Starting a Personal Care Home

This document is a guide prepared by the Canada-Saskatchewan Business Service Centre and is intended to provide you with general information and suggested resources to assist you in researching your project. The extent to which this information will apply to you is dependent upon the circumstances related to your project.
 
For further information on individual topics identified herein, contact the respective governing body or the Canada-Saskatchewan Business Service Centre Because this document is only meant as a guide, the Business Service Centre will not accept responsibility for business decisions made based on the information provided.

Before proceeding, reference should be made to the Business Start-up Info-Guide,which covers the basic steps involved in establishing a new business in Saskatchewan; as well as the document titled A Current Index of Business Fact Sheets. These fact sheets cover a wide variety of business topics. Be sure and also request the Sources of Information and Required Licenses for your area or view these on our Business Fact Sheets  Web site.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Industry Overview
• Licenses and Regulations
• Managing Your Operation
• Associations and Contacts
• Education and Training
• Resources
• Recommended Internet Web Site

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Personal Care Homes are homes which offer meals, accommodation, laundry service and assistance and/or supervision with personal care. These homes are not government-subsidized; they are privately owned and independently operated by licensees who reside in Saskatchewan. Licensees do not necessarily have to reside in the buildings.

As a minimum requirement the homes provide 24-hour supervision, laundry, supervision of grooming, bathing, dressing and nail care, transportation arrangements, safeguarding medications and home-based social and recreational activities.

What To Consider Before Opening A Personal Care Home?
Persons who are interested in opening and operating Personal Care Homes are encouraged to do a feasibility study. They are advised to assess their own skills and abilities, determine the clientele they can care for, explore the need for another home in the area, make themselves aware of (and known by) the referring agencies, and set out a projected budget of expected costs and anticipated income.

SIC codes
Canadian 1980 standard industrial classification codes for various industries.

Sample SIC Codes:

• P8621 - Homes for Personal & Nursing Care
• P8634 - Home Care Services (Including Home Nursing)

NAICS
A few years ago, the statistical bodies of Canada, the United States and Mexico got together to come up with a classification that was the same for all three countries, so that data collected in all three countries on a specific industry could be compared accurately across country boundaries. This system is called the "North American Industrial Classification System" or NAICS (pronounced "nakes")

Sample NAICS codes are:

• 623110 - Personal Care Homes

Market Research
Successful businesses have extensive knowledge about their customers and their competitors. Acquiring accurate and specific information about your customers and competitors is a critical first step in market investigation and development of a marketing plan.

In developing a marketing plan, your primary functions are to understand the needs and desires of your customer, select or develop a product or service that will meet customer needs, develop promotional material that will make the customer aware and ensure product or service delivery.

For further information regarding marketing see the document  Market Analysis, the document Guide To Market Research and Analysis,  the document Marketing Plan Outline, or the document  Recommended Information - Demographics/Statistics.

LICENSES AND REGULATIONS

One area of rules and regulations that all new businesses must comply with is that of licenses and regulations. When creating a business, the entrepreneur must contact the municipality involved, along with the provincial/territorial and federal governments.

Each municipal government has the authority to issue its own business licenses within its jurisdiction. Since there is no uniformity throughout the country regarding municipal licenses for businesses, you should consult with the appropriate local officials to determine whether your business will be affected by local regulations and licensing requirements. Businesses (including home-based businesses) must also meet the zoning by-laws that control property uses in their municipalities.

Personal Care Homes licensees must comply with municipal requirements including bylaws established by zoning authorities, fire safety requirements monitored by Fire Inspectors, and building standards as set out in the National Building Code.

Examples of licenses and regulations that could apply to you when starting your business may include, but are not limited to:

Options for registering your business name
The majority of Personal Care Homes currently in existence are private enterprises, either under ownership of a sole proprietor or proprietors who are partners. Some persons are looking for ways whereby their community can provide a service and make it possible for long time residents in the community to remain there; these persons might decide to form a Cooperative or a non-profit board in order to set up a Personal Care Home.

Licenses
Personal Care Home licenses are normally issued for one year. Consultants from the Personal Care Homes Unit visit the homes to inspect, monitor and follow-up on the provision of care and service to residents who live there.

