Simple Q&A: about Ashoka care

 

1.   Who you are?

I am a registered nurse having over 30 years’ experience in healthcare setting. Have compassion for caring people.

 

2.   Why you are in business?

Years ago, when my parents were at their 70^th, they need some help to safely staying home. Later, my father’s mental health declined and broke his hip, my mother could not do it all, so they need more help.  Tried to hire people to help but because personality conflicts, there were always problems. Parents did not want to go to any care facility in China due to poor quality of care. At the time, I started to want to build my own senior facility using my own idea in China. So many years past, now my parents are in a care facility which relatively acceptable and as myself getting older, I want a senior care facility I want to live in and thinking most seniors would have same feelings. That is why I am in this business.

 

3.   What you do?

To serve aged Chinese Americans. Build one home like care facility for seniors and provide personalized care to the residents.

 

4.   How you do it?

One big house with 6 different apartments attached. Based on how the business goes, we could build more of these kinds of houses for seniors or people with disabilities to move in.

The public area has a bathroom, kitchen, living room and dining room.                       Each apartment has its own bathroom, kitchen. It could be a studio, one bedroom apartment, or two bedroom apartment. Each apartment has its own door open to outside and there is also a door open to public area (dining room or living room). The inside door can be closed as resident’s preference and ability but not blocked. The caregiver has keys for each apartment.   

There is one office area beside the living room for caregiver and bookkeeper.

The house’s every door is wheelchair accessible.

There is call light system in the house for each room (bathroom, kitchen, living room and bedrooms); it will give the residents convenience to get help.

There are bars all over the house to help residents to hold to be steