It’s definitely our best edition yet, and with nearly 200 pages of industry benchmarks and best practices, we know it will be one of the most powerful investments you make for your business all year. Plus, for one more week, you can get a copy of the 2013 Study for only $249 (vs. $299) when you register for next Thursday’s webinar.

This is the most comprehensive national study on home care, with features like:

• The industry’s latest statistics on finance, operations, sales, and quality
• More national and regional benchmarks than ever before
• Comparisons to the industry’s leading agencies
• State licensing requirements
• A wealth of articles and resources from industry experts

Click here to learn more about the 2013 Study, or order your copy with our upcoming webinar on the study results.

In this live one-hour webinar, Aaron will highlight the latest national and regional benchmarks on:

• Profit & Loss
• Leading Agencies
• Client Growth
• Recruitment & Retention

…And more! This is a great way to get the most out of your copy of the 2013 Study. Aaron will provide insights into this year’s trends and statistics, as well as how you can use Your Personalized Report (if you completed the Online Survey) to compare your agency and create new strategies.

Don’t miss out on these exclusive insights. Register now. This webinar will be recorded for those who register, and will include a Q&A session with Aaron.

Click here to register.

Sponsors

Because of high demand from participants and explosive traffic to our online survey, we’ve extended the deadline to participate in the 2013 Study to Friday, March 8th!

Hundreds of home care business owners have already taken advantage of this study to see how they’re performing and where to focus their attention in 2013.

We hope that by extending the deadline an additional week, more agencies will be able to participate and get their free 2013 Instant Personalized Report and 40% off the Complete 2013 Edition.

If you haven’t participated yet, we encourage you to download the Prep Worksheet and take the survey at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com by Friday, March 8th.

>> Click here to prepare for the survey.

If you’ve already participated, remember to pre-order the Complete 2013 Edition at 40% off with your participant promo code by March 31st.

>> Click here to pre-order the 2013 Edition.

As a reminder, those who completed the survey by the initial deadline, February 28th, will be entered into our Participation Prize Drawing for a chance to win one of four $100 Visa Gift Cards or one $250 Visa Gift Card. The winners will be notified by email on March 4th.

Thank you for helping make the 2013 Study a success! If you have any questions, please contact our Support Team at study@homecarepulse.com or (877) 307-8573.

With hundreds of agencies participating around the country, the Annual Private Duty Benchmarking Study is the largest national study on the home care industry. The study features national and regional benchmarks on finance, marketing/sales, operations, quality, and much more.

The Official Study Survey is open online February 1-28 at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com. Here you will find all the information you need to participate in the study. When you participate by completing the survey, you will receive Your 2013 Instant Personalized Report, provided free to you by Home Care Pulse and Rosemark Home Care Management System. This powerful report provides all of your agency’s Key Performance Indicators – like growth, loss, and turnover – to compare against industry benchmarks.

We believe that these benchmarks are powerful tools that will help you grow your home care business. Download the Prep Worksheet at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com to prepare now.

If you have any questions about the 2013 Private Duty Benchmarking Study, please contact Home Care Pulse at (877) 307-8573 or email us at study@homecarepulse.com.

Watch for email reminders and other updates from Home Care Pulse throughout the month!

Let me try to illustrate this.  You, your office staff, and your care team are all front stage performers.   The back stage of your business is everything that supports the success of the front stage.  The back stage of your business includes your billing systems,  caregiver trainings, recruitment systems, filing systems, sales procedures and training, orientation, retention strategies, and so much more.   Perhaps one of the most important components of your back stage performance is your retention strategy.   With baby boomers turning 75 and older over the next decade, the importance of keeping your best caregivers will become increasingly important.   There are many elements that make up a strong and effective retention strategy.   In this article, I will focus on one in particular, a Caregiver Mentor Program.

