Russ: This is the BusinessMakers show, heard on the radio and seen online at the http://www.thebusinessmakers.com. It's guest time on the show and our topic is senior care, that burgeoning, huge market that is developing right before our eyes right now. My guest with me today; I have Andrea Connally, the founder of Senior Care Solutions. Andrea, welcome to the BusinessMaker show.

Andrea: Well thank you Russ. Glad to be here today.

Russ: You bet. Well, let's start at the top. Tell us about Senior Care Solutions.

Andrea: Okay, well Senior Care Solutions is about a 10-year-old company. We came together because I, with 30 years in the medical field, decided that I wanted to help individuals put the pieces of the puzzle together for their family and for their loved one.

Russ: And as we all know, the world of seniors, accumulating a large proportion of the population, is growing by leaps and bounds. You must find lots of people that need your services.

Andrea: Correct. And it seems to be more so every year. As we know, the Baby Boomers are getting older and their children are going to be where we are someday also. So parents are in great need of knowing what to do, and children are in great need of knowing what to do with their parents.

Russ: Okay, now when you talked about having a medical background, tell us a little bit about that - before you got into senior care.

Andrea: Well I started out wanting to be in nursing. I thought that would be the greatest thing to do. I tried that and I really didn't like the nursing end of it. So I do have the clinical side of it. I did go and get a social worker degree. And I liked that aspect of it because it was helping people.

Russ: So when you talk about that, which is what motivated you to start Senior Care Solutions, you're talking about the feeling of fulfillment that you have in being able to help people manage the options. And you say, "Put the pieces of the puzzles together." Do I have that right?

Andrea: That is correct. The compassion to help the individual is what sets us, I believe, apart from other companies especially.

Russ: But you say it's a company, it's a for profit company. You're doing this as a profession, right? It's not a charitable cause.

Andrea: That's correct.

Russ: So how large is your company? How many people do you have that help you do this?

Andrea: We're a very small company. We have seven employees. I could've grown as large as I wanted to probably because of all the business that's available out there, but I like to give that individualized attention and I think that you need to keep it small in order to handle certain individuals. I have an office staff, of course. I do have a Master's degree Psych person because we do a lot of dementia and psychiatric.

Russ: So let's describe it from a family's perspective, that they have an aging parent. What kind of are the options out there today?

Andrea: Well, first of all, they want to look at can the person still live in their own home? Or do they need proper medical attention? Or do the children live here and able to take care of their loved one, because lots of times the parent doesn't want to leave. So there are lots of different options out there and we just kind of go and assess the situation first and see what those needs are, and then go from there.

Russ: Say you have somebody that has a parent that really is committed and wants to stay in their home. What kind of advice do you give them? Do you connect them with in-home care people?

Andrea: I think it's very important that you look at them staying in their home first to see if that's an option. But, of course, financially, that's a huge responsibility, to be able to stay there, as well as, does the house have the proper living conditions for the senior to be there?

Russ: So I would expect that, generally speaking, staying in your home can become pretty expensive?

Andrea: Yes, a minimum of about $10,000.00 a month just for care to come into the home, not counting all the things that need to be done to the home to make it accessible for someone if they become handicapped.

Russ: Okay. Now it seemed to me from my observations - I'm not an expert, but I have a mother that's 87 so I've been watching and participating to a degree.

Andrea: You're an expert.

Russ: But I can still remember when I was young, when I was a teenager and stuff, with my grandparents there was this - You kind of took them to the nursing home. And I think we're kind of way behind that right? I mean - it wasn't a happy place.

Andrea: We are way beyond that. Companies have come in that have great assisted livings now and residential care house, which would be like a house you and I would live in and have people that come in. The loved one could go there and be taken care of. So it's much better than a large nursing home. And also your skilled nursing homes have changed a lot in their appearance and the way they look.

Russ: And when you say "skilled nursing home" that's sort of what the old nursing homes kind of thought they were, is that right?

Andrea: That concept. Yes, that's correct.

