Franchised Business Opportunity for You!

By: James Walker - Staff Writer for Red Hot Franchises.com

 

In a recent 2007 update the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute provided current estimates for long term care expenditures in the United States.  Long term care is best defined as providing assistance with the essential tasks of life such as bathing, companionship and meal preparation, but also includes providing the  therapies, nursing care and equipment to improve a person’s ability to function.  Although much of the caregiving for patients with these needs is provided by family members, there is currently over $200 billion dollars spent annually to provide these services professionally.

Of that amount, over $70 billion dollars is spent each year to provide services by professional caregivers in a person’s home.  Home care is far and away preferred by the majority of patients and their families to spending time in a nursing home, and is a less costly alternative, as well.

The need is substantial today and is going to explode in the future.   Americans are living longer and the Baby Boomers are getting older.  Hospitals are discharging patients sooner and these patients still require some care after being discharged.   Our state and federal governments are expanding support of programs to provide care for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.  Programs to provide care for special needs kids are also expanding rapidly.

An entire industry has developed to provide in home services but it is important to understand that home health care has two very distinct sectors, non-medical and medical.

A non-medical company is limited to providing in home services designed to assist and provide companionship to a person but cannot provide hands on care.  A medical home health care provider will provide hands on care to their patient clients and are generally licensed and certified to do so by regulatory bodies.  A company providing both is able to offer a full range of services throughout the patients care continuum and therefore is not limited in revenue potential.

Franchise opportunities exist to purchase the rights to offer either non-medical or medical services, and a very few companies have a business model which allows their franchisees to provide both types.

Input for this article was provided by Mirella Salem, President of Accessible Home Health Care. Accessible provides high quality home health care to all age groups from newborns to seniors They provide medical and non-medical services through a staff of screened, highly qualified, and compassionate caregivers which includes aides, nurses, and therapists. Being a full service provider they provide levels of service that are professionally and clinically matched to the changing needs of their patients. To learn more about Accessible see their franchise opportunity listing on the Red Hot Franchises website: www.redhotfranchises.com