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Although many entrepreneurs go out of their way to give back, very few companies have altruism built right into their business model. For home healthcare agencies, however, positively impacting their community is a natural side effect of just doing business every day. Here are some ways home healthcare agencies can have a positive effect on the communities they serve:
Providing Cost-Effective, Comfortable Care
Home healthcare services allow seniors to age at home – enabling them to continue daily living activities, while also providing them high-quality care. Aging adults receive day-to-day help with personal and medical care they need to stay healthy, and they retain their dignity and maintain their quality of life.
The very nature of home healthcare professions are largely philanthropic. Home healthcare is also generally more cost-effective than hospital care, so you’re able to provide care to people and prevent them from facing exorbitant, unpredictable out-of-pocket expenses through emergency room visits or pricey retirement facilities.
Getting Patients Involved in Volunteer and Charity Work
If your clients are interested in getting out in the community, charity work is a great avenue for them to give back and interact with others. While nurses and aids offer daily companionship, doing community work provides seniors a great opportunity to get out of the house and meet their neighbors. Many seniors appreciate being able to give back. Being accompanied by a medical professional, families can be sure their loved one will be safe and supported the entire time.
Not only will your clients’ charity work benefit the community, research shows that the social interaction could benefit their own well-being, too. Studies have shown that aging adults stay healthier with social interaction. Some of the perks include potentially reducing the risk of high blood pressure, certain cancers, osteoporosis, arthritis and cardiovascular problems. There’s also a positive correlation between seniors’ amount of social interaction and their mental health, as more social interaction has been tied to lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease and depression. So, while your patients are out in the community helping others, they’ll also be doing some good for their own health as well.
Partnering for Philanthropic Events
As a business owner, there are many different opportunities for you to partner with philanthropic or community organizations. Since you will have trained medical professionals on your staff, you can ask if they would be interested in getting out in the community and helping serve members they don’t typically work with. You can partner with your local community center to provide free health screenings – for stroke, diabetes or heart disease – for the members of your community. There are also plenty of other philanthropic opportunities for you and your staff to volunteer for that aren’t related to the medical field – whether it’s helping out a local food pantry or working at a nearby forest preserve.
With one in three Americans voluntarily providing unpaid, informal care each year to family members, it’s clear there is a significant need for quality care for seniors and individuals with disabilities. By becoming a home healthcare agency owner, you can not only pursue your own aspirations for entrepreneurship, you can also make a difference in your community. Providing quality care for individuals within your community, while taking the burden of care off families, is a mission and career you can feel good about.
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