Care franchises: What qualities do you need to be a hands-on care franchisee?
Care in the home is provided to around 350,000 elderly people each year and is a fast-growing and stable sector. Buying a franchise in the care sector can also be exceptionally rewarding. Knowing that you are providing high-quality care services to those who need it can bring you great career satisfaction. However, carrying out the role of a home carer is not for everyone. One of the key benefits of becoming a franchisee is that you can choose whether you take an active, hands-on role in the care element of the business, or whether you utilise your management skills to grow the business and ensure everything is running smoothly. In this post, we run through the key qualities you need to become a successful home carer.
What do home carers do?
Home care covers a broad range of activities, which generally involves helping people eat, wash and get dressed. Some home care franchises and carers also help people with learning disabilities to live independent lives or support people who have recently left hospital.
Becoming a home carer can be very challenging due to the nature of the work involved. Your clients will be vulnerable people, and it will be your role to assist them in improving their quality of life. Fundamentally, the role requires a great deal of compassion, professionalism and respect so it is essential to understand whether you are suited to the role before approaching prospective franchisors.
Dedication
First and foremost, no matter whether you are providing care services yourself or hiring a team to work for you, you will need to be dedicated. For many, helping people comes very naturally to them. Home carers become a very important part of people’s lives, and their clients and their loved ones rely on them in times of need. As a result, dedication to the role is essential.
Passion
Similar to dedication, passion is also a vital part of running a successful home care franchise. While training, experience and skills are important, and can all be developed, without the fundamental passion for the role, it can be difficult to perform the job to the highest level. You need to actually care about making a long-lasting difference for your clients, and about creating a force for good in your local community. Before you start a care franchise, you need to ask yourself whether you are truly dedicated to providing a quality service.
Respectful
You will be intimately involved in people’s lives, so respect is incredibly important. Many of your clients will have decreased mental capacity and limited independence, so you must understand how to provide the highest quality of care without coming across as patronising or authoritarian. You should be able to connect with the older generation and treat them as the wonderful people they are with lots of life experience.
Work well under pressure
In order to be profitable, you (along with your team members) will need to take care of many people. This can be a delicate balancing act, and you may often struggle for time while trying to do the best for your clients.
If you’re interested in managing a team of carers but not actually doing any care work yourself, a care management franchise may be what you’re after. Browse management franchises UK.
Reliable
Your role involves providing vital care for the most vulnerable – you need to be reliable, and they need to be able to trust that you will be there for them when they need you. In addition, you must ensure you are always prepared to provide the care your clients need, ensuring you have all necessary medication, food and drink and that you are available to take them to important appointments. Your clients may also rely on you for social interaction, so any last-minute disruptions to your routine could be upsetting for them, and may even have an impact on their health.
Observant
You will be spending time with vulnerable people, who may have deteriorating physical and mental health. A big part of your role as a carer is to take notice of early warning signs. Good examples are where a client gains or loses weight, refuses food or drink, struggles to get words out or becomes increasingly confused. You should be perceptive enough to notice these changes and report them to their loved ones or a medical professional.
These are just some of the things you will need to consider before starting a care franchise, but there are many more.
Are you looking to start your own care franchise? Browse all franchise opportunities here at Franchise UK
Starting a care franchise can be rewarding, but it can also be profitable and flexible too. You can be your own boss, set your own working hours and build a strong business providing vital support in your loan area. We have some of the most trusted names in the care sector available for franchising here on Franchise UK. Browse opportunities here or get in touch with us to find out more.
Browse care franchises at Franchise UK.