Alternative Home Care for Seniors » Alternative Home Care For Seniors

Looking for a franchise? 10 reasons to consider AHCS

Sharna — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:08:59 +0000

1. An AHCS franchise uniquely lets you run a business AND give back to your community. Since 89% of seniors prefer to age gracefully in their own home, you’ll be providing a community service as you earn a living.

2. Home care is in demand. The demand for in-home care is growing with the senior population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans 65 and older is expected to double to 89 million by 2050.

3. You’ll learn how to run a home care agency the most efficient way possible. Why learn the business the hard way from trial and error or from another franchise with only a few years experience in home care. Let our 30+ years combined experience help you hit the ground running.

4. We’ll show you how to profitable. Our earnings have increased every year since we opened AHCS’ doors nearly a decade ago.

5. You’ll receive daily on-going support from the top. As an AHCS franchisee, you won’t be “supervised” by field managers with limited knowledge of the home care industry. You’ll be treated as our partner with constant access to our owner who has a 20+ year track record in the home care industry.

6. The key to success in our industry is knowing how to recruit and maintain the highest quality and most experienced caregivers. As an AHCS franchise, you’ll learn our trade secrets.

7. The other key is knowing how to treat people especially your clients and their families. If you are a compassionate entrepreneur, you are special. We need you and will value your contributions to our company.

8. You won’t be expected to spend tons of money on advertising. But our in-house marketing department will provide you with lots of great ways to grow your AHCS franchise with a minimal dollars. Things like our E-news – “Home Care Today, a social media presence, PR and more.

9.You could start your own home care agency, but then you will have to learn everything by trial and error. From getting licensed by the state to applying to provide home care to Medicaid clients, we’ve done it all. We’ll help you navigate through these steps, therefore alleviating unneeded stress.

10. A 7K franchise fee. Not 30K. If you are one of our first three partners, your franchise fee. We’re ready to grow and we’re looking for compassionate entrepreneurs to help us do just that.

For more information about an Alternative Home Care for Seniors (AHCS) franchise territory, please contact Franchise Marketing Systems: (800) 610-0292

A caregiver Q&A with Derrick Merchant

Sharna — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:55:48 +0000

Q: You’ve (co-)owned your home care agency for over eight years. What do you attribute your success in the home healthcare provider industry? We’ve been able to grow and nurture a wonderful network of caregivers. We have over 100 CNA’s on our roster right now.

Q: How did you grow your network of caregivers? Over time, word of mouth leads them to us. The ability to retain their services is key. We’re here at all times to address their questions and concerns. We also create accountability from them.

Q: Give an example of how you create accountability.
Before we assign a case, we have them call the client in order to establish a relationship. This helps them take responsibility right away for their assignment. We also communicate with them before the weekend and ask them things like ‘How’s your car working’ and ‘Do you have a babysitter lined up’?

Q: What exactly is a CNA? What unique qualities do they have?
The job of a certified nursing assistant is challenging both physically and psychologically. A CNA helps with a variety of things depending on the situation-housekeeping, errands, companionship, lifting the client in and out of bed, preparing meals, personal hygiene.

Q: Do you have an example of an ideal caregiver?
He or she is caring, genuine, down to earth, able to communicate and follow instructions.

Q: How do you communicate with your clients and families?
It’s important to help the patient and family establish reasonable expectations from the onset. Many families believe their mother or father will get better soon, but that is rarely the case. Still, they need to have hope. Our job is to be empathetic and realistic. We, as a company, really have to care.

Q: So, explain how these elements-family, patient, caregiver and management-come together.
Of course, the patient needs to feel in charge. The caregiver shouldn’t feel disposable. The family needs to trust that the patient is in good hands. And we, as a company, need to stay profitable in order to continue to offer our service.

Q: Do you have any advice for those thinking of getting into the home care industry?

When you get that call on Friday afternoon needing help for a new client on Sunday, you better enjoy the business. Providing good service is our number one priority. You have to have some sort of passion for humanity.

Derrick Merchant is co-owner of Alternative Home Care for Seniors (AHCS) in Snellville, GA. He has nearly two decades experience in the home care industry and caregiver management.

