Interim HealthCare® - Building Their Business On Boomer Trends

Interim HealthCare® - Building Their Business on Boomer Trends

A few months ago, I interviewed Linda Schaub, vice president of marketing for Interim HealthCare®, the first in-home senior care franchise company, to get her business insights and perspectives on aging.

Interim HealthCare has always been on top of market trends. Successfully responding to those trends has enabled the company to steadily build its business over more than 40 years. Established in 1966, the company has grown to 322 franchises in 39 states, providing a complete range of services, from non-medical to Medicare Certification.

As the “Baby Boomers” age, consumer trends in the senior care market are constantly emerging, creating new opportunities for Interim HealthCare. Linda says the latest market trends are being driven by “family mobility, new perspectives on aging, and technology advances.”

Families are more mobile than ever. It is the exception rather than the rule for all family members to live in the same city or even the same state, making the ability to communicate across the country via telephone, text, and email a very important part of the company’s in-home care services.

Perspectives on aging continue to evolve, as life expectancy ages increase. “Life expectancy is now 78, and the fastest-growing group is the 85-plus population,” Linda says. “To put aging in perspective, one expert compares the classic painting of Whistler’s Mother, who was 61 when she posed for him, with a photo of Sophia Loren at 61. Seeing those two side-by-side makes us realize how much our outlook on aging has changed."

Seniors have many dimensions in their lives – physical, financial, emotional, social, and spiritual – and care management needs to address all of those areas. They also have a strong desire to remain at home or “age in place,” which drives the demand for in-home services. Advances in technology play an important role in seniors’ ability to stay home. Many tests and treatments, from X-rays to I.V. therapy, can now be done at home rather than at a hospital, lab or clinic.

”An important trend is really looking at all facets of aging," Linda says, "and we are expanding on that for the future. Our continuum of care also includes working with providers of services, as a client or patient moves from hospital to home or independent living facility. We are an important part of that process.”

Interim’s commitment to educating consumers is the real key to the company’s success in responding to market trends. “We’ve always operated with the philosophy that we want to educate consumers, so they can live safe, independent, and rich lives,” Linda explains. “It is very important for people to understand the range of services that are available to them at home, so they can access those services and age in place. We truly offer an opportunity to help people, and are very glad to do that."