How Do you Apply for a Personal Care Homes License?

In order to apply you will have to speak to one of the Ministry of Health consultants with the Personal Care Home Program (Saskatoon 306-933-5843 / Regina 306-787-1715 ).  For further information you can visit the Personal Care Homes  page on the Ministry of Health's Web site, which includes:

• Application form for the person applying for the license,
• Criminal record check for the licensee and every person (18 years of age and over) who would be living in the personal care home, and who is not a resident,
• Current Standard First Aid Certificate,
• Current Food Service Sanitation Certificate,
• Personal Care Home Workers' Certificate,
• Three character references,
• Evidence of attendance at a Personal Care Homes Orientation,
• Zoning approval from the municipality,
• Satisfactory fire inspection,
• Confirmation of commercial general liability insurance,
• Security bond is required for homes with greater than 20 in residence, 
• Drawings of the potential personal care home, and
• Other information relating to business plans, etc. is required from homes that plan to accommodate more than 10 persons.

Source:  Personal Care Homes Act

What Legislation Governs Personal Care Homes?
The Personal Care Homes Act was proclaimed on October 1, 1991 and governs the homes. The Personal Care Homes regulations stipulate the care and services which must be provided for the residents. Some homes had existed informally for many years and had been providing care for persons. Since proclamation of the Act, all homes must be inspected and licensed, and they are monitored regularly to determine whether they comply with legislation. Any home which provides personal care and which is not licensed under another legislating body (such as Mental Health or Residential Services) must be licensed under the Personal Care Homes Act, or else must cease to operate.

The Regulations include stipulations such as the provision of safe care, structural requirements for the building, bedroom sizes, numbers of bathrooms, sizes of living room and dining room areas, and bedroom furnishings.

The Personal Care Homes Act, Regulations and Amendments available through Queen's Printer, Saskatchewan Justice toll-free 1-800-226-7302:  Personal Care Homes Act

Health Regulations and Requirements
All Personal Care Homes must comply with The Personal Care Homes Act, Regulation and Licensees' Handbook. In order to begin business operations, the establishment must first obtain a personal care home license.

For further information regarding Health Regulations and Requirements, see the document A Current Index of Business Fact Sheets and choose the Sources of Information and Required Licenses for your area and locate the Public Health Inspector nearest you.

Basic Education Requirements

• Basic Food Service Sanitation Course certificate
  • for every staff member who participates in the preparation of meals for residents.
• Basic or Standard First Aid Course certificate
  •  for every staff member
• On or after April 1, 2004 every staff member must complete/have completed a course that is of at least 16 hours, that covers the provision of personal care and that is recognized by the department.

For more information see Section Education and Training below.

Source: The Personal Care Homes Regulations, 1996 (PDF)

For further information regarding personal care homes, please contact:
Personal Care Homes Program
Community Care Branch
Saskatchewan Health
3475 Albert Street
Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 6X6
Telephone: 306-787-1715 (Regina) / 306-933-5843 (Saskatoon)
Fax: 306-787-7095

Fire Safety
The Personal Care Homes Regulations state that every potential licensee must have a fire inspection prior to the home being licensed, and every three years thereafter. As of October 1, 1994, all homes with a capacity for six or more residents are required to install an automatic sprinkler system.

For further information regarding fire safety in personal care homes, call your local fire inspector or the Office of the Fire Commissioner in Regina at 306-787-3774 or Saskatoon at 306-933-6770.

MANAGING YOUR OPERATION

Assessment of Care Needs
The care needs of each person admitted to a Personal Care Home must be assessed by an assessment agency which has been contracted by Saskatchewan Health to provide this service; in many localities this agency is Home Care. It is expected that the operator will use the information gleaned during the assessment process to establish an individual care plan for each resident.

Insurance
Upon deciding to establish a Personal Care Home business, you should obtain the expertise of an insurance agent regarding insurance coverage for your business. If you own, rather than lease your place of business, you will need insurance coverage for your property. Also, regardless of property ownership, you will require insurance protection for furniture, fixtures and equipment.