3rd Annual “Sweaters For Seniors” buttons up in Fulton County

Sharna — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:18:11 +0000

Sweaters for Seniors "Fulton County" team left to right: Sharna Fulton, AHCS; Steven Hargrove, SCS Metro Atlanta, Missy Hirsh and Lexi Fields, the Galloway School

In one metro Atlanta county, there’s a socially minded school responsible for educating the next generation. Also, in that same county (Fulton) is SCS of Metro Atlanta that cares for the needs of seniors.

Last Thursday, representatives from both organizations met for the first time in a hallway at the Galloway School on behalf of “Sweaters For Seniors.”

It was a really happy day, but not just for the warm sunlight that beamed through the school’s big windows. Or because of the melange of yellow and red trees just outside those windows as you overlooked Chastain Park. What made this morning special was like-minded people in various careers assembling on behalf of a common cause – to help keep Atlanta’s seniors warm this coming winter.

In attendance were Missy Hirsh, Assistant to the College Counselor for Galloway, Lexi Fields, Galloway Economics Teacher and Service Fair Director, Steven Hargrove, Director of Special Events for SCS and myself, Sharna Fulton, Director of Marketing of Sweaters for Seniors and AHCS. (As a friend, Craig Pigg accompanied Steven Hargrove to Galloway as he is considering sending his son, Cooper to the school next year.)

So why were three different organizations involved in the collection of 174 pounds of sweaters you may ask? (Missy Hirsh weighed the many green bags of beautiful sweaters made with heavy wool, cashmere, fleece and dry cleaned just for S4s.)

The answer is that we at AHCS, sought for the first time this year, to make “Sweaters For Seniors” truly a community endeavor. Why?

#1: Schools were the best resource for collecting sweaters for seniors the past 2 years. We realized it was students were the most enthusiastic and truly what made the program special.

#2: We thought it would be a good way to connect Atlanta’s youth to Atlanta’s seniors. (After all, young or old, we are all one!)

#3: We wanted to put the spotlight on the senior service agencies and what they do for Atlanta’s elder population. We felt that by connecting schools with their same county senior agencies, we could make school communities aware of the seniors’ needs in their own neighborhood. What’s more, with blog and Facebook posts like these, we could further illuminate the existence of and what agencies like SCS of Metro Atlanta does to help seniors.

In conclusion, I’m really pleased with the outcome of this partnership for 2010. Galloway’s Missy Hirsh puts it best. “I want our students to learn about thinking outside of their own box. Sometimes, there’s a stigma attached to not having ‘things.’ By collecting sweaters for seniors, our students were able to know there are people with needs and that it’s okay to understand that and to help them.

Thanks to the outstanding organizational skills of Steven Hargrove and his staff — Hargrove reports SCS just raised $504K last week during their annual black tie fundraising event – the sweaters will have value too! When I approached Hargrove last summer as to whether SCS could find use for “sweater donations,” he responded “yes.” Within a few days, he had the perfect idea for the sweaters — to deliver them to SCS’s 300 clients along with their Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels.

As we button-up collections for Fulton County’s seniors this year, we look forward to more schools joining us in the “4th Annual Sweaters for Seniors” coming next fall!

The art of “Sweaters for Seniors” at JC Magill Elementary

Sharna — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:53:51 +0000

A "Create-A-Sweater" Pin-Up is decorated with crayons and tissue paper

Seeing how students and schools have collected the majority of sweaters with the most enthusiasm these past few years, we reconfigured S4S this year.

Sweaters for Seniors got a new mission, a new logo and a new tagline: “A youth based collection to warm Atlanta’s seniors.”

Finally, after months of planning, last Monday marked an important milestone in the history of “Sweaters For Seniors!”

Various art supplies used to "Create-A-Sweater" at JC Magill

It was the day Principal, Crystal Collins invited us (AHCS) into JC Magill Elementary for her school’s collections to begin!

And not just sweater collections, but monetary ones, too.

