News
Success Achieved by Private Pay Pioneer
- By: USAging
- On: 11/05/2015 14:18:10
- In: Hot Topics in Aging
Steve Farnham, Executive Director of the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, located in northern Maine, says his agency is a private pay pioneer, with nearly 20 years of experience providing in-home care services like housekeeping, personal care and nutrition services.
We learned about Steve's agency's track record of success when he responded to a recent newsletter quick poll that asked our members if they offer private pay services.
“This is a rural community with few providers of these services so we seized the opportunity to fill the need,” says Farnham. He went on to note, “For the fiscal year just completed, our ElderCare business generated $1.2 million—about half of our total budget and private pay represented about 10% of that business line.”
Farnham says they realized years ago that they needed to expand their sources of revenue beyond OAA-funded programs or face an uncertain future in which they might not exist as a standalone enterprise. The quick poll responses mirror the findings of our 2014 AAA Survey, which found that 25 percent of AAAs currently offer private pay services and another 40 percent say they are evaluating opportunities to get involved in the future.