Starting a Residential Assisted Living Facility

Individuals who reside in personal care homes are usually active people who do not require nursing care. But because of chronic health conditions or physical limitations, residents in personal care homes may need assistance with some of the routine activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming, taking medication, preparing meals and housekeeping tasks. As the baby-boomer generation ages, the demand for senior services and housing is growing. Personal care homes allow aging adults to remain living in their communities, but within a supportive and safe environment. If you are thinking about establishing a personal care home for seniors, there are several issues that you should consider.

Things You'll Need

• Business plan
• Marketing plan
• Emergency preparedness plan
• Operating license

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Instructions

• 1

  Develop a business plan that will document your objectives, along with how you intend to achieve those objectives within a specified period of time. Potential lenders and investors will require you to provide them with a written proposal describing your project in detail, summarizing how any funds will be utilized.

• 2

  Investigate your state’s regulations for personal care homes. In many states, new government regulations overseeing the operations of personal care homes are becoming stricter. The purpose of tighter regulations is to improve the health, safety and quality of life for residents living in personal care homes. Since each state has its own licensing regulations, contact the Department of Health or Division of Public Welfare in your state for more information.

• 3

  Outline a marketing plan. It’s always a good move to identify a niche market in order to successfully promote the services and amenities that will be offered. However, understanding the needs and preferences of the resident population that you wish to target is the first step toward effective service delivery.

• 4

  Maximize the positive advantages of word-of-mouth advertising. Happy residents and their families are one of the best public relations tools. And now with the Internet, word-of-mouth reaches even more people faster.

• 5

  Network with other senior care and service providers in the area, but keep in mind that networking is a give and take relationship. Establishing contacts within the senior care industry can help you to better serve your facility’s residents. At the same time, you are acquiring other knowledge resources.

• 6

  Assess carefully both the physical and mental conditions of any potential residents. A person’s level of functioning should be evaluated beforehand to ensure that care needs have been appropriately identified and can be met.

• 7

  Create an emergency preparedness plan. People living in personal care homes often have vision, hearing or cognitive impairments and limited mobility, which present special challenges to employees in the event that emergency procedures must be implemented and people with special needs evacuated.