Families face the uncertainty of how to care for aging parents, and often try to figure out what the next step should be. Exploring senior care options can be confusing and time-consuming. Deciding when, how, and where to place your loved one in a senior living home or community is often overwhelming. Assisted Living Locators was formed out of passion to fill this unmet need so many families have.
As a registered nurse, Angela Olea, the force behind the company, witnessed firsthand how challenging and emotional these decisions could be, and she knew that the solution was much more complicated than just moving the loved one into the nearest facility. In response to seeing aging patients have unnecessary hospital readmissions and a lack of community support, she created the Assisted Living Locators platform. Initially, the platform was launched as a website and the database consisted of personally vetted senior communities in her locality. Soon this website was turned into a business. This is when the company started gaining momentum. Considering the demand, Angela developed a business model and ventured into the franchising journey.
Today, Assisted Living Locators has become a nationwide senior placement and referral franchisor with 140 franchises in 36 states and the District of Columbia. It offers a no cost, nationwide senior care placement and referral service for inhome care, independent retirement options, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing facilities.
The Franchise Universe caught up with Angela Olea to shed light on how the senior care market is exploding, and how Assisted Living Locators is leading the way.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
How do you make Senior Living Placement & Eldercare Referrals easy by your services for the senior?
Assisted Living Locators makes it easier for seniors and families to go through the care transition process by offering, at no cost, a nationwide network of providers including in-home care agencies; independent, assisted living, or memory care communities; elder law attorneys; financial planners; and moving services. Our care advisors refer their clients to these personally vetted partners to find the appropriate care solution in their ideal location and budget.
Please list the popular solutions that make your company standout from the competition.
Assisted Living Locators is the industry leader in helping seniors find the right living and care solutions. Our company offers a nationwide network of senior care advisors that provide families a “personalized” experience with tours of vetted facilities, as well as sharing insider knowledge on short-long-term care options — at no cost to them. Providing the very best personal service and guidance is our goal. In addition, our company is also the “first and only” senior placement franchisor to have system-wide franchisee dementia care certification. Leveraging this knowledge, combining with high tech tools, our franchisees are offering a new standard of solution-based alternatives for families.
As a business leader, what is your opinion on the impact of the current pandemic on the Companion Home Care, and Franchising Industry?
Despite the negatives of the pandemic, the senior care industry has seen accelerated growth opportunities because it provides an essential needs service for the elderly and their families. The senior care market is also a recession-resistant industry whose future client base is growing exponentially. That is why Assisted Living Locators prevailed during the pandemic and continues to grow!
What is your take on leveraging technology to stay ahead of the curve? What technologies are you leveraging to make your solutions resourceful?
Certainly, the pandemic forced us to advance a digital agenda and embrace technology. Also, we utilized the time to rapidly educate our franchisees on virtual tech opportunities. Through virtual consultations and online tours of senior communities, we managed to provide care when most facilities closed their doors. Leveraging technology, our franchisees created joint videos with communities for safe virtual tours, zoom call meetings for in-take interviews, and utilized state health department databases for the latest COVID19 information to protect older adults. Our easy-to-use online Assessment Tool gave families quick insight to appropriate senior housing for their loved ones.
In what ways is your franchise contributing to the community?
At Assisted Living locators, we foster a culture of social responsibility among franchisees. We have built our brand to be synonymous with compassion and caring. Our franchisees have been a tremendous force of good in their communities, giving to a variety of local causes across the country. From letter writing campaigns to isolated seniors, to countless hours of Meals On Wheels volunteering, to collecting and donating iPads to ensure senior veterans connect to their families, our franchisees inspire support and improve the quality of life for seniors. This year, our company is partnering with Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk To End Alzheimer’s National Team Program. Our 140 franchisees across the U.S will be working to raise funds and help families facing Alzheimer’s and other dementia needs. I’ve seen how philanthropic outreach and empowering your franchisees to give back can bring success. Whatever your industry, a company culture that thrives on the importance of giving back has many benefits and will ultimately generate a positive image, strong visibility, and profitable business.
How do you envision sustaining your company’s competency in a cutthroat and volatile world of business? Where do you see your company in the next five years?
Maintaining a forward vision, while also being able to quickly pivot plans to a changing world is critical in business today. I believe that high touch combined with a high-tech approach will surely revolutionize the industry scenario and enhance the life of seniors we serve. Together as a team, we are working to make sure our franchisees and clients feel safe, embrace change, and remain optimistic for the future. We see continued franchise growth and hope to reach 200 franchisees in the next five years.
