Senior Care Franchise To Triple Office Space, Hire 20 Workers

DALLAS (Sunday, March 26, 2006) - David Roediger spent time after being laid off from NCR Corp. in 2003 figuring out what he should do next.

Researching franchises, his wife Brenda, who is a nurse, stumbled upon Home Instead Senior Care, an Omaha-based company that provided non-medical home care services and companionship for senior citizens.
"I have a lot of experience with seniors, so I thought it was a natural fit," she said.

Two years later, the Roedigers have a fast-growing Home Instead business in Montgomery and parts of Greene counties. They plan to hire between 20 and 30 additional caregivers and two more office employees, and are tripling their office space this year. They expect to double revenue from about $500,000 to $1 million in 2006 and expand into Miami County.

"The Dayton franchise is one of our younger franchises," said Home Instead President Roger Baumgart. "For their level, their performance puts them in a pretty good bracket with some of the leading franchises that we have."

They're part of a growing industry. As the U.S. population ages, more senior citizens are looking for ways to stay in their own homes but need help with daily tasks, such as bathing and cooking, or just need companionship. In Dayton and across the world, Home Instead Senior Care has grown in its 11 years of business to 600 franchises in North America, 100 in Japan, and locations in Ireland, United Kingdom and Taiwan. Among the other heavyweights in the industry is Dayton-based Comfort Keepers, which has grown quickly across the United States and Canada to more than 500 franchises.

Roediger estimates that there are at least 10 companies providing non-medical home care services in the Dayton area. But he said it's still a wide open market.

"Even though there are a lot of competitors, the majority of seniors in our region don't even know these type of services exist," he said.

That's the case in most markets, said Scott Baumruck, executive director of the National Private Duty Association, an industry organization that represents medical and non-medical home care providers.

"As more seniors are in need of just some companionship care, we feel it's just a booming industry," he said.

Roediger's staff of caregivers, which is at 85 but will grow to nearly 100 by the end of the year, serve clients in several ways, such as doing laundry, reminding them to take medicines, running errands and preparing meals. The caregivers, who tend to be older than 40 and often retired, complete a safety and caregiving education program that includes case studies, nutritional recipes and information about senior illnesses. The education also includes Alzheimer's training.

The Roedigers find their clients through referrals from social workers at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospitals, as well as word of mouth among seniors. Their average client is older than 80, and about 10 percent of their clients die each month.

The company has increased its number of customers who live in assisted living facilities and independent living communities, often gaining references from the facilities, he said.

"It's good for assisted or independent living because their residents are able to stay there longer," Roediger said. "And we build our business faster. Everybody wins."

Brenda oversees the business' quality assurance program, which includes going to a client's home to introduce the caregiver and following up with the client by phone and in person.

As a nurse, she was aware of the medical needs many seniors have. But she wasn't as attuned to the help often needed to complete daily tasks.

"It's a huge need out there," she said. "Sometimes individuals can just have a tiny little bit of support and it makes all the difference in the world in them staying in their homes. It's amazing what a little bit of help can do with these folks."

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