Some of the other areas you should be concerned about are liability coverage against mishaps, damages or lawsuits resulting from business operations and business interruption insurance. The Personal Care Home Regulations state that the details of insurance coverage of the home, with respect to the possessions of the residents, must be included in the admission agreement.

Staffing
The expected basic services include having staff on-site to respond to residents' care needs on a 24-hour basis. These staff persons must be adults, and their numbers must be sufficient to provide the care necessary for each resident.

The ability to hire and keep excellent employees is essential. Educate yourself in all areas of human resources--how to recruit, interview, motivate, train and develop personnel policies (wages, pension plans, benefits). Promote continuous training and upgrading through related courses and programs.

Documentation Requirements
Each operator is required to develop and maintain a recording system which ensures that information about the residents is documented in a manner which allows for ease of retrieval. The operators are also required to establish an Admission Agreement (contract) with each individual resident.

Accounting/Bookkeeping
A good record keeping system should be simple to use, easy to understand, reliable, accurate, consistent and designed to provide information on a timely basis.

The legal requirement concerning financial records specify only that they be a permanent, accurate and complete record of your daily income and expenses. There are many types of record books and bookkeeping systems available. For example:

• double entry bookkeeping;
• commercial bookkeeping systems;
• one-write systems;
• computerized systems;
• single entry bookkeeping.

For further information see the document Basic Bookkeeping, or the document  Bad Cheque Control.

Setting Up A Pay System
Pay administration is a management tool that enables you to control personnel cost, increase employee morale, and reduce work force turnover.

Selecting Professional Services
The use of professional services is essential to the success of a small business. Professionals can provide knowledge and expertise in the areas where you may have little. They can round out your management team to ensure your business is operating efficiently.

As an entrepreneur, there are four main areas of professional services with which you may consult:

1. lawyer (contact a lawyer about legal issues);
2. insurance broker;
3. accountant;
4. banker - for tips and pointers on dealing with your bank, see the document Dealing With Your Banker & Other Lenders

Checklist For Profit Watching
Making a profit is the most important -- some might say the only objective of a business. Profit measures success. It can be defined simply: revenues - expenses = profit. So, to increase profits you must raise revenues, lower expenses, or both. To make improvements you must know what's really going on financially at all times.

Purchasing an Existing Personal Care Home
If an existing Personal Care Home is purchased, the transaction is for the building only - neither the license nor the residents are included. The new owner, if he/she wishes to operate a Personal Care Home at that same address, must apply to become licensed, and complete the process prior to taking possession of the home. Offers to purchase should be conditional to the applicant receiving a personal care home license. The residents must be informed of the change in ownership, and be given the option of moving to another location if they wish to.

The application process requires the potential licensee to obtain a criminal record check on him/her self and also requires that he/she provide the Personal Care Homes Unit with three names of persons from whom character references may be obtained. Assessment of the potential operator's ability to provide appropriately for the care needs of the residents is an important consideration when deciding whether to issue a Personal Care Home License.

For further information regarding buying a business, see the document Buying A Business .

ASSOCIATIONS AND CONTACTS

Personal Care Home Association
Membership is an option for those Personal Care Home owners that wish to belong to Care Home Association .  For additional information see the document Selecting a Business Association.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Safe Food Handling Course: Public health inspectors employed by health districts and other agencies conduct courses. Please contact the public health inspector in your area for more information. SIAST offers Food Safe Level I and II; Visit the  Contact Us  Web site.

Standard First Aid and CPR Courses: Personal Care Home attendants are required to be trained in standard first aid. Standard First Aid and CPR training courses are offered through SIAST; Heart and Stroke Foundation; St. John Ambulance; Canadian Red Cross; EMP Canada; and Job Source Canada.
Contact the organization of interest in your area. For course descriptions at SIAST see the Web site,  SIAST Course Descriptions .

Personal Care Home Workers' Course:   Offered only by St. John Ambulance.

Personal Care Home Orientation Workshop: Contact the Community Care Branch of Saskatchewan Health.
A licensee must develop and implement a written orientation program for the training of new staff members as indicated in the Personal Care Homes Regulations, 1996, page 21. Orientation introduces your new employees to the business and the staff, as well as practices and culture of your company. It is, in essence, the beginning of training. Training is the teaching and learning process that occurs in the workplace - it gives your employees the ongoing knowledge and skills they need to perform their jobs.