Students at JC Magill have signed on to our “Create-A-Sweater” pin-up program. They’ll color, design, exhibit and sell these pin-ups at school for 1.00 each. Alternative Home Care for Seniors will, in turn, match every donation from Magill dollar for dollar up to $1,000.00. All the funds and sweaters raised will go to Gwinnett County Senior Services, the nonprofit agency that helps seniors in need so they can continue to live independently at home.

As a “for profit” home care agency, that’s our mission, too. So, of course, being able to collect even more sweaters and raise funds for seniors is icing on the cake. Or should I say embroidery on the sweater?

A JC Magill student drops a sweater in the box

Plus, the program will reach beyond Gwinnett county this year with schools like the Galloway School in Fulton partnering with us as well.

“It feels good knowing we’re able to connect Gwinnett County’s youth with its seniors through Sweaters For Seniors,” says Derrick Merchant, Co-owner and Chief Administrator for AHCS. “After all – young or old – we are all one.”

Thank you Eric Hurst, CBS photographer for coming out to interview us and get it on tape. This is the 3rd year that CBS Atlanta has helped us get the word out about “Sweaters” thanks mostly to anchorperson, Tracye Hutchins. (You really must catch her morning show, Better Mornings! But I digress.)

Shown left to right: Eric Hurst, CBS Atlanta, Crystal Collins, JC Magill, Sharna Fulton, Alternative Home Care For Seniors

Also, we can’t thank Principal Collins enough for being the visionary leader in education that she is. Collins’ school recently partnered with ArtsNow, a nonprofit organization that encourages integration of creativity and the arts into the daily curriculum of GA Schools. With the help of Pamela Millice, CEO of ArtsNow, Collins set-up an impromptu art table while we we were there. As Collins was interviewed on camera by CBS, her students were busy, in the background, creating some very beautiful and original artwork on their “Create-A-Sweater” pin-ups. With this kind of talent and creativity and commitment to community, who could ask for anything more?

Have you ever seen prettier sweaters?

Introducing one day/four hour home care!

Sharna — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:18:30 +0000

Let us help you with the one you love. Introducing Respite Care! Are you a caregiver taking care of an elder parent or spouse? Could you use a break? We now offer individual 4 hour caregiver respite care with 48 hour notice. Call 770-736-7977 for a free telephone assessment.

Tis the season of giving. Five things we can learn from caregivers.

Sharna — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:15:29 +0000

Whether with our own extended families and grandparents or strangers we meet in our daily routines, the holidays are a time to show we care for others young and old.

In our home care business, we employ caregivers who provide personal care and companionship to seniors. Yes, they are certified and have skills in working with and helping seniors. But we also look for those who naturally show compassion and respect for others. Here are some traits of superb caregivers.

1) A good caregiver listens and doesn’t talk back to seniors.

2) A good caregiver has a soft touch. For instance, when applying ointment or lotion to a senior, they are always gentle.

3) A good caregiver speaks softly, not harshly to seniors.

4) A good caregiver lets the senior feel in charge. “He or she understands their senior has lost some independence by not being able to drive or cook by themselves anymore,” explains Njeri Soley, Staff Coordinator for Alternative Home Care for Seniors. “By asking questions and showing interest in the senior’s wishes, they empower the senior,” she adds.

5) A good caregiver is patient. This is especially important when transferring a senior from a chair or bed.

I encourage you to consider the above ideas when dealing with a senior, yourself this holiday and beyond in 2010. And if nothing else, please hold a door or let a senior get through it first the next time you’re at the grocery store. It’s a nice way to show respect for our elder citizens and it will make you feel good, too.

Derrick Merchant is the new Senior Issues writer for Examiner.com. You can see his other articles here.

