,” Rizk said. “I was looking around and I realized that TruBlue does…senior home modifications for the aging-in-place, which ties in, to some degree, to disability in the home.”

The Bakersfield franchise, which has been open since earlier this year, was first coined in 2024, when Rizk’s aging father experienced mobility issues, prompting his physical therapist to recommend in-home improvements for senior accessibility.

Unfortunately, when Rizk inquired about where these services could be found, the physical therapist was unable to provide him with any information for licensed contractors in the area who could perform work on his father’s home.

Additionally, Rizk and Rizkalla’s daughter, who is disabled and wheelchair bound, was also experiencing difficulty maneuvering around their home.

That’s when Rizk decided that opening a home improvement/renovation business, whether his own creation or a franchised business, was the optimal solution, not only for his direct family, but for many of his patients and their families who may be struggling with the same issues.

Rizk added that with the medical background of him and his wife, their ability to identify and address specific issues in and around the home puts them in a unique position to address these problems much more effectively than many other renovation and improvement companies.

“Most of the time as those people are getting older their homes are getting older as well,” he said. “Being a physician, I can understand a little more of their needs like what their mobility issues would be or what they’re expected to be.”

The TruBlue in Bakersfield marks continued expansion of the company in the state; TruBlue already has services available in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Modesto. The addition of another franchised location closes the gap between seniors and in-home improvements within the Central Valley.

Rizk said that businesses like TruBlue that can assist seniors in their aging-in-place journey can significantly improve their lives and the lives of their families, setting the mind at ease when it comes to navigating obstacles in and around the home.

“They are in a familiar place; they have all of their amenities, all of their family members around them,” he said. “A lot of times their homes are just not suitable for them and this is what pushes them to go and live in assisted living facilities or nursing homes.”

TruBlue’s mission aligns with Rizk and Rizkalla’s goals: to provide reliable, comprehensive home maintenance and modification services from a knowledgeable background, guiding seniors on the next step in the journey in maintaining a healthy, safe environment as they continue to age with their loved ones.