Russ: Now assisted living - I am familiar with that. It's actually pretty impressive because you sort of get the feeling, at least I do, that it's almost run like a business meaning that the staff is always trying to sort of keep an upbeat temperament throughout the whole facility and they're nice and they're helpful and quite frankly, the one that my mother is in, she actually enjoys it and the social interaction is actually pretty cool.

Andrea: That's right. That's why assisting livings have become so popular. I think that a lot of seniors, one of their problems is that they become depressed. But in an assisted living situation there are lots of activities and lots of music and animals and all different types of things that they can have there.

Russ: Okay. Back to you and back to Senior Care Solutions. Do you ever have seniors that actually get in touch with you and say, "Hey I need help?" Or is it always from their children?

Andrea: No, I would say probably 30 to 40 percent of the people that come to us are seniors because maybe they have a spouse that they're needing help with. Or maybe they have children that they want to go away. So we can help them solve some of their problems in that respect.

Russ: Okay, but mostly it usually is the children?

Andrea: Yeah, 70 percent is the children.

Russ: What kind of general advice do you give people? They might even actually be watching right now, that know that this might be in their future, if they can prepare ahead of time.

Andrea: Well, one of the things I always say, "Talk to your parents early and see what their wishes are." Because a lot of times as children we don't do that. We think we know what their wishes are, but we don't. So early on, like when you're in your 40's and 50's and maybe even for your own self, to talk to your children about it at that young of age.

Russ: Well I guess that makes a lot of sense particularly in the world that we live in now where there are kind of these innovative business models that are being offered.

Andrea: Right.

Russ: All right. Well I want to talk to you a little bit more about this okay?

Andrea: Okay.

Russ: Talking with Andrea Connally, the founder of Senior Care Solutions. And we'll be back with more with her after this. This is the BusinessMaker show, heard on the radio and seen online at http://www.thebusinessmakers.com

Russ: This is the BusinessMaker show, heard on the radio and seen online at http://www.thebusinessmakers.com, and continuing on with Andrea Connally, founder of Senior Care Solutions. Now Andrea, you talked about getting into this business because you really liked the personal care. And it's kind of like different than I guess a hospital and a regular medical environment because you're helping people live. You're not necessarily trying to recuperate them or fix them. But, my goodness, also, you chose a path that just seems to be exploding with opportunities and potential customers. I mean, do you kind of watch the statistics? Is it right that a huge part of our population is going to be requiring services like yours in the future?

Andrea: Well, of course, when I first started I did think about that some. When you're starting a company, however, I never knew it was going to be as affluent as it's getting to be in this industry. I think we quoted some statistics ______ __ ______ ____ that by the year 2030 72 percent of the United States population is going to be over the age of 65.

Russ: My goodness, that's unbelievable, and it sounds a little depressing for the young people. My goodness, hopefully they can still have some fun out there. But with a market growing like that, I mean your business was going to be just doing well far into the future. But do you see other business opportunities as well?

Andrea: Definitely. I think that one of the things I would really like to see is more assisted living type situations and places that these people can go where they don't have to stay in their own home if they won't to, because the average person isn't going to be able to afford to stay in their own home probably. So something with the concept of independent living, assisted living, and then on into nursing care.

Russ: All in one facility.

Andrea: All in one acreage.

Russ: Talk a little bit about independent living. I don't think we talked about that a while ago.

Andrea: Well, I think some people, as they get older, 65 of 70 which isn't very old anymore.

Russ: No, it's not at all.

Andrea: Our average age is like 85 or 90; they want to downsize, but what I think they need to think about is downsizing into an independent living. It's secure usually. It's elegant dining, elegant situations. And there are lots of them in the area that they could go to.

Russ: And so independent living would be kind of like assisted living but you can come and go?

Andrea: Kind of like living in a luxury apartment. You can drive your car still. You have concierge there. You have a doorman, someone waiting at the door for you.

Russ: Wow. And so, when you start advising people, sometimes are you recommending that step one ought to be independent living?

