How TruBlue Total House Care Franchise Makes Homes Safer for Seniors to Age in Place

In 2022, more Americans are aging in place than ever before. The elderly population in America is rapidly growing, and according to a recent AARP survey, about 75% of Americans aged 50 and over indicated they would like to stay in their current homes or communities for as long as possible. There are a number of factors making it easier for seniors to age in place, including advancements in telehealth that allow doctors to send patients home with the medical equipment and care they need.

But according to Sean Fitzgerald, President of TruBlue Total House Care, there is one factor impacting seniors’ ability to age in place that’s largely overlooked.

“The home environment is the challenge that’s not being addressed,” said Fitzgerald. “Telehealth, in-home equipment and senior-care professionals can help take care of the individual. But who is maintaining the home? Who's making sure the home is safe? Who's taking care of to-do list chores around the house for seniors who aren’t able to? That's really the missing puzzle piece for aging in place.”

That’s where TruBlue — the only franchise system focused on home maintenance and handyman services for seniors who are aging in place — comes in.

How TruBlue Identifies and Helps Prevent Potential Dangers in Seniors’ Homes

Falling is the No. 1 cause of injury among seniors. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2019 alone, emergency services recorded three million visits due to older adult falls, and for those 65 and older, 34,000 of those falls resulted in death — the leading cause of death among that age group. Hip injuries are most common among seniors who experience a fall, and according to the National Library of Medicine, one in three adults aged 50 and over dies within 12 months of suffering a hip fracture.

“The statistics are scary,” said Fitzgerald. “But [falls] are something that's preventable, and that’s why we believe TruBlue can have a profound impact on the wellbeing of seniors.”

When working with seniors to make their homes safer, TruBlue starts with an extensive home-safety assessment through which it identifies potential dangers both inside and outside the home. Some needs are predictable, such as installing grab handles in bathrooms and other areas and ensuring that the home is properly lit. But TruBlue’s assessment goes deeper, making specific recommendations such as door-handle levers that are easier to open, eliminating clutter to make the home more easily navigable and even addressing overgrown exterior walkways where weeds and grass can pose as a tripping hazard.

Making the home safer for seniors to age in place starts with the TruBlue assessment and its specific recommendations, making the senior living in that home statistically less likely to experience a fall that could result in severe injury or death.

How TruBlue Helps Seniors Maintain a Safe Home Environment With Qualified Handymen

TruBlue doesn’t stop at providing preventative services. The brand differentiates itself in the marketplace by giving customers the option of signing up for a monthly maintenance package, allowing seniors to stay on top of routine maintenance with recurring appointments. This includes around-the-house tasks ranging from regularly changing air filters, light bulbs and smoke detector batteries to draining the water heater — anything around the house that seniors cannot easily do themselves or that could put them at risk.

“We believe that a vast majority of falls are due to seniors doing too much or doing things they should not be doing,” said Fitzgerald. “By having the maintenance taken care of and someone to handle to-do-list chores around the house, we can prevent many of these accidents, which in turn will not only save seniors and their families tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, but countless lives as well.”

TruBlue has become the most trusted name in senior services not only because of the quality of services it provides, but because those services are provided by a network of certified, reliable, professional handymen that seniors can trust in their homes. TruBlue franchise owners are also required to complete the Senior Home Safety Certification program through Age Safe® America.

“We adopt the same standards for our handymen that the senior-care industry does for its caregivers,” said Fitzgerald, “That means that our employees are screened, background checked and covered under our insurance. The seniors and families we work with can rest assured that with TruBlue, they will receive the highest standard of service so they can have the peace of mind that their home is safe, that it remains safe and that the day-to-day tasks still get done.”

As awareness of the demand for in-home handyman services for seniors grows, TruBlue is also growing. The brand saw significant growth in 2021, doubling its year-over-year revenue for the second straight year. That momentum has continued early in 2022, keeping the brand on pace early to reach its year-end goal of opening 40 new locations for a total of 100 units in operation.

“What TruBlue provides is not a matter of convenience,” said Fitzgerald. “It’s a matter of safety. And the more awareness we create about the solutions we provide, the more traction we’re seeing and the more excited I get about the future. I believe that TruBlue is the missing piece in the equation that will allow seniors to successfully age in place, and do it safely.”

For more information about TruBlue Total House Care, visit: https://trubluehousecare.com/.