Is there a market for a personal care home?

Hi neighbor,

I am Louisiana! There are a few ‘group homes’ that are individually run in Louisiana. A nurse who has experience in health care started these.

Mississippi and Louisiana certainly could use improvement in our care for the elderly. It’s hit or miss at times. Some places are better than others.

I think there is a need for your services and good health care for the elderly would be welcomed in the community. Best of luck to you.

This is a wonderful idea that many people including myself have seriously considered. Not possible though. The nursing home racket has most states locked down tight on this sort of thing, and get laws passed making it impossible for for a person to open an independent, small residence for senior care. You could do it if you take in residents that are privately paying themselves. Medicaid or insurance will not pay. The nursing home industry lobbies most strongly and knows what palms to grease in government to make sure Medicaid and long-term insurances won't pay for an operation like what you're talking about.

yoderinc, that a great idea, but there is a lot to think about regarding a business plan. Don't forget about liability and mal-practice insurance. Business licenses. If the house isn't on a public sewer and you need septic, then the septic field has to "perk" for the extra residents.

I see you have been doing personal care work most of your life, that is wonderful, so you know what is involved with the day to day routine. Questions: who will be handling all the shifts? Will you need to bring in a caregiver employee? If yes, you will need to get workman's comp insurance if the caregiver isn't with an Agency that offers same.

Will you be giving yourself a salary? Talk with a CPA regarding owning a business. Your "residents" will be "clients" so that may fall under a different category, same with zoning. Talk with your car insurance because if you take your "clients" to doctor appointments, etc. your vehicle becomes "business".

Also think about extra parking for visitors who come to visit their love ones, especially during holidays/birthdays.

I hope this all works out smoothly for you. And I hope you don't become so overwhelmed with caring at home 24 hours a day, with no escape to home like one would get when working as a shift caregiver, that when the time times to care for your parents, you have zero energy. Just food for thought.

You're wise to consider whether or not there's a market.   But there's also a prior consideration:  zoning laws.    Assuming you're in a residential area, your subdivision or other zoning unit might be zoned residential only.  Bringing people in for paid care wouldn't fit a residential only zoning.   You might have to get a variance, which typically involves a zoning hearing.  

Also, from my limited experience, neighbors would have a chance to opine on whether they would agree to having an income producing home in their neighborhood.  This could be a real sticking point.

You might also want to check the Mississippi state elder or other care statutes to determine whether or not residential homes could even be used as income producing units.  It's not the issue of how much; it's the idea that income production changes the classification for a building.

You'd probably have to have regulation specific ingress and egress, smoke alarms, fire escape plan, and similar factors incorporated into your plans.   And I'm guessing that whatever architect designed the home would be quite willing to charge more to incorporate these mandates.