Right at Home was founded in 1995 by Allen Hager in Omaha, Nebraska. Unlike any other home care franchisor, Allen's background was in hospital administration. He witnessed older patients check out of the hospital, struggle with the recovery process while at home, and then be readmitted to the hospital. Seeing the need, he created a way to provide ongoing assistance for clients who are aging or have disabilities in the comfort of their homes. After spending five years fine-tuning the business model, the Right at Home franchise was born!
Right at Home COO Margaret Haynes shares the exciting opportunity that comes with signing onto the in home care services franchise.
What is the concept behind Right at Home? How did it start?
Right at Home was founded by Allen Hager. Allen worked in health care as a hospital administrator and watched many of his patients, especially seniors, leave the hospital and return to their homes without necessarily returning to health. Many of his former patients weren’t able to care for themselves once home, so they often ended up back in the hospital. He knew that if they had had access to home care—a service few companies were offering—they could have led happier lives in the comfort of their own homes.
In 1995, Allen started Right at Home in Omaha, Nebraska, working in his own office and even caring for clients himself. Through these early experiences, he learned the ins and outs of the home care industry, gradually expanding the brand into new regions of the country. In 2000, Right at Home started franchising its proven concept, partnering with qualified franchisees all over the country who aligned with the brand’s mission to provide quality home care. Today, Right at Home has more than 600 locations worldwide and serves tens of thousands of clients throughout the U.S. and seven other countries.
What is different about Right at Home that sets it apart from other caregiving franchises?
Right at Home starts with our passionate franchise owners. These are individuals who aren’t just looking for a business to make a living; they choose Right at Home to make a positive impact on their communities and the people for whom they provide care. Right at Home’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those we serve, and you can see that dedication in all of our franchisees.
Another differentiator is our proprietary care delivery system, RightCare—the experience that our franchisees create for clients, caregivers and office staff. We always say RightCare is about “the Right People doing the Right Things the Right Way for the Right Reason.” That motto allows us to live our mission in a way that provides an individualized experience for every client. The services our caregivers provide may be the same as other home care companies, but it is our support, relationships and staff that really stand out and make a difference.
What makes Right at Home a good franchise opportunity?
There is a bright future for the home care industry because of the aging senior population, as well as the broader recognition of how home care can be connected with traditional health care and advancing technology.
More families were looking to move loved ones out of assisted living facilities and bring them back home where they have more control over their safety. That change, in general, is certainly making our role even more important in the health care industry. We are also seeing a rise in telehealth and hospital-at-home models, with more health care moving to the home care environment in general.
Looking ahead, the health care industry is going to need more companies like Right at Home to work alongside episodic care providers. For example, in many cases, an incident will happen and a doctor will approve a home health care provider to see a patient. The problem is that once the specific episode is over, the patient is expected to return to normal life. With Right at Home, ongoing home care is requested by the family, not by a doctor responding to a specific incident. I was a Right at Home consumer when my mother had Alzheimer's—we had great hospice workers there but we also brought in Right at Home caregivers, so when the hospice workers left, there was still someone there to make sure she was cared for. In this way, Right at Home offers franchisees access to a great symbiotic relationship with other health care providers.
For more information on franchising with Right at Home, visit: https://rightathomefranchise.com/.