Stay-at-home seniors fuel Home Instead expansion
A graying population that doesn”™t want to go to a nursing home is good news to Brian Trainor.
Trainor, the owner of White Plains-based Home Instead Senior Care, has added a facility in Yorktown Heights to complement the nonmedical in-home care agency he opened in 2004. That was the year when the nation was talking about the impending shift in population.
It was on Jan. 1, 2011 that 10,000 baby boomers began turning 65 every day and would continue to do so through 2030, according to the Pew Research Center.
“I certainly saw a need for the aging of our population especially in Westchester County, a growing need for quality and affordable care,” he said.
Within Westchester, 14.8 percent of its roughly 1 million residents is age 65 or older. Within the last decade that number has risen 7.8 percent, according to the Census Bureau.
A few years ago the timing seemed perfect for Trainor to start the company that would appeal to those seniors who needed assistance to remain as independent as possible.
“I got diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and, after a year of going through that I wanted to give back.” Trainor said he wanted to do something noble with his life, but also needed to support his family. “This industry allowed me to do that.” The company now has 125 caregivers that assist seniors in Westchester and Putnam counties. Seniors pay around $20 an hour for a caregiver to help with meal preparation, housekeeping, driving, errands, safety awareness, medication reminders and offer companionship. They also provide Alzheimer”™s care and respite care.
Trainor believes at any given time his client list fluctuates between 125 to 150 people. With the expansion into Yorktown Heights, he wants that number to increase to between 175 and 200. Trainor said over the next year he also plans to add another 50 to 60 employees to serve the expanding list.
“We”™ve seen the need for expansion because it really gives us a presence in northern Westchester.” He hopes the new addition and expected increase in clientele will help Home Instead keep costs down for seniors paying for the service.
The company is a private-pay business, although some long-term care insurance is accepted. Trainor said with the Obama mandate for small businesses to provide health care for employees, the cost of in-home service could go up.
“We”™re going to work real hard at trying to find balance,” Trainor said. “But with Obamacare and the mandate for health care we may not have a choice.”
Trainor said the caregivers are employees, not independent contractors, so they are insured and certified through Home Instead. They also are paid a livable wage and in order to keep competitive salaries they have to find a solution. Trainor said he hopes the expansion is it.
“Nobody”™s really sure how (Obamacare) is going to affect it,” he said. “But the other impact is we could put a fair amount of people on a part-time basis what we call flexible schedule for those who only want to work 25 hours a week. We certainly have some good candidates for that.”
Caregivers can be called on to work just a few hours on short notice, by appointment or provide long-term 24-hour care.
Whether full time or part time, Trainor said he tries to keep the clients in a one-on-one professional relationship. He noted it is important to build compatibility and consistency.
“The main purpose is to keep seniors home and safe.”
He said beyond reasonable pricing and convenience that”™s most important to their client base.