The Changing Current of Assisted Living
Twenty years ago when we first heard about assisted living, rumors about a silver tsunami spread across the country.
The assisted living industry managed to avoid sharing their secret business strategies.
Very few people knew how the concept worked.
Real estate used to be all about buying and selling bricks and sticks. Investors could buy it, fix it, flip it, hold it, sell it, or rent it.
As news spread about the growing need of senior housing, the minimal profits and overwhelming losses of traditional real estate investing shifted.
Previous real estate investment strategies grew cold and meaningless. The new wave of residential assisted living contained two components.
It is the combination of real estate and senior assisted living.
Do Good and Do Well
Assisted living owners have business responsibilities and huge hearts. This industry is ultimately about taking care of the elderly.
RAL is a great way to make money, but it’s centered on the bull’s-eye of caring for the needs of people.
For some, especially many big-box facilities, money is the primary focus.
RAL homeowners often embrace the “Do good and do well” business philosophy. As a result, smaller assisted living homes genuinely care about the needs of others.
RAL businesses are designed to produce profits.
The more money business these owners earn empowers them to give back.
Dealing With The Difficulties of Assisted Living
All of us have parents or people connected to our families that somebody will need to care for.
As a result, whether people choose to proactively get into this business or not, assisted living will impact everyone somehow.
There is always a cost when caring for others.
Those who choose to get involved with assisted living undertake a wonderful and rewarding business.
This line of work comes with some struggles.
The sooner owners and operators accept these unwanted circumstances as a reality, they are able to easily circumvent challenges with solutions.
When business owners ignore challenges, problems quickly escalate into obstacles that create burdens of unnecessary stress.
Training and Tips Prevent Tragedies
Common tips often help caregivers address rising concerns.
Difficult people come in all varieties; self-absorbed, demanding, angry and controlling.
Likewise, situations involving caregiving for various personalities will cover a large range as well.
Your experience will be different depending on the level of care you offer.
No single approach will address every dilemma, but the following tips will make caring for seniors an easier process.
8 Tips To Avoid Common Caregiver Challenges
- Take Time to Prepare Yourself
Faced with a crisis, it’s tempting to make decisions quickly without thinking them through. Poor patterns in the staff-to-resident relationship can cause difficulties in every decision. Spend personal time alone prior to work to prepare you for investing quality time with residents and building healthy relationships. These strategies will help caregivers adapt prior to problems presenting themselves.
2. Line Up Support
Always have backup staff who can fill in whenever necessary. This will bolster a buffer so that staff won’t feel the pressure of being positioned on the front lines alone.
3. Consider Your Own Role
As you enter this new stage of caregiving, it’s important to remember that you can’t control how residents act – you can only control how you respond. Take time to make sure the staff is well-trained on their responsibilities.
4. Talk it Through
Address situations immediately. Talk to residents about concerns as soon as they arise. This will avoid minor misunderstanding spiraling into major ongoing problems.
5. Try Something Different
If your interactions are consistently negative with a particular resident, think about how to change the dynamic. Remember, this is your job as a caregiver, but it is their home as a senior in need of assisted living.
6. Set Boundaries
It’s important for anyone in a caregiving position to set and maintain solid boundaries. Some residents need boundaries. This will enable you to feel less susceptible to guilt trips and manipulative behavior. You can also set limits for how much emotional stress you’ll put up with.
7. Take Care of Yourself
If you’re spending a great deal of time caring for seniors, make sure that you’re doing things to replenish yourself. This will help you stay balanced and less reactive.
8. Join a Support Group
There are online caregiver support groups that give staff a place to unwind. Staff is able to share stories with people who are having similar experiences, which can be restorative.
Turning Your Obstacles Into Opportunities at RAL Academy
Gene Guarino’s model of residential assisted living is good for business owners and seniors alike – and he understands the cost of caring for others.
With the “do well and do good” concept, residential assisted living has two business components.
It is a combination of investing in real estate and accommodating the needs of senior care.
Anybody can sign up and learn how to earn wealth while caring for the elderly.
Contact www.RALAcademy.com today to sign up for the next 3-day RAL course while seats are still available.
Now is the perfect time to learn everything you need to know, from A-Z about owning and operating your new RAL business.
Guarino has been helping thousands of new business owners turn obstacles into opportunities during his high-intensity 3-day course and he can help you too.
