People Care: Opportunity for Youth!

Senior businesses are one of the hottest markets around. Here are 3 promising services to put into motion.

Most people start a particular type of business because they enjoy doing that kind of work, and the typical owner of a senior services business is no different.

For example, the owner of a small senior concierge or relocation business will typically spend a substantial amount of time working closely with clients and coordinating services. Operating a home care (typically non-medical services) or home health-care business will often mean limited client interaction because usually the business owner is responsible for supervising a staff of qualified caregivers who are assigned to clients according to their needs.

Do You Have What It Takes?

It takes a special type of person to work with seniors. You have to be a people person and have very good judgment dealing with people and the issues surrounding them. "Whether you are working with clients, caregivers, family members, or with the professionals who are referring you the business, there is going to be very intense people contact." While many of your clients will be able-bodied and lucid, others will suffer from infirmities and varying degrees of dementia. In addition to strong management and entrepreneurial skills, if you plan to work directly with seniors, you need to be compassionate, patient, reliable, honest and versatile.

Senior Day-Care Center

Today's baby boomers and older Gen Xers face a dual challenge: They're caring for their own children, and sometimes grandchildren, as well as caring for parents. Many people in this sandwich generation desperately need the break a senior adult day-care business provides. The burden of caring for older family members can be overwhelming, and a place where these seniors can socialize and participate in activities in a safe, supervised environment is a welcome option for stressed caregivers.

Adult day-care centers range from small, individually owned operations that offer all the comforts of a close-knit family home to commercially based businesses that include a wide range of services.

There are two types of senior adult day-care centers: social and medical. Currently, informal social centers are more prevalent. They usually cater to seniors who have a higher level of functioning, although some clients may be wheelchair-bound, incontinent or need limited assistance with daily activities. The focus in this type of setting is more on activities, social interaction and meals. A medical day-care facility provides a more complex level of care and has a registered nurse on staff who can perform tube feedings, administer medications and oxygen, and provide other related care.

Typically, these programs operate during the same standard business hours of a traditional child day-care center, which is usually from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Home Care and Home Health-Care Services

In 2020, nearly 30 million people in India are over the age of 80, and 84 percent of them will want to continue living at home. To do that, more than half will need assistance with daily living activities.

Seniors and family members of older relatives are looking at alternatives to assisted living and nursing homes. The best option for most is home care or home health care, where a professional caregiver goes to the home to personally look after a loved one. This may include doing laundry, picking up around the house, reading the newspaper out loud and preparing meals. Most important, this service includes companionship--someone who adds conversation and friendship to the life of an elderly person who is homebound, physically impaired, has difficulty getting around or just may be lonely.

Depending on the level of care the client needs, a licensed medical professional may be required to administer medications, offer rehabilitative therapy or provide other skilled nursing care.

Transportation Service

Nondriving seniors often rely on family members or neighbors for transportation, but these resources aren't always available. Many community transportation systems, such as public and paratransit (specialized transportation service for persons who are unable to use regular public transportation due to a disability or health-related condition), are not considered senior friendly because many seniors can't walk to a bus stop, can't easily get into or out of a van, or can't afford a taxi.

Seniors need reliable, comfortable transportation with sensitive, responsible drivers who will wait for them at the doctor's office, escort them when shopping and running errands, and most important, be where they're supposed to be on time so the client is not left waiting.