What is a Caregiver Mentor Program?  It is a formalized training program focused on building confidence, satisfaction, and retention among both your best Caregivers and your clients.   SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, estimated that it costs $3,500.00 to replace one $8.00 per hour employee when all costs — recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, reduced productivity, et cetera, were considered. SHRM’s estimate was the lowest of 17 nationally respected companies who calculate this cost!   A strong Caregiver Mentor Program, can be a great way of keeping a keen focus on keeping your best caregivers and avoiding these types of expenses.

Here are a few benefits to implementing a successful Caregiver Mentor Program:

• Focuses your retention program on your best Caregivers
• Provides a “Career Ladder” for your Caregivers
• Produces better trained Caregivers
• Accountability for newer Caregivers
• Produces greater confidence among Team Members and Caregivers
• Helps clients feel safer and more secure
• Helps drive client and employee satisfaction
• Helps drive client and employee referrals
• Empowers your entire team

Next, let’s explore four simple steps to implement a successful Caregiver Mentor Program.

Formalize these four aspects of your Caregiver Mentor Program:

1. Mentor and Team selection process

a)      You and your office team automatically qualify as mentors.

b)      Caregiver Mentors should have (1) very little personal baggage, (2) have been with your company for at least six months, and (3) have good leadership skills.

c)       You and/or your office team are the Mentor Leads

d)      Every Caregiver Mentor chosen is assigned to a Mentor Lead

e)      Mentor Leads can be on more than one team

f)       New caregivers (employed less than 60-days) are assigned to a Mentor Team

2. The Program and Compensation Structure

a)      New caregivers are enrolled and assigned prior to orientation

b)      Caregiver Mentors provide hands on training with the new caregiver during their first shift (approx. 2 hours)

c)       Mentor Leads conduct weekly coaching calls with the new caregivers

d)      Mentor Leads are incentivized through by rewarding them for every new caregiver who graduates.  Graduation takes place after 60-days.

e)      Caregiver Mentors can be compensated by increasing their pay $1-2 an hour

3. Mentor Training for ALL Mentors

a)      All Mentors are certified and trained before they begin working with new caregivers

b)      Mentor Leads should shadow your best caregivers so they can gain some experience in how the care is provided

c)       The formalized training program should include hands on training, procedures, coaching calls, etc.

d)      Upon graduation, provide them with a “Certified Mentor” certificate.   When they help a new caregiver graduate, they receive a sticker they can put on their certificate that signifies they helped another caregiver succeed through their first 60-days.

4. Program Promotion (Let prospects and Caregivers know you have it!)

a)      Let our referral sources know you have this program!  Anything that you do different and provides value should be promoted!

A well implemented Caregiver Mentor Program can make a difference to the overall “Client Experience,” otherwise known as your front stage performance.   If you would like to learn more about this program, I conducted a full one hour presentation recently that goes into far more detail than I can capture in this article.   If you are interested in a copy of this webinar, please contact Home Care Pulse at info@homecarepulse.com.

The 2012 Study by Home Care Pulse and NPDA is the largest, most trusted study on finance, operations, marketing, and more from the private duty home care industry, including statistics on:

• Profit & Loss
• Referral Growth
• Wages & Benefits
• Marketing & Sales
• Geographical Regions
• Leading Agencies
• Companionship Exemption

With nearly 200 pages of full-color graphs and charts, comparisons to the nation’s leading home care agencies, and articles from industry experts, the 2012 Private Duty Benchmarking Report will be one of the best investments you make for your home care business this year.

Order now www.privatedutybenchmarking.com/order. Or preview the report by downloading the free 2012 Highlights Edition from Home Care Pulse at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com/2012-report.

Official Proof of Quality from Home Care Pulse includes agency certification through Home Care Pulse Certified™ and national awards through Best of Home Care®.

Proof of Quality is a powerful promotional tool because it:

• Reassures families that their loved ones will be cared for and watched over for more satisfied clients.
• Reinforces their decision to contract with you for more closed inquiries and assessments.
• Shows caregivers that you’re committed to quality care and satisfaction for stronger recruitment and retention.
• Proves to referral sources like home health agencies, nurse managers, and doctors that your care is superior for more client referrals.

Home Care Pulse is proud to announce new awards and recognitions for 2013, which will give you even more opportunities to promote your home care business!

Note, Best of Home Care will be awarded this January based on 2012 criteria, so these new criteria will be the guidelines going forward.

See the new awards and recognitions now! Go to www.homecarepulse.com/awards.

Grecilda Lumbay (Manila, Philippines)

“From poverty to employing 50 individuals.”

Grecilda started a business in order to ensure providing food for her family every night.  She bought rice cakes and sold them to add to the family income. She also learned to make and market fried cheese sticks. Her average income grew to $14 per day. This was a decent income, but still not enough to adequately provide for her seven children or give them an education. She continuously sought more capital for her business, but high interest rates overburdened her and barely added to the income.

In 2009, Grecilda learned about Mentors International. Her first microloan of $65 helped her purchase raw materials, and slowly but surely, her business started to grow.  Now Grecilda employs 50 additional people and receives $65 per day. She recently received an annual business loan from Mentors International for $2,500. Her oldest child is in college and two others are currently attending high school.

Grecilda is a great example of what your donations can do; not only for families, but for entire communities. Through Mentors International and the contributions of our donors, Grecilda is lifting her family and the 50 individuals she employs out of poverty.

We invite you to make a donation to Mentors International to help fund microloans for struggling small business owners like Grecilda. Visit the Mentors International donation page by clicking here. Your donations are gifts that perpetually give to help strengthen economies, increase jobs, and brighten the futures of many. As loans are repaid, more individuals can benefit.

Make a Donation >>

Rosalinda Amoguis (Manila, Philippines)

“She gave her children opportunities that she never had.”

Rosalinda Amoguis has been a client with Mentors Philippines for the past eight years. Before she joined Mentors International, she only only generated $2 per day in gross sales from her store.

Rosalinda joined Mentors International through the encouragement of a neighbor. Her first microloan in 2003 was for only $45, with which she purchased inventory for her small food store. Now, eight years later, Rosalinda’s current loan is for $600 – an amount that has allowed her to dramatically increase the size of her store and her income.

Because of increased income, Rosalinda and her husband have been able to support three of their children in earning degrees and their fourth child who has just begun his studies. All three of her graduate children are gainfully employed and Rosalinda feels that this is her greatest success.

We invite you to make a donation to Mentors International to help fund microloans for struggling small business owners like Rosalinda. Visit the Mentors International donation page by clicking here. Your donations are gifts that perpetually give to help strengthen economies, increase jobs, and brighten the futures of many. As loans are repaid, more individuals can benefit.

Make a Donation >>

Carmen Vilchez (Lima, Peru)

“She overcame her fears and started her own business.”

Carmen Vilchez started sewing for a clothing shop at age 20 and discovered it was her passion. She began taking every opportunity to learn and expand her knowledge of making patterns and clothing designs.

When Carmen discovered Mentors International, she quit her job at the clothing shop and started her own business. Carmen’s first micro loan was for $185 which she used to buy materials. She took orders for custom dresses from a shopping center, and her business grew.

At age 36, Carmen now employs her mom, aunt, sister, and a friend. Because of faithful repayment over the last five years, she now has a loan from Mentors International for $1300.  Like many other Peruvians, Carmen and faced debilitating economic roadblocks but is now reaching her dreams and providing for her three children because of a micro loan through Mentors International.

We invite you to make a donation to Mentors International to help fund microloans for struggling small business owners like Carmen. Visit the Mentors International donation page by clicking here. Your donations are gifts that perpetually give to help strengthen economies, increase jobs, and brighten the futures of many. As loans are repaid, more individuals can benefit.

Make a Donation >>