Andrea: Yes and especially if the spouse - Let's say they have a spouse that's ill but yet they still like to go and come as they please and that sort of thing. They can go into an independent living whereas the spouse could live in assisted living. They would still be under even maybe the same roof, where they could see each other and be together with each other but there would be the level of care the other one needs there.

Russ: Well that's interesting. There's got to be all kinds of other opportunities. I think I've mentioned to you I had some people on this show probably at least a year ago now, the Mygate Computer people that were designing computers for seniors. There must just be a whole lot of opportunity out there in the future.

Andrea: I would think there is because seniors are very educated and very active now. I mean we have seniors running marathons and that sort of thing. So all the medical equipment, even cars designed where they can have the GPS system in it so if they get lost we know where they are. That sort of thing. I mean, it's a great - It's a wide open market.

Russ: Right. You mentioned getting lost. I can't help but think every time I'm driving out on our new freeways how many times the signs say "elderly couple missing." On one hand, to me it's almost kind of humorous but sad at the same time.

Andrea: It is.

Russ: You mentioned dementia and a lot of these facilities offer extra memory care, is that right?

Andrea: Correct. And that is one of the things you can look for; do they have a memory care unit? There are several communities out there that have built strictly, stand alone, memory care.

Russ: It's a little scary. It's beginning to look like our bodies outlive our memories and our brain to a major degree now.

Andrea: They do.

Russ: Now that we're so good with medicine and keeping -

Andrea: That's what's going on.

Russ: You mentioned there are some that are just totally focused on memory care. When you have a client who has a memory care parent are there various differences in one facility to the other and their ability to take care of those kinds of people?

Andrea: More so cost related that care related. So you have larger facilities that offer a wider variety for memory impaired activities and that sort of thing versus a smaller community that is still a locked community where the person couldn't wander off and be lost and that sort of thing. But the difference in price range is great.

Russ: Now as you know, we have a smart, intellectual, business audience and they're always interested in people's businesses. How do people engage Senior Care Solutions? I mean, is it like a consultancy on a per hour basis, or how do you do that?

Andrea: Usually there's a consultant fee up front and then after that, depending on what that person's needs are (and every case is individualized of course) then there is an hourly rate after that. But there is a consultant fee to assess the situation and to meet with the senior or the family or whatever the needs are.

Russ: And since you were kind enough to share that with us, say somebody's watching and they're interested in getting in touch with you. How would they do that?

Andrea: They can either go to our website or pick up the phone and call or e-mail.

Russ: Okay, what's your website address?

Andrea: Our website is http://www.scsassociatesinc.net. My e-mail address is: scsandrea1@yahoo.com.

Russ: Okay, really cool. Now we need to talk though more about you as an entrepreneur. It sounds like you enjoy what you're doing, which is very important. It sounds like you're in a market that's just burgeoning as I've said multiple times already. Has running this business, starting this business, and keeping it going for ten years - has that been a piece of cake the whole way?

Andrea: [Laughter] I wish. Is any business a piece of cake to start?

Russ: No, but we always ask that question here.

Andrea: No, not at all. I think one of the things especially if you're starting a business in the healthcare industry, it's the burden of the responsibility of the decisions you make daily. The business alone is okay. I mean, you have the normal business problems, you know, paying taxes, paying payroll, doing all the things. But I think it's the burden of making life decisions for individuals on a daily basis. So after ten years, sometimes it's nice to be able to take a vacation every once in a while or do something. But those I think are the things you look at if you're going into the medical field, just like as a doctor.

Russ: Right, well it's kind of interesting you mentioning it that way. It didn't dawn on me before but it seems like in the sector that you're in, you kind of have avoided, have you not, all this change with Obama Care and socialized medicine? That's in another world.

Andrea: Right 'cause we're a private care sector, so we're a private pay sector. We're not in as much to the Medicare, Medicaid end of it, thank God.

Russ: Well Andrea I really appreciate you coming in and sharing your story with us.

Andrea: I appreciate you having me. Thank you so much.

Russ: You bet. That's Andrea Connally, the founder of Senior Care Solutions. This is the BusinessMakers show heard on the radio and seen online at http://www.thebusinessmakers.com.