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Senior Care Franchises

Senior Care is the Big Opportunity in the coming years. It is no secret of course, there have been dozens or hundreds of articles proclaiming this, but it is always good to remind one's self of where the opportunities lie.

What is driving this explosion of course is the aging baby-boomer set. This generation is reasonably wealthy and is also the healthiest generation the world has ever seen. You easily research the improvement in longevity by searching for "life expectancy graph" in Google. As you can see Japanese and Australians can now expect to live into their 80's and there is no sign yet that the line in the graph is going to dip.

One of the great things about Senior Care is the wide range of services which a senior care franchise can provide. OK, wide range within the industry, I mean. I don't necessarily mean that each Senior Care franchise business must provide a wide range of services.

As an example of what I mean, a minimum type of Senior Care business could have you, or one of your employees, dropping in to visit a client every second day to check on them and spending a half-hour or so to chat with them. Perhaps there would be a simple task they need done, but mostly the objective is to make sure they are OK, brighten up their day a little and make them feel secure.

At the other end of the scale, a client might need full-time live-in care and so you could be providing personnel around the clock to a few of your clients.

So-far we have been talking about personal care, but the industry is much more diverse than that. There are franchises for full-service retirement homes and franchises for providing staffing services to Senior Care institutions and more...

There is also the homes for the aged industry. While this involves considerably more investment than the other types of businesses we have been talking about, it can be an especially lucrative field. If you have some middle to upper management experience in dealing with people and facilities, you may find that a loan to start up an old folks home in your area is not too hard to arrange. The franchisers in this segment of the industry will be able to help you compose a professional and realistic business plan.

One of the great things about Senior Care franchises is that most of them do not require previous experience. Running a Senior Care business is mostly about managing your staff efficiently and the franchiser will have a well worked-out system for your business to follow. Franchisers are also there to help out with any unforeseen problems which may crop up in the normal course of running your business. They may even be able to help with staffing difficulties as they have other franchisees from whom they can draw resources.

Although Senior Home Care franchises represent a good business opportunity please be aware that not all franchises are created equally so it is very important to do your due diligence thoroughly before making your selection. This should involve contacting at least five franchisees and if possible some of their clients, too. The franchiser should not hesitate to provide you with contact details. If they seem reluctant, move on!

About the Author

Michael Burdett is a franchising consultant and frequent contributor to various Franchise Directories, including the
Every Franchise Directory
which, with its powerful franchise selection tools,
Franchise News
and
Franchise Blog
aims to be a comprehensive source for all things franchising.

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Planning a Senior Move

Although most seniors will tell you that they want to remain intheir own home forever, it is not always possible for an elderly person to stay safely at home. Sometimes moving to another residence is the only good option for an elderly person. Expert caregivers who have gone through the process of moving an aging parent have some very useful tips to offer.

The most successful senior moves came about because there was a good advance plan. Family members helped their seniors make as many decisions as possible well in advance, and they were prepared for strong emotions throughout the process as well as on moving day. Their most common advice is to move as methodically as you can through the process:

1. Know everything you can about the space where your senior will live. Whether it's to your home or to a senior residence, take your tape measure and draw a detailed floor plan of the room or apartment. Use a good sized piece of graph paper and include closets, doors and windows, and electrical outlets. You'll use this floor plan to "place" the furniture before you move it, so you'll know in advance what will fit (and what won't) and where things will go.

2. Start sorting as early as you can, but don't be surprised if your parent doesn't seem to be making progress as fast as you'd like. Sorting through a lifetime of treasures can be heartwrenching. As tempting as it may be to just take over, ask permission before putting anything in the discard pile. As much as time allows, let your parent talk about the memories each item will resurrect.

Consider renting a storage unit if your parent is not ready to let some treasures go and they won't fit in the new location. You may find that the monthly fee is well worth it when the alternative is a devastated parent. You can sort through the stored items later, when emotions are not as high.

3. Using another piece of your graph paper, make cut-outs to scale of the furniture that your senior will be taking. You can use these cutouts to "arrange" the furniture on your floor plan. When you have an arrangement that you think will work, tape your cutouts to the floor plan and make several copies. You'll give a copy of this plan to the movers so they know more or less where things should go in the new home.

4. Be sure to set up telephone and cable service to start a day or two before the planned move-in. That way, if the utility installation date slips, your parent will still have a working phone and television on arrival.

5. If your senior is moving locally, make sure the new residence is stocked with ice, something to drink, and several favorite snacks in the refrigerator or in a cooler you bring with you on moving day.

6. On moving day your parent will probably not be willing to leave while treasures are being loaded on the moving truck. If the move is local, try to give the movers an hour or so at the new place to begin putting the furniture in place before you arrive with your senior. Send a friend or a relative to supervise while you take your parent to lunch after the truck pulls out. When you arrive at the new place, there should at least be a comfortable chair where your parent can sit while supervising the rest of the unloading.

7. If the move is long-distance, there will be a day or two, or even as much as a week, between the time the moving van is loaded and when it reaches its destination. Plan for the van to arrive later than scheduled. If possible, have a friend or relative waiting for the moving van at the new residence. This person can call you when the van arrives so that your parent will not be waiting for hours in an empty room.

8. Even if there is care staff in the new residence, make certain that the bed is made up, the towels are hung, and the toiletries are unpacked and put away in the bathroom before you leave. Your parent will probably be exhausted and may be too shy to ask for help.

Keep these tips in mind and your senior's moving day may not be quite as traumatic as you feared.

About the Author

Before you think about moving an older person from his or her home of many years you'll want to be sure you know just what their needs really are and what living options are best suited.
The ElderCare Team
will show you how to assess your elder's needs and how to find and fund the best living options at http://www.eldercareteam.com

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