How to Create an Assisted Living Facility

Did you know that there are over 28,000 assisted living facilities in the United States according to the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL)? These facilities are home to over 1 million people. Each facility is unique and different in the number of residents it can house and the services it provides. Today’s blog is focused on helping you understand the process of creating an assisted living facility and keep it running successfully.

The first step in creating an assisted living facility is creating a plan and setting goals. What do you want your facility to accomplish? How are you getting the building and the necessary tools? What is your business plan? What is your business going to be called? These questions and many more may arise when getting started. The Wildflower of Rigby started with the goal of helping the elderly age with dignity. Because we were taking over The Gardens of Rigby this meant we were focused primarily on updating the facilities, finding and training staff, and improving upon the foundation that was there.

The second step is creating a legal entity and getting licensed. In Idaho, applicants for a residential care license must do the following:

• Be at least 21 years old
• Be of good moral character (as verified by a criminal background check)
• Complete a specialized course or program
• Pass the Idaho laws exam
• Pass the National Association of Long Term Care Administrators Boards (NAB) exam or the Idaho Facility Administrator competency test administered by DBA headmaster

In Idaho, there is also a cost to getting the license. It costs $100 to apply, and $100 annually. Usually, the building must also be evaluated and floor plans submitted. The cost and needs vary from state to state. As an addition to this step, after creating the legal entity and getting licensed, don’t forget to register for taxes with your state and federal government. Usually, you’ll need to apply for an EIN (Employer Identification Number). This also ensures you can pay your new employees and have their taxes taken out too.

The third step would be to get your accounting in order. Usually, you’d want to set up an account for the business or under the operating LLC’s name along with a business credit card. You’ll also want to set up insurance for your building and business. As a small business, you may not be able to set up insurance for employees just yet, but you’ll want to look into it.

The fourth step is to set up your website! This step is very fun, but ensure that you get someone who knows what they’re doing. Many new businesses will try and have the founder do it all, or grab someone they know who claims they can do it for them. I can assure you, it’s safer for your business to go with someone who has more experience in the field of web design. A professional web designer can ensure your site is fully functioning and professionally designed with all the right tools for your business. You’ll also want to set up your phone system so that when visitors to your site want to see your facilities or talk about placing a loved one in your facility, you can speak to them.

Finally, you’ll want to define your brand. This is done by blogs, social media posts, working on SEO, and a little bit of paper or tv ads wouldn’t hurt. You want to ensure that the facility is seen by your target audience. One of the best things for promoting an assisted living facility is word of mouth. If you ensure that your current residents are taken care of, they will talk about you!

This isn’t every detail that goes into creating an assisted living facility, but it is a good idea of what goes into it. There’s a lot of work that goes into creating a facility. We hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create an assisted living facility.

References:

https://www.49dollaridahoregisteredagent.com/occupational-licenses/residential-care-administrator

https://www.grovemenus.com/how-to-start-assisted-living-facility

https://howtostartanllc.com/business-ideas/assisted-living