The Senior's Choice It's a no-brainer: Making life more comfortable for seniors and their families.
By Devlin Smith
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Susan Dost has a simple wish: She wants seniors to be able to stay in their homes for as long as possible. That's why she joined The Senior's Choice last year to provide Los Angeles-area seniors with in-home, nonmedical care.
Dost employs 36 caregivers who work in clients' homes from four to 24 hours each day. These caregivers run errands, prepare meals, do light housekeeping and provide companionship. Clients can also call Dost's home office any time for information on events and activities--everything from locating the nearest Bingo game to requesting Laker tickets.
The benefits of this opportunity are endless for Dost, who named her franchise Sheridan Assisted Living Inc. (www.sheridancare.com) after her grandmother. "It's helping a senior and helping their family because it's taking the burden off the children who were in the home taking care of them, and it also employs people," she says. "I'm really helping two people--I'm putting someone to work in a job they love, and I'm helping a senior and their family."
Like the caregivers themselves, Dost has endless enthusiasm for her business. "If I see someone in a wheelchair or a walker, I've been known to get out of the car and start talking about my company and my services," she says. "I have a lot of confidence in this business model, and it works, so that leads me to approach people at the grocery store and see people at the post office and just get out there."
Even though talking about her business and building her client base can be a 24-hour thing, Dost's first priority is her 10-year-old son. "There's nothing like being at home and being a mother--even though I'm running a business, he knows I'm right here," she says. "To me, that's a big gift I'm giving him by staying home."