Loganville Rotary gives new speaking group a B.I.G. welcome

Sharna — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:39:11 +0000

Shown left to right, Damon Ladd-Thomas, Sheryl Fambrough, Derrick Merchant, Donnie Houston

Thanks to the Loganville Rotary Club, B.I.G. (Boomer Information Group), completed their first presentation October 1 at Sweet Aromas, the Rotary’s weekly place to meet. As Damon Ladd-Thomas explained, ”B.I.G. was formed to provide information on health and financial well-being to baby boomers and many of us in the sandwich generation.” (People raising a family and also caring for aging parents.) Derrick Merchant, the featured speaker, spoke about how and why to prepare for home care before you need it. B.I.G. hopes to be a community resource in matters of health and wealth. For information about having B.I.G. speak at your next business or civic association meeting or event, please contact sharna.fulton@att.net

Martin Barnes, Vice President of Loganville Rotary takes notes during Derrick Merchant's presentation

Donny Houston, CPA of Houston & Company, PC

The Loganville Rotary was chartered on November 22, 2002. The group of local business leaders meet every Thursday at 7:15 AM at Sweet Aromas in Loganville.

B.I.G. Helping you prepare and protect your nest egg

Introducing B.I.G. Boomer Information Group

Sharna — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:52:19 +0000

New illustrated logo for B.I.G. by Sharna Fulton

So, you’re in your 40′s or 50′s and you’re starting to wonder where and how you might live a happy and health life in the coming years. Or you’re wondering how you can better plan for your retirement financially. If so, then B.I.G. might be the thing for you. B.I.G. (Boomer Information Group) is an alliance of professionals in Grayson/Snellville who specialize in products and services geared towards those thinking about retirement and beyond. The founding members are Derrick Merchant, Alternative Home Care for Seniors, Joel Beck, estate planning attorney with the Beck Group, Damon Ladd-Thomas, a wealth manager with T&D Montana and Jennifer Marciante with Loganville Dialysis. B.I.G. is available to speak to civic & business groups and associations. The format will be so that one member of the group will be a featured speaker with the other members to serve on a panel for a Q&A panel discussion to follow the main speech. The first presentation is scheduled for Thursday, October 1 for the Loganville Rotary Club at Sweet Aromas in Loganville. For more information, please contact Sharna Fulton at sharna.fulton@att.net

AHCS To Kick Off “Sweaters for Seniors” August 10 At Chick-Fil-A

Sharna — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:31:15 +0000

Snellville, GA August 7, 2009 – Alternative Home Care for Seniors announced today that two Chick-Fil-A restaurants in Snellville will join them in their mission to once again warm-up Gwinnett County Senior Services. Chick-Fil-A at Hwy 124 and Hwy 78 will serve as collection points August 10-31, 2009. New and like-new cotton/blend sweater donations are requested for hypoallergenic reasons.

The 2nd Annual “Sweaters for Seniors” was started by Alternative Home Care for Seniors (AHCS) last year. “We were looking for a way our small business could contribute to seniors in our community and came up with the idea,” explains Derrick Merchant, co-owner, AHCS.
Thanks to the help of local media, ‘Sweaters gained the attention of the Galloway School in Atlanta and raised more than 250+ donations in 2008. With more knit pieces than imagined, the program looked to find an organization with a serious need.
Enter Gary Galloway, Volunteer Services Coordinator for Gwinnett County Seniors Services who gladly received many of the donations. “The sweaters were given to seniors facing the dilemma of keeping prescriptions filled before Medicare deductibles were met. They also had to turn down their heat due to increased bills,” explains Galloway. “Many seniors get cold from medications that thin the blood too.”
“To grow the much needed program in 2009, we sought out a business partner who could provide added foot traffic and give people more opportunities to donate,” says Sharna Fulton, Marketing Director for AHCS. “Sweaters for Seniors seemed to especially touch women who went through their closets to find new or like-new sweaters they never wear, but could really help a senior.”
As for Chick-Fil-A? “We couldn’t ask for a better partner,” explains Derrick Merchant, ACHS. “They’re a respected business in Snellville and also where family and friends come together in our community.”
Alternative Home Care for Seniors is a privately owned home care agency that helps seniors remain independent in their own home. AHCS has provided companionship and personal care to seniors throughout Gwinnett and all major metro Atlanta counties since 2002.
Gwinnett County Senior Services is the contracted provider of aging services for Gwinnett County. Its mission is to help seniors maintain their independent living status. For more information on the 2nd Annual Sweaters for Seniors, please call Sharna Fulton@ 404-663-8450 or email her at sharna.fulton@att.net For sweater donations, call our office @ 770-736-7977.