by Kristin Sullivan

Two former executives from senior care provider Comfort Keepers have founded a new senior care company that provides professional, non-medical, live-in and hourly care services to seniors.

FirstLight, headed by Jeff Bevis and former Comfort Keepers CEO Allen Riggs, looks to fill a void in home care, a segment of the senior care market that is growing rapidly. Currently, there are 17,000 providers in the $52 billion industry, they say.

“The demand for services continues to increase and franchise systems and independents alike continue to pop up,” says Bevis, the new president and CEO of FirstLight. “However, the field remains wide open with no single company holding even one percent market share.”

The vast majority of home care providers are local independents, Bevis says. According to estimates, however, more than 90 percent offer either skilled care exclusively, or select non-medical care in combination with skilled-care services, creating a fragmented “mom-and-pop” environment in markets across the country. No single brand, company or other organization has emerged as a service leader on a national scale, he says.

“We feel the opportunity for market leadership is a position that no one owns nor has commanding consumer awareness to achieve,” Bevis said. “Our operating model incorporates the strongest traits and benefits from our collective experience both in and out of franchising to create what we believe is a franchise system like no other in senior care.”

FirstLight launched in December, and Bevis expects to be operating at least a dozen franchises open by the end of 2010 and another 60 open within the next three years.

“The experience we bring in leading FirstLight puts us in a different category from all other senior care franchisors,” Bevis says. “We understand the ‘talk’ and understand the ‘walk’ but our success-proven approach is in our ability to execute and build a company we all believe in.”

Large home care companies such as FirstLight are likely the next phase of home care nationwide. Non-medical home care is acknowledged by many as the fastest-growing service across the many spectrums of home care, Bevis says. The U.S. Census bureau projects that by 2030, baby boomers ages 66 to 84 will make up about 20 percent of the U.S. population.

“We are convinced we can make a difference in the lives of our franchisees, and equally as important, in the lives of the seniors, families and local communities we serve,” Bevis says.

For more information on FirstLight, please visit their website.

by Kristin Sullivan

At Hope Meadows, an extraordinary, innovative community that integrates three generations, seniors find new meaning in retirement.

Located in Illinois, Hope Meadows is an intergenerational community for families adopting children out of the foster care system. So what role do seniors play? They’re able to move into the neighborhood at a reduced rental rate in exchange for six hours of volunteer time with the children every week.

“Hope Meadows was originally conceived as a community to support families adopting children out of the foster care system,” explains Brenda Krause Eheart, the founder of the community. “It is located on a decommissioned Air Force base, and the large houses can accommodate families adopting three, four, five or more children. It’s been a wonderful opportunity for harder-to-place older children to find permanent homes, and for sibling groups to be adopted together.

“Senior living was added when we were blessed with more housing than we had originally requested,” she continues. “I did not want to double the number of families with children, because the purpose was to be a small, supportive neighborhood. What started out as almost an afterthought became the key to the community’s success. Our seniors get reduced rent in exchange for six hours per week of volunteer time with the children. They call living at Hope Meadows ‘retirement with a purpose,’ and they are integrally involved in the lives of those children on almost a daily basis. The children call them ‘Grandma Irene,’ ‘Grandpa Earl,’ etc. and all three generations support one another in a loving, extended family.”

Kids benefit from having a large group of supportive adults who care about them, and for seniors, the benefits are tangible too.

“Living at Hope Meadows not only gives seniors a sense of purpose, it gives them peace of mind,” Eheart says. “They feel safe in the neighborhood; they feel loved and needed; they feel a sense of community. Most of them visit with a neighbor at least once a week, and over a third say they visit with someone else at least once a day!

“We’ve surveyed the seniors and almost all say that volunteer work with the children makes them feel as if they are making a difference,” Eheart adds. “It’s the seniors – even the frail elderly – whose support and care make the adoptions work, and that gives them tremendous satisfaction and enjoyment in their last years. Perhaps the most important thing for our seniors is that they know they have people they can call on. Ninety-eight percent reported that they know someone in the neighborhood would help them whenever they needed it. That’s a remarkable number, 98 percent.”

For the kids, many of whom had little to no family support before coming to Hope Meadows, having a neighborhood full of honorary grandparents changes their lives.

“The seniors make all the difference for these kids, all the difference,” Eheart says. “We have wonderful adoptive parents who have opened their hearts wider than anyone you will ever meet, but they are only human. They can only do so much, especially with four or five children, some of whom have special needs or have suffered trauma. It’s the seniors that make the difference – helping with homework, playing games, reinforcing good values and sometimes just listening. The kids do better in school, get along better with their siblings and peers, and have great hope for their future. I am very proud that every child raised at Hope Meadows through their teens year has graduated from high school, and all those still there are on track to graduate.”

Eheart is working to expand the model to other places, but in the meantime, other senior living providers can consider making similar opportunities available to their residents.

“Seniors can provide so much support, love and attention to help vulnerable populations integrate successfully into society,” Eheart says. “From active retirees to the frail elderly, and everyone in between, there are so many seniors who would love the chance to live in a close-knit, multi-generational community and to make a difference in the lives of those facing a difficult challenge.”

For more information on Hope Meadows, please visit their website.

by Kristin Sullivan

Marquis Companies, a skilled nursing, assisted living and home health care company with 25 facilities in Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho and Nevada, hosts a Rose Queen Tea every year to honor the wisdom and wit of their female seniors.

Each community chooses a Rose Queen ambassador, and then a companywide Rose Queen is chosen, much like the Miss America pageant, community organizers explain.

“The only requirement is that a woman is living in a Marquis long term care, assisted living or home care setting,” explains Mary Amick, the company’s director of events. “Most of the time, the staff and residents choose what ladies are in sufficient health to participate. If a lady is interested and asks to be involved, every effort is made to involve her. Duties vary from setting to setting.”

Duties of each community’s Rose Queen include welcome guests and new residents, and often visiting with residents who don’t have other visitors.

“Many make and present goods to other organizations,” Amick adds. “One queen made pillows for school children, one made new born hats for a local hospital. One makes jewelry that she donates for fund raisers.”

The program seems to inspire other residents, Amick says.

“We have seen a transformation of ladies who may have had some depression or lack of interest in socializing,” she says. “Many have become more vibrant and reengaged in the world. Part of the process is to get to know the ladies’ backgrounds and lives intimately so it gives them a chance to talk to others about their experiences. We have seen people who would not leave their rooms or participate in facility life become avid volunteers, friends and advisors for other residents. . .  The title and event gives them a new importance to their lives.”

The next Rose Queen will be crowned this month, Amick says.

“The excitement is palpable,” she says. “As in any other important, dress-up affair, the ladies become focused on their appearance, their guests, and how to live up to something they perceive as a great honor.

“Our society forgets about seniors and often discounts their contributions to the world,” Amick adds. “This program brings back the perspective that seniors have contributed, continue to contribute and can remain an active, vibrant part of society.”

 For more information on Marquis Companies, please visit their website.