An Arizona-based assisted living home franchise company is teaming up with a handyman service to optimize living spaces and allow older adults to age in place safely.
Majestic Residences, founded in 2020, provides an alternative to traditional larger assisted living and memory care communities. CEO Chuck Bongiovanni said that the company converts houses and other spaces into assisted living homes serving six to 16 residents in neighborhoods.
The company assists franchisees with state licensing, operations and marketing. Majestic Residences operates nine assisted living homes concentrated in Arizona and Texas, with 30 homes under contract. Four of those homes will open in the next two months, with the remainder under construction or in the licensing process.
With operators focusing on the care needs of the 100 residents the company now serves, Bonviovanni said he recognized a need to partner with a maintenance group to ensure that the homes are maintained and optimized for older adults. He found what he was looking for in TruBlue Total House Care.
TruBlue is a Cincinnati-based maintenance and handyman business focused on serving older adults and senior living operators. President Sean Fitzgerald said that TruBlue picks up where senior living companies leave off, providing maintenance, repairs and modifications to homes to best accommodate older residents. Fitzgerald said the company also performs home safety assessments.
“The real key differentiator is our ongoing maintenance and ‘to do’ list chores for those seniors,” Fitzgerald said, adding that the collaboration with Majestic Residence is one of several partnerships his company has focusing on helping older adults age in place. “Our partnerships with other companies, including Majestic Residences, is a great collaborative effort to help people age either in home successfully or in an alternative environment like Majestic Residences, which is designed to be more home-friendly than a nursing home.“
TruBlue typically works directly with residents or their adult children, who subscribe to the services. Under the partnership with Majestic Residences, franchise owners will have the opportunity to let TruBlue handle the tasks of home maintenance through ongoing maintenance contracts.
“Being in the home all the time, you miss the things that most people will see when they’re touring — are there rugs people can slip on, is the paint chipped from wheelchairs, are there safety rails in place?” Bongiovanni said, adding that TruBlue takes the place of a maintenance manager.
Fitzgerald said that other companies offer senior modification services to existing homes, but TruBlue is unique in its certification to work in homes of older adults. TruBlue franchise owners complete the senior home safety certification program through Age Safe America.
Falls prevention is a major focus for the company, to ensure a safe space for older adults to age in place, Fitzgerald said.
“The home environment is a big challenge these seniors are dealing with. We’re partnering to help with a collaborative effort of keeping the home environment maintained, and safety is a big piece,” he said. “That’s the value-add, that we’ve got people who know what they’re doing and taking care of the maintenance.”
Property maintenance is a major concern for families, Bongiovanni said.
“A lot of times, they are nervous about the care, so they focus on what the place looks like,” he said. “The appearance of the place can also validate what kind of care and attention to detail is being given.”
