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If for nothing else but its sheer size, the “baby boomer” generation has had an impact on virtually every facet of American life since their 77 million births between 1946 and 1964. As this cohort closes in on, and reaches, retirement age they are widely expected to continue having a huge impact. One of the areas of great impact is the senior care industry, which is likely to experience increased demand as this generation – the largest generation ever born in the U.S. to this point – continues to age and life expectancy increases.

Consider the following:

• The U.S. population 65 or older currently makes up over 12 percent of the total population.
• The senior care industry already brings in over $57 billion in annual revenue domestically.
• The number of seniors in the U.S. is projected to increase every year through at least 2050 from approximately 37 million people to approximately 87 million people.
• About 10,000 people turn 65 daily, and this trend is expected to last for nearly 20 years.
• Over the next 19 years, the number of people aged 85 or older will increase from an estimated 5 million to an estimated 20 million.
• In approximately 20 years, the number of people over 100 is expected to be over 500 thousand.

As these increases occur, senior care franchises will be in a prime position to provide services that many members of this population will need. Franchises within this industry provide skilled medical and non-medical services predominately to seniors, but also cater to any individual who needs their services regardless of age. These services can include any combination of the following:

• Companionship
• Respite care
• Therapy services
• Chronic disease management
• Escorting to doctor’s visits, etc.
• Running errands (e.g. grocery shopping, picking-up prescriptions)
• Grooming assistance
• Bathing and dressing
• Meal preparation and feeding
• Housekeeping and laundry
• Caring for pets and plants
• Medication reminders
• Incontinence care
• Nursing intervention
• And more

Being a senior care franchisee offers the opportunity to build a rewarding business that has benefits professionally and maybe more importantly, personally. Check out our senior care franchise section to learn more about ways for you to make a difference in your community through this dynamic field.

Sources: CareMinders® Franchise Brochure, U.S. Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html), Population Bulletin (http://www.prb.org/pdf09/64.1generations.pdf)

We often talk about how franchising can be an ideal business situation for military veterans looking for a second career. Franchising, it turns out, can also provide a critical role for veterans who are suffering from ill health.

Not enough people know about the Aid and Attendance Program, which is a pension service provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for military veterans. A story in New Jersey’s Hudson Reporter explains that the program is used mostly by veterans for homecare in the last years of their life. Thus, it is a perfect opportunity for people working in the home care franchise sector to help in the lives of military veterans.

One Comfort Keepers franchisee, Eydie Shapiro, has been briefing Knights Of Columbus groups in New Jersey to inform them about the opportunity available through the program.

“The program is very well funded,” Shapiro said. “But only about 15 percent of what’s allocated ever gets used, first because people don’t know about it. And then when they find out about it, the application is daunting because they ask so many questions and they require a lot of back-up supporting documentation.”

You need to be 65 and have served during a declared war for more than 90 days to be available for the pension. But if you’re a franchisee working in homecare or health care, or looking to work in this sector, you can improve the lives of veterans, among other people.

Discussion of buying home-based businesses seems to reaching something like what Malcolm Gladwell might call a ‘tipping point’.

Ever since Franchise Direct published its study on the home-based business sector, there has been a small explosion of stories about opportunities available with a home-based businesses. Of course, it’s most likely a coincidence, but it does suggest that there is a growing conventional wisdom that home-based businesses are among the best businesses on the market right now.

There are reasons why. As Fox reported, credit markets remain stagnant. Home-based opportunities, which are often more affordable, offer a great starting point to entrepreneurship while the bad times pass over.

Of all the stories on home-based businesses that we’ve read recently, the one that spoke the loudest to us was written by Kirk Bannerman on the Small Business Brief website.

Kirk’s viewpoint is essentially this: yes, you will be successful with a home-bound business, but it might not happen over night.

There are so many home business opportunities (some real, some not) that it takes real personal discipline to avoid the scattergun approach…you know, throw enough against the wall and something is bound to stick. In the early going, it is really important to resist this temptation and to stay tightly focused on a single business.

Some will argue that “I don’t want to have all my eggs in one basket”. To those people I say, diversification is fine, but only after you have achieved solid success with your initial business. A premature attempt at diversification will quite likely cause a loss of focus and actually slow down your success rate.

Other advice from Kirk:

• Stay focused
• Remain patient
• Don’t get discouraged

Now this is solid advice for any entrepreneur. But it’s especially worthwhile for home-based businesses. All of the statistics are showing that home-based franchises are doing well at the moment.

But after you make the investment, remember, the real work is just starting.

Home is where the heart is. And what is true for family life is also true in the business world these days.

A few weeks ago, Franchise Direct published a report on the home–based business sector. The report found that home-based businesses and franchises comprise some of the best opportunities out there in the current business environment. That statement is backed up by new statistics, as well as a new story in Business Week magazine that declares the rise of the ‘homepreneur’.

The Business Week story states that there are 6.6 million home-based businesses in America which account for more than 50% of a person’s income. The story also states that there are over 13 million people employed in the home-based sector, about a million more employees than the home-based sector.

And what’s driving the success of the home-based sector?

“First, technology has made it easier to start and run a business from anywhere. But just as important, there has been a change of consciousness in the business world to recognize home-based enterprises as legitimate.”

Our report makes many of the same points. The work place has evolved immensely over the last two decades and it is safe to say that it is seen by many as the future of business.

Home-based franchises make up a varied and growing franchise industry, according to the latest exclusive report on the franchising industry by Franchise Direct.

Home-based franchises have an established track record during past recessions, and with thousands of opportunities to avail of, this franchise sector is prospering. Throughout 2009, Franchise Direct has been continually publishing informative reports on diverse sectors within franchising. Home-based franchises are one of the most popular franchise sectors out there, with many opportunities on offer. Home-based franchises fall into wide range of industries, and so while the profitability of a home-based business varies to a degree, the industry itself is on the rise.

Generally-speaking, home-based franchises are at the cutting edge of a shift in the American workplace. The report found that more and more people are choosing to work from home, bolstered by the sense of personal freedom it provides. Home-based franchises are particularly enticing for women, who can juggle the demands of work and family with much more ease while at home. With technological advances making the office only a click away, many workers are now asking themselves not whether to work at home, but which home-based franchise to choose.

Franchising, which has adapted easily to most American working trends in the past, is perfectly geared towards the home. Practically every franchise out there can be tailored to suit the home office, with commercial cleaning franchises the most popular home-based franchises at the moment. The Franchise Direct report provides in-depth statistics on the profitability of some of the most popular home-based franchises.

That said, working from home is not ideal for everyone. You will have to be organized, disciplined and self-motivated to make a home-based franchise work for you. But if you have long been considering a career change and have the right mindset to be your own boss, this report states that home-based franchises are a great alternative. They offer a low-cost, low-risk startup. If you’re looking for a new career path, you might find it at home.