senior home care business - Senior Home Care Franchise

Caregivers Need Care, Too

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) reports that over 69 million individuals in America provide care for an aged, chronically ill or disabled family member or friend during any given year. Family caregivers spend an average of 20 hours per week caring for their loved one, and the typical caregiver is a woman in middle age caring for a widowed parent—the AARP reports that 66 percent of family caregivers are women¹. Senior home care business owners know the demands of caregiving and offer help to family and friends caring for loved ones.

The Economics of Caregiving

Caregiving can be not only physically and emotionally challenging but surprisingly expensive as well. Nearly half of working caregivers report that caregiving has caused them to exhaust all or most of their savings, and the caregivers over age 50 spend an average of $5,531 per year on out-of-pocket expenses².

Impacts on Personal Health

Unfortunately, a significant number of caregivers who have cared for loved ones for five years or more report fair or poor health. And the effects can be lasting, especially when providing care for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Many informal caregivers (e.g. family members who provide unpaid care for a loved one) have a tendency to put all of their energy into caring for others while neglecting themselves. But neglecting personal needs is detrimental to both the caregiver and the person being cared for. A person cannot adequately care for someone else long-term while neglecting their own needs.

This is where an in-home care assistant such as the highly trained aides at Always Best Care can be of great help. Home caregivers assist seniors with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, cooking, shopping and bookkeeping. By freeing up time for family caregivers, in-home care professionals ultimately help ensure that time spent between family caregivers and their loved ones is quality time.

Always Best Care’s training, marketing and support have grown our franchisee’s revenue dramatically.download your copy of our FREE senior care franchising eBook to see how, and begin making a difference in your community today.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Franchise with Always Best Care

Always Best Care offers franchise opportunities throughout the United States, plus Canada, Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom. Always Best Care has been synonymous with the highest standards of service since 1996, when founder Mike Newman realized the need for exceptional, trusted professional care for senior citizens. Now you can deliver the same high quality of services to people in your community by opening an Always Best Care franchise.

The number of senior citizens is growing at a robust pace. Each day, 10,000 Americans celebrate their 65th birthday. This means an Always Best Care franchisee can expect an ever-growing marketplace as more men and women reach retirement age.
A handful of these individuals need medical care; many more could benefit from non-medical home care, such as help with grooming or moving around the house. The non-medical home sector is enjoying an upward trend as these seniors and their families realize the benefits of non-medical home care.

As an Always Best Care franchise owner, you will benefit from three different revenue streams: Assisted living finder services, non-medical in-home care, and skilled home health care. This three-pronged approach to revenue allows you to increase your bottom-line in more than one way.

Learn more about senior care franchising and download a copy of our FREE senior care franchising eBook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Home Care Franchise Sector Enjoys Continued Growth

Good news for current and prospective franchise owners: the franchise industry continues to grow, despite the economic slump of recent years. The International Franchise Association (IFA) recently released a report indicating that the franchise sector has added 184,000 jobs over the last 12 months, according to a recent Forbes article.

The franchise industry supports 18 million jobs, both directly and indirectly, according to the IFA report. While franchises are often associated with fast food restaurants, the franchise model includes dozens of industries. In more recent years, especially, this has begun to include assisted living and home care for seniors. The Baby Boomers are aging, and the number of people aged 65 and older is expected to increase dramatically by the year 2030, to around 72 million in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day.

With our aging population will come increasing demand for non-medical in-home care for seniors, who overwhelmingly opt to stay in their homes when given the choice.

The IFA report indicates several trends, including increasing numbers of women and minorities in franchising. This is good news, as while women and minorities have traditionally played a major role as caregivers in industries like nursing and elder care, they have not played as integral a role as business owners in these industries. Among the obstacles they have faced is lack of access to start-up capital. Franchising opens new opportunities for these individuals, and many franchisors offer financing for franchise costs. Always Best Care is one of the top franchises for minorities, as featured in USA Today.

The IFA report sends a clear message: the franchise industry continues to grow and offer excellent opportunities for individuals from all walks of life to start a business.

Always Best Care is one of the nation’s largest and most reputable senior in-home care franchises. Learn what it takes to start your own home care franchise for seniors.

Learn more about the senior care franchising industry by downloading our FREE eBook.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Senior Care Franchise Caregiver Tips for Working with Dementia Patients

Even the most skilled senior caregivers may find themselves occasionally frustrated when working with dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. While frustration and irritation may be normal emotional responses to the daily trials of caring for a dementia patient, it is critical for caregivers to remember their responsibility to respond to patients with kindness, understanding and professionalism at all times.

People with dementia can exhibit behaviors such as repetitive speech, questions and actions, paranoid behavior, incontinence, wandering, and verbal or physical aggression.

It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t control a dementia patient’s behavior, but you can control how you choose to respond to it.

Here are some tips for working with people with dementia:

Speak clearly and use simple words and sentences. If the person doesn’t appear to understand you, repeat the question or statement. If he or she still doesn’t understand you, wait for a few moments and try rephrasing the question.

Limit distractions in order to get and keep the patient’s attention. Make sure to address the person by name. State your name and communicate slowly and clearly.

Ask simple, direct questions. Using visual cues and asking closed-ended questions that require simple yes or no responses are helpful.

Take things one step at a time. Breaking down tasks step-by-step can be helpful for those with dementia. Use gentle reminders if the person forgets a step in the process.

Be aware of your body language and tone of voice, which communicate your mood and feelings more powerfully than words. Use a gentle touch, tone of voice and body language to convey your message.

Be patient and understanding.

Remember that people with dementia may take longer to respond and accomplish tasks and may need you to repeat things several times. Managing any frustration you might feel is important for both you and the patient.

Working with patients with dementia can be challenging, but it can also be a rewarding experience to help those with special needs. With patience and understanding, caregivers of a senior care franchise can improve seniors’ quality of life.

Improve someone’s life through your work, learn more about franchising in the rewarding senior care industry by downloading our FREE eBook.

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

How Will the Healthcare Mandate Affect Seniors and the Senior Care franchise Industry?

The Affordable Care Act is a healthcare reform measure that aims to make health insurance more affordable and accessible to Americans.

Among the ways it does this is by barring insurance companies from denying people coverage based on preexisting conditions, requiring that insurance companies cover 10 essential health benefits, including preventive and pediatric services, and subsidizing the cost of coverage for eligible participants.

Impact to Seniors

Seniors on Medicare should not be affected by the Affordable Care Act in terms of losing coverage. In fact, the ACA will extend additional benefits to those on Medicare, including reductions in the cost of prescription drugs and the addition of several free preventive services.

For most people on Medicare, costs will remain the same. For higher income individuals, the monthly cost of Medicare will increase, but this will impact a small number of people of those on Medicare (around five percent), according to webmd.com.

Since senior care services, including assisted living, are most often paid for with private funds, the impact on the senior care industry should be minimal, in terms of payment for services.

Impact to the Senior Care Industry

The impact on assisted living facilities and other senior care services will likely be minimal in terms of changes to patient care. The biggest impact will revolve around employer obligations to provide caregiver staff with health insurance.

Beginning in 2015, employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent (FTE) employees will be required to offer employees health insurance or face a per-employee penalty of

$3,000. Employers with fewer than 50 FTE employees will not be subject to the same requirement. Employers will ultimately need to do a cost assessment to determine whether it is in their best interest to provide employees with health insurance or pay the penalties.

Employees who do not receive health insurance through their employer can purchase coverage via their state’s health insurance exchange (if available) or through the federal exchange. Depending on income level some people may qualify for a subsidy to help pay for coverage.

The Affordable Care Act aims to provide Americans with affordable access to health insurance. The launch of the federal health insurance exchange website has been met with many technical glitches, frustrating consumers.

As time passes, and these issues are addressed and corrected, the full impact of the Affordable Care Act and the healthcare mandate will become more clear.

Always Best Care is among the leading companies with senior care franchise opportunities, to learn more contact an area rep near you.

To learn more about franchising in the senior care industry, download ourFREE eBook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Smartphones Can Help Seniors Stay Connected

For many of us our smartphones are an essential part of our lives, helping us navigate the roads, avoid traffic jams, check our email, snap photos on the fly, update social media accounts, and more. In fact, anyone who has ever panicked upon realizing they left their phone at home knows that perhaps we have become a bit too reliant on our beloved phones.

For the most part, though, smartphone ownership is limited to younger demographics. Seniors (age 65+) could benefit greatly from smartphones to stay connected to loved ones in other ways than phone calls alone (i.e. through social media), but they trail the younger generations in terms of smartphone adoption, according to a Pew survey conducted in 2011.

The survey found that 68 percent of respondents aged 66-74 (classified on the survey as “Older Boomers”) reported having a cell phone, while just 48 percent of respondents aged 75+ (classified as the “G.I. Generation”) reported having one. Older Boomers used their cell phones for taking pictures, sending or receiving text messages, accessing the Internet and sending or receiving emails at higher rates than did the G.I Generation.

While the survey didn’t indicate the reasons for lower smartphone use among seniors, it’s probably safe to assume that since seniors didn’t grow up with this technology it may feel a bit overwhelming and confusing at first. But there are plenty of ways seniors can benefit from smartphone technology. Our phones function well beyond phone calls, enhancing communication between family members and friends through mediums like social media and connecting us to the world at large.

In-home and assisted living caregivers can help seniors learn how to navigate and use the various functions of their smartphones, including the camera and email features, which could potentially help seniors feel more engaged and connected.

Always Best Care is among the most reputable non-medical home care companies in the nation. To learn more about starting a Senior Care Franchise contact an Area Representative near you.

To learn more about franchising in the senior care industry, download our FREE eBook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Helping Seniors Avoid the Common Colds this Winter Season

The National Institutes of Health reports that there are around 1 billion new cases of the common cold in the US each year. This number far exceeds the US population of approximately 314 million people, indicating that many, if not most, people in the US contract several colds per year.

Colds can be especially dangerous for young children and the elderly, since their immune systems typically have more difficulty fighting off infection. Given this, it is especially important to reduce the risk to seniors and children of contracting viruses. Here are some tips from senior care franchise owners for helping seniors avoid catching a cold:

Wash hands frequently — The average person touches various surfaces that can harbor germs—doorknobs, countertops, toilet lids—hundreds of times per day. Washing hands frequently with soap and hot water reduces the chances of contracting a virus.
Avoid touching the face — Touching your hands to your face brings germs closer to open areas such as the mouth, eyes and nose where germs can easily enter the body. Avoid touching the face as much as possible.
Keep surfaces clean and disinfected — Viruses can live on surfaces for two to eight hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Disinfect surfaces frequently, especially in high-traffic areas, to avoid coming into contact with viruses.
Eat a balanced, healthy diet — A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps boost immunity — the body’s first line of defense against cold and flu viruses.
Take supplements for vitamin/mineral deficiencies — For some people, it is difficult to get all the nutrition they need from diet, alone, and some individuals may have vitamin or mineral deficiencies as a result of taking certain medications. Taking a vitamin and mineral supplement will help ensure that all nutritional needs are met, boosting the immune system.

By taking extra care and precautions, such as those outlined above, seniors and their caretakers can reduce the likelihood of coming into contact with cold and flu viruses for a healthier, happier winter season.

To learn more about franchising in the senior care industry, don’t hesitate to download our FREE eBook!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.

Creating a Pleasant Holiday Season for Residents with Dementia and Alzheimer’s

The staff at assisted living facilities can go a long way in helping make the holiday season a fun and pleasurable event for residents. Feeling a sense of home is important to residents whose lives in assisted living facilities are likely very different than when they were at home, and the holidays can help spark feelings of warmth, family and tradition.

Familiar Items Can Bring Comfort and Good Cheer

Despite memory problems associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia, patients with these conditions often remember events deep in their pasts with surprising clarity.

Decorating a resident’s room with treasured Christmas ornaments or other holiday memorabilia with the help of the resident’s family members can create a sense of familiarity and bring comfort during the holiday season. It is important to keep in mind, however, that change can be disconcerting or disorienting for some with dementia, so the resident’s wishes must be respected when it comes to decorating or moving things around the room.

Deck the Halls

Decorating the facility, playing holiday music and holding social gatherings for residents during the holiday season can help create a festive, lively atmosphere. You may be questioning whether it’s worth the effort, considering many residents may not be aware of the season, but it’s important to note that while the short-term memories of patients with dementia can be fleeting, it’s difficult to know with certainty what they may be picking up on and what events they may remember.

People with dementia can teach us a lesson about living in the present moment. While it may be forgotten tomorrow, if a holiday song or social gathering brings a resident pleasure, the effort put into creating those special moments is fully worthwhile.

Always Best Care is among the leading senior franchises and providers of in-home care and assisted living services in the nation. Learn more about becoming a franchisee and helping seniors on our website, www.www.alwaysbestcare.com/franchising.

To learn more about the franchising in the senior care industry, download our FREE eBook today!

Please refer to our most recent Franchise Disclosure Document for important details.