Source: Mastering your Small Business Human Resources, Upstart Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1996, pg. 50.

Other Educational Programs:

SIAST offers a number of relevant educational courses at their locations across Saskatchewan. Contact the office near you for more information or refer to the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology  web site.

Listed below are some of the certificate/diploma programs available through SIAST:

• Home Care/Special Care Aide  is a certificate program. It provides knowledge and skill development in helping people help themselves in their homes and in special care facilities. This program is offered by SIAST Kelsey Campus, Woodland Campus and Wascana Campus;

• Basic Diabetes Education for Health Care Providers (Virtual) is an applied certificate program. It prepares health care providers with the knowledge, judgment, skills and attitudes needed to meet the health care needs of individuals with diabetes;

• Therapeutic Recreation Diploma is a diploma program. You will learn how to use treatment, education and recreation services to help people with illness, disabilities and other conditions develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their health, independence and well-being. Most of the courses are also offered via distance learning and development (virtual). This program is offered by SIAST Kelsey Campus.

RESOURCES

The CSBSC also has files started on various kinds of business topics such as personal care homes. Information located in these files includes possible suppliers, statistics, sample business plans, etc. To access the information in these files please come into the office and request the KOB file or speak to a Business Information Specialist.

Small Business Profiles - Performance Plus
Performance Plus provides detailed financial and employment data on small businesses by industry for Canada, the provinces and territories. The Profiles have been produced every two years since 1993, with 2004 being the most current reference year available. The data provide performance benchmarks for the financial planning of start-up and established small and medium sized businesses. Reports are available for:

• P8621 Homes for Personal & Nursing Care

Personal Care Homes Directory for the Saskatoon region is available in print copy only from Saskatoon District Health, Client/Patient Access Services (CPAS) at 306-655-4346 (Saskatoon).

Personal Care Homes Listing is available from Saskatchewan Health by calling 306-787-1715 (Regina) or 306-933-5843 (Saskatoon).

Recommended Standards for Ramps - Saskatchewan Housing has developed this document with illustrations. It is available in our CSBSC office.

Online Directory of Seniors' Housing in Saskatoon - The Saskatoon Public Library includes this directory on the  Online Directory of Seniors' Housing in Saskatoon  Web site.

Library
Canada-Saskatchewan Business Service Centre resource library search engine - Saskatoon Reference Library .  Once you have located a particular resource you think might be useful, please contact us at the CSBSC office and we will discuss the material with you.

RECOMMENDED INTERNET WEB SITES

Selecting a Personal Care Home Pamphlet - Publications - Personal Care Homes

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is the Government of Canada's national housing agency. Their information includes information documents on persons with disabilities. 

Saskatchewan Regional Health Governance

Saskatchewan Map Regional Health Authorities

For further information regarding starting a business, contact the:

THE INDIVIDUAL/BUSINESS/CORPORATION/PARTNERSHIP (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE CLIENT) ACKNOWLEDGES AND UNDERSTANDS THAT THE CANADA-SASKATCHEWAN BUSINESS SERVICE CENTRE DOES NOT WARRANT OR REPRESENT THE ACCURACY, SUITABILITY OR APPLICABILITY OF THIS INFORMATION AND ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE USE THEREOF BY THE CLIENT AND ANY THIRD PARTIES AND THAT THE INTERPRETATION, USE AND APPLICATION OF SUCH INFORMATION SHALL BE THE CLIENT'S SOLE RESPONSIBILITY.

• The Personal Care Homes Regulations, 1996 (PDF)
• The Personal Care Homes Act (PDF)
• Personal Care Home Licencees' Handbook
• Personal Care Homes - Complaint Reporting Form (PDF)
• Selecting a Personal Care Home
• Personal Care Homes - Common Questions

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this document is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute advice for any specific fact situation. Users concerned about the reliability of the information should consult directly with the source, or seek legal counsel.

Links Policy
Some of the hypertext links lead to non-federal government sites which are not subject to the Official Languages Act and the material is available in one language only.