As the home care industry embraces technological advancements and strives to enhance patient outcomes, Right at Home is poised to tackle ongoing challenges.
Focusing on fostering supportive environments for caregivers and expanding its franchise network, Right at Home aims to empower its franchise owners to thrive in 2025 and beyond. Right at Home is one of the largest providers of personal home care in the United States, with more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S. and five other countries.
In a recent conversation with Home Health Care News, Jen Chaney, the vice president of franchise development at Right at Home, shared insights into the company’s strategies and vision for the future. She spoke to the potential for artificial intelligence and how Right at Home is exploring this technology, the company’s approach to workforce development, and the risks as well as the rewards that come with franchise ownership.
The conversation is below, edited for length and clarity.
HHCN: Given the current caregiver shortage, what strategies is Right at Home employing to attract and retain caregivers?
Chaney: We recently partnered with Caribou Care, a recognition program for caregivers. This collaboration provides caregivers with incentives to pursue their goals and encourages them to continue their journey with us. Together, we are nurturing a culture and environment where employees feel appreciated.
Right at Home provides our franchise owners with various support tools for hiring caregivers. These tools include tips on where and how to hire, as well as resources, tools and software to help obtain and manage applicants effectively.
How can you guarantee that these caregivers receive the best training and resources?
We have trained our franchise owners on how to effectively train caregivers to meet the high standards of care expected by Right at Home.
After being hired, caregivers participate in an orientation program and gain access to a comprehensive training library called Right at Home University. This resource includes videos, reading materials and other tools that provide ongoing support for our caregivers.
Additionally, it offers materials for franchise owners to help them effectively support their caregivers. The inclusion of a platform and a virtual environment has significantly improved our training process.
Right at Home aims to create a support system for seniors that feels more like a friendship than a clinical environment. Can you elaborate on that?
Right at Home offers two primary levels of care: non-medical companion care and personal care. Additionally, we provide a third level of care, specialized nursing services, which is more medically oriented and requires specific certification.
The key difference between these two types of care is the level of interaction involved. Companion care focuses on providing companionship; caregivers visit clients in their homes to spend time with them, engage in conversation and share activities. In contrast, personal care involves more hands-on assistance. For example, a personal caregiver may help a client with bathing, dressing and other daily activities.
When caregivers are matched with clients, they must build a strong relationship for the pairing to be effective. Establishing friendships and trust is crucial, as clients often rely heavily on their caregivers.
Do you seek feedback, and if so, how?
We thrive on feedback, which has played a crucial role in shaping who we are today and is why we have been successful for 30 years. This feedback comes not only from our clients but also from their families, who are just as important to us. Our goal is to ensure that both clients and their families are satisfied with the level of care we provide.
To support our franchise owners, we use Activated Insights, [which facilitates] a monthly third-party survey that gathers feedback from owners, caregivers and clients. We also collect insights from franchise owners who interact with families. This process allows us to identify areas for improvement and areas where we excel, and the data we gather guides our continuous improvements.
Does Right at Home have specific strategies to expand in underserved markets?
I oversee the expansion of our presence across the U.S. Currently, about half of the U.S. market is sold out in terms of footprint. However, nearly 50% of the territories are still available for franchise owners to acquire.
I have a specific profile in mind for the type of person we are seeking as a franchise owner. We have implemented geotargeted marketing initiatives to find franchise owners in areas where we do not currently have a presence.
Additionally, we are analyzing market share by examining our existing locations compared to areas where we lack coverage. We are also exploring strategies for entering these markets.
There are always opportunities for our franchise owners. Our coaching staff works closely with them to maximize their business potential and enhance the services provided to seniors in their territories. We are targeting multiple regions, focusing on areas where we currently lack presence and where services are underserved.
As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, what challenges do you anticipate in the home care industry? What opportunities do you see, and how does Right at Home plan to address them?
Home care is a highly regulated industry, which is essential given that we serve seniors and adults with disabilities. Government rules and regulations in this field are constantly evolving, making it crucial to stay informed about these changes and anticipate future developments. We provide this service to our franchise owners through a dedicated staff member who updates them on government rules, regulations and legislative changes that may present either benefits or challenges. This aspect is integral to our current business landscape and will remain vital for our future.
Technology will significantly impact the future of home care. Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into this space is inevitable, and we are just beginning to explore its potential. Our innovation team is actively investigating ways to integrate AI and technology into our home care services. While we are already piloting some initiatives, it will take several months before we can implement any changes in our franchise system.
Everything we do regarding the current state and future of home care focuses on the needs of our franchise owners and determining what will benefit them the most.
What excites you the most about the future of home care?
I am excited about offering franchise opportunities to individuals. I’m fortunate to be part of such a significant decision in someone’s life, as they are about to become the owner of a business that holds great meaning in many ways.
I’m particularly enthusiastic about the baby boomer population and the increasing number of seniors who will need care. We are here to help meet that demand. From a business and longevity perspective, the senior care industry is thriving right now.
What keeps you up at night? Is there anything you would like Right at Home to address immediately?
The primary concern that keeps me awake at night is that this is a franchise business. We have offered franchise opportunities to individuals who have invested their savings and lives into joining this company. I genuinely want each of them to thrive and achieve great success. However, that doesn’t always happen, and I find it troubling. This is why I take my job very seriously. I strive to ensure that we grant franchise opportunities to the right candidates.
There is a mutual discovery process involved. We evaluate potential franchise owners to determine whether they are the right fit, and we expect them to assess whether we are the right fit for them.
Prospective owners have plenty of options when it comes to franchising in senior care. This is a shared decision-making process. Unfortunately, we sometimes have to inform some individuals that we cannot offer them franchise ownership. While I would love to sell a franchise to anyone interested, it must be the right fit for both the individual and the business.
I advise prospective owners to explore their options and conduct thorough research. At Right at Home, we encourage interested individuals to contact current franchise owners to discuss their experiences. They should inquire whether these owners would choose this path again and whether they received the support they expected. Our franchise owners effectively communicate to potential franchisees that, although this business can be challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding, and they would choose to embark on this journey again.
If you’re considering franchises to purchase, particularly in senior care, be sure to collaborate with a company that has outstanding franchisee validation. If current franchise owners are excitedly expressing how much they enjoy their work, that’s probably the right business for you.