Providing the Missing Puzzle Piece to help Seniors Age in Place

TruBlue services are the missing puzzle piece for seniors to age in-place successfully.

That is what went through my head when I took over as president of TruBlue Total House Care. TruBlue is a unique brand and has proven systems to help seniors where the senior in-home care companies stop, and that is focusing on maintaining the home environment. We believe that Aging in Place Starts with the Home ™ and by providing senior modifications, routine maintenance, and help with to-do list household chores, we can help the elderly stay in their homes longer.   We are the first and only nationally franchised provider of full-service home maintenance and repair services for seniors.

Helping seniors stay safe is something I am passionate about  because of personal experience. My elderly father-in-law was left paralyzed after a fall at his home. If I had known about TruBlue’s services at that time, the accident that ultimately took his life could have been preventable with proper home safety modifications.

You may be familiar with the phrase “aging in place.” It is the expression associated with baby boomers who want to keep living in their own homes as they get older rather than relocate to a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Because of the demand to age in place, the in-home care industry has exploded, with thousands of companies providing medical and non-medical care to seniors in their homes. While these companies do a fantastic job helping older Americans with physical and emotional needs, the hard truth is, you cannot successfully age in place if the home itself is not safe or well maintained.

According to AARP, falls around the house, like the one my father-in-law suffered, are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries to older Americans. Facts like these often lead a son or daughter to make a tough decision to move a parent into an assisted living facility or nursing home — places they want to avoid for various reasons!

Pre-pandemic studies confirm more than 90 percent of older Americans want to remain in their homes as they age — a number expected to increase dramatically after the pandemic exposed problems with the safety and quality of care at many of our nation’s nursing homes.

Thanks to TruBlue, families now have a trusted safety solution to give them peace of mind to allow their elder relatives the option to age in place. Our model is transforming both the senior in-home care industry and the home improvement industry. No other national company is focused on the changing needs of the home environment for our older Americans. We take our commitment to seniors and their families very seriously.

All TruBlue franchise owners are required to complete the Senior Home Safety Certification program through Age Safe® America. This designation sets us apart from other home services companies and is an integral part of our training. As home safety specialists, TruBlue franchise owners are able to perform Senior Home Safety Assessments and make recommended safety modifications as needed.

The home modifications can be as simple as adding handrails in the bathroom, replacing a tub with a walk-in shower, or adding a ramp to replace steps. TruBlue also identifies quick fixes in the home that can simply make life more comfortable for the senior. For example, gripping round doorknobs can be painful for someone dealing with arthritis. They can easily be swapped out with a lever-style handle.

The care does not stop with the assessment and the necessary refitting of the home. Our affordably priced services include to-do list chores, handyman services, house cleaning, maintenance, yard work, emergency repairs, seasonal work, and preventative maintenance, all handled by background-checked, bonded, and insured uniformed technicians.

TruBlue offers monthly to-do list chores and quarterly maintenance packages to help keep the senior’s homes safe and in good condition. Much like you would take your car in for a regular oil change to keep it running properly and extend the life of the vehicle, the TruBlue business model provides seniors and busy families the same comprehensive approach for the home.

The monthly service plans takes everyday chores and household projects out of the hands of seniors with the purpose of minimizing the potential risks of a falls or injury. The quarterly maintenance packages make it easier and more cost-effective to schedule routine maintenance than it is to have a major repair happen unexpectedly and have to pay extra for an emergency service. Regular care and preventative repairs will also help a home retain or possibly increase in value, which is beneficial when families do eventually have to sell the property.

With more than 10,000 people turning 65 every day in the U.S., the demand for this kind of service will only increase in the coming years.

The increasing market is why we believe this is a great time to invest in a TruBlue Total House Care franchise. We have minimal competition, few government regulations compared to senior in-home care, and many key territories still available. We are well on our way to significant coverage in the United States — adding a record number of franchises in 2020 and looking to double that growth this year.

Our aggressive expansion is also strategic. We now have a Preferred Partner Agreement with Right-At-Home, one of the largest in-home care agencies with more than 600 locations across the United States. The Right at Home partnership creates an effortless referral base for our franchise owners, leading to a revenue stream of recurring business. This will give franchisees opening in new territories a significant referral source to help them build their business and scale even faster.

We are excited to offer a strong business model in such a critically underserved sector that allows our franchise owners tremendous opportunity for growth now and in the future. We are also thrilled to be part of the solution that allows so many people to age in place and live better lives in the comfort of their own homes.

Sean Fitzgerald is the President of TruBlue Total House Care. He joined the company in 2020, and has decades of experience in franchising. Fitzgerald is committed to building TruBlue into a company that provides the missing puzzle piece to senior care. For more information and franchise opportunities for International Franchise Association (IFA) franchisor member TrueBlue House Care, click here.