Business Ideas in Romania

A desperately needed and lucrative service - better senior care

• Posted by Sara on November 7th, 2006 filed in Homes and housing

Opportunity: Private nursing homes

Like most European states, Romania’s population is aging rapidly. This trend is exacerbated by the widespread emigration of the younger population - 2-3 million Romanians are estimated to work abroad. In many towns, only elderly people remain. For young people working abroad to earn higher incomes, this creates many worries over how to ensure quality care for their parents at home. The solution is usually hiring a full-time caretaker. However, this is not a professional service and caretakers are not trained, supervised or held accountable.

This opens an opportunity for creating private nursing homes that offer a comfortable environment, quality medical service (which would be supported by the state health insurance), nutritious meals, and social activities. As for location, a good choice is a rural site in the areas of origin for the most emigrants, with easy access by car or rail.
In order to ensure easy acceptance by residents, it is important to create the right combination of traditional setting and modern amenities. For example, many elderly citizens have always cared for a garden and are hesitant to abandon it. And, as nursing home sites need not be in urban or tourist areas, the price for land is low, allowing for a large garden that residents can care for. It is also essential to provide easy, friendly means of communication, including international phone lines, video conferencing, assistance with email and computer use.
Some doubt that such a service would be easily accepted, as nursing homes in Romania have a terrible reputation. However, the run-down, state-owned buildings that pass as ‘nursing homes’ offer abysmal service, are very poorly administrated, and understandably carry social stigma. Ensuring a high level of service and primarily targeting people living and earning income abroad, with no real alternatives for parent care, will increase acceptance of this new model.