Home care is a broad category that covers two main types of companies: home healthcare agencies and non-medical home care businesses.
Starting a home care business can give you the chance to help others while also making a living in a thriving industry. Before starting your business, you will need to decide between a non-medical home care business and a home healthcare agency.
Below, we’ll compare home healthcare business model against the business model for non-medical home care.
Once you’re clear on the advantages and disadvantages of each model, you can determine which type of business is right for you.
Home Healthcare & Non-Medical Home Care: What’s the Difference?
Home healthcare and non-medical home care differ by the services they offer, as well as the types of regulations they must adhere to.
Home healthcare can generally be described as nursing, clinical, and medical services delivered in the comfort of home. These services are offered to individuals with chronic health conditions or those who are in the midst of recovery from an illness, injury, or recent hospital stay.
Home healthcare businesses offer services such as:
- Wound care
- Physical therapy
- Patient education
- And other medical services
The main aim of this type of care is to give people assistance with specific health issues while enabling them to remain at home instead of spending time in a medical facility.
Non-medical home care, in contrast, is concentrated on helping care recipients with their day-to-day activities. This form of care is often delivered to seniors who are encountering daily challenges at home because of age-related changes.
Non-medical home care agencies can offer services such as:
- Assistance with bathing, dressing, and other personal activities
- Help around the home, including light housekeeping and meal-making
- Reminders for medications, appointments, and daily exercise
- Companionship and transportation on personal errands
While non-medical home care does not include nursing, care plans often include input from a client’s healthcare providers. Clients who have recently been in the hospital or are recovering from an injury can still benefit from home care as long as they do not require medical assistance.
Key Points for Home Health Care Businesses
Specialized Care. Because home healthcare agencies offer a wider range of services than non-medical home care agencies, as well as a more advanced level of support, they can be more lucrative since agencies can charge more for these services. As a one-stop-shop for care, they can benefit from covering a broader spectrum of needs and creating more numerous income streams.
Stricter Regulation. However, in order to provide the medical services that form the foundation of their businesses, home healthcare businesses are subject to more regulations than their non-medical counterparts. This often results in a longer, more expensive, and more difficult process for getting the business up and running, as well as concerns with remaining in compliance over time.
Staffing Challenges. Home healthcare businesses also require more specialized staff, such as licensed nurses and physical therapists. Recruitment is, therefore, often a greater challenge for employers as the pool of potential candidates is smaller and the salaries higher. This is particularly true in the context of the current caregiver shortage, which has made recruitment one of the most difficult aspects of running a home healthcare agencies.
Higher Costs. Finally, while home healthcare businesses are able to offer a broader range of services, they may actually have a smaller market to serve as their increased costs make their services less affordable to families.
It’s essential to do in-depth market research before opening a home healthcare business to ensure there’s adequate demand and that the services you offer will be accessible to the seniors in your area.
Key Points for Non-Medical Home Care Businesses
Breadth of Services. Non-medical home care businesses cannot offer healthcare services, meaning they are not able to address needs for clinical or skilled care. However, they can still offer a wide range of specialized services covering some of the most common age-related needs of older individuals, including help with challenging conditions.
For example, Senior Helpers® non-medical home care businesses offer a unique Alzheimer’s and dementia care program called Senior Gems®, as well as tailored care for elderly adults with Parkinson’s disease. Thanks to non-medical home care, seniors coping with difficult issues can continue to live at home and feel supported as they do so.
Low Barrier to Entry. Non-medical home care businesses also have the advantage of being easier to set up. The process for getting licensed and starting a business in this category is less difficult, costly, and time-intensive in most states when compared to home healthcare businesses.
This is especially true for Senior Helpers franchisees, who benefit from in-depth online and in-classroom training, one-on-one coaching, and ongoing access to supportive resources and education programs. In fact, you can open a Senior Helpers franchise in as little as 8 to 12 weeks following approval, a timeline that is significantly shorter than with a home healthcare business.
Broader Workforce. Recruiting is also an easier endeavor for non-medical home care agencies. As there is a wider pool of potential caregivers and less stringent requirements, your caregiver recruitment process can focus on making the right hires for your workplace culture.
Senior Helpers franchisees enjoy a simplified process for recruiting caregivers thanks to our caregiver staffing referrals, robust hiring and onboarding systems, and training resources. We are also the only national home care brand that has been Great Place to Work® certified for the past five years, which adds an extra draw for high-quality caregiver candidates.
Affordable Caregiving. As non-medical home care is more affordable for families with varying budgets, you can open your business up to a much broader market.
Potential clients could range from seniors with mobility issues to families who need help with their caregiving responsibilities to individuals who have been diagnosed with challenging conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Most importantly, they’ll be more likely to call on you for help throughout their aging journey when they know they can afford your services.
Own a Non-Medical Home Care Business with Senior Helpers
If you’re interested in enjoying the advantages of starting a non-medical home care business, partnering with Senior Helpers could be the right choice for a smooth path to business ownership.
From our simple turnkey business model to our ongoing support for franchisees, extensive range of services, and outstanding reputation among both families and caregivers nationwide, there are a number of reasons to choose to open a franchise with our brand. With over 600 franchise territories available across the country, you’ll have the opportunity to open a thriving non-medical home care franchise in a community near you.
Are you ready to learn more about non-medical home care business opportunities from Senior Helpers? Contact us today or book a call with our franchise development team for details about becoming a franchisee!