With the graying of the population and the fact that people are living longer, more elderly citizens are spending a portion of their lives in nursing homes. Their families may be unable to take care of them full time due to job restraints. Many of the residents of nursing homes have families that live in other states, making it impossible for them to visit their relative on a frequent basis. Why not start a business that provides a unique service to these elderly residents and their families?
A significant number of these families feel guilty that they're unable to visit their nursing home bound relatives at regular intervals. This is where your small business idea can provide a much needed service to these often guilt ridden families.
For a small fee, your company would have an employee visit the nursing home bound relative on a weekly or biweekly basis. Each employee would be assigned to a particular nursing home resident so that he or she gets to know the resident well and understands his or her wants and needs.
The family would call your office to sign up for nursing home visitation services. They would be given a faxed form to fill out specifying the frequency of visits and any special needs of the nursing home resident. The nursing home resident would then be assigned to one of your employees who would speak with the family by phone to establish rapport before the initial nursing home visit.
The family could choose a 30 minute or one hour visit depending on their preferences. During the visit, the employee would talk with the nursing home resident, read to him or her, and make sure his needs are being met. At the end of the visit, the employee would fill out a form outlining what activities took place during the visit and any observations as to the emotional state of the resident. This would be sent to the family on a regular basis.
A website would be critical to marketing your new business to out-of-town families. You could market your services by contributing articles on caring for elderly parents to article directories and advertising via online classifieds. You could also market your new small business directly through the nursing homes in your area. When families visit their relative at the nursing home, they could be given a brochure outlining the service you provide.
This unique business would fill a niche that's currently not being met in the marketplace. Plus, it would be rewarding to provide a service that benefits the elderly population and their families.
