How to Run an Adult Family Home
An adult family home (AFH) is an alternate option for seniors who do not wish to live at home alone. It is shared living space for seniors that provides the comforts and safetly of a home plus some additional services and assistance. An AFH is licensed to provide housing and basic care services for up to six adults in a regular house in a residential neighborhood. The typical AFH also provides 24-hour supervision, medical supervision, housekeeping, transportation, personal care assistance and even some social activities. The start-up phase of an AFH includes obtaining licenses, securing permits as well as passing inspections.
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Things You'll Need
- Licensed adult family home
- Filing system
- Computer (with MS Office including Word and Excel is preferable)
- Scanner (optional)
- Calendar
- Telephone
- Residents
- Staff
- Transportation
Instructions
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Make sure that your home is in compliance with all health and safety guidelines at all times. Fire alarms, fire extinguishers and even emergency fire escape plans are just a few considerations that you will want to monitor even after the business is established. Emergency numbers, contacts, safety policies and procedures should be visible and accessible.
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Connect with agencies like the Department of Aging and Department of Health & Social Services for guidelines, referrals and other pertinent information. Building relationships with local state agencies can be beneficial to the development, maintenance and growth of your business. File all necessary paperwork required by state and local authorities.
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Enroll clients. Review candidates and their needs and decide who will be residing at your AFH. Arrange for residents to move in.
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Establish responsibilities. This will be based upon the needs of the residents and the type of care required. Tasks may range from grocery shopping and cooking to administering medication and scheduling doctor appointments. General office management tasks should include filing, bookkeeping and paperwork. Some responsibilities will be daily, weekly or monthly, but this step will help assess staffing needs.
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Hire staff. Depending upon your needs and budget you will need to consider hiring personnel who will assist with daily operations. A part-time nurse, a bookkeeper or accountant, activity coordinator, caregiver and house manager are just a few of the roles that may be needed to run your facility. Sometimes one person may take on multiple roles, particularly during the start-up phase, but at some point it may become necessary to delegate tasks to those who are most capable.
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Create a calendar. You will need to schedule appointments, meal times, staff hours and other activities. You may wish to create a spreadsheet along with your calendar to keep track of important dates, deadlines and appointments for record- keeping purposes.
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Create a filing system. Everything from receipts and licenses to permits and doctor referrals will need to be kept in a file. You may wish to scan important documents so that you have a hard copy as well as digital copy on hand.
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Stay current. You will want to stay on top of any new laws, policies, procedures, licenses and permits that are relevant to your field. This includes your staff. Ensure that all certifications (i.e., first aid, CPR) are current and active.
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Tips & Warnings
Running an AFH also requires good organizational, problem solving and management skills as well as patience, endurance and a genuine desire to serve people.
Remember that this is a business. Courtesy and professionalism go a long way.
Keep accurate records when it comes to business expenditures. It may be well worth the investment to hire an accountant or financial consultant who will help manage the financial component of the business.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit elderly/women/ visitors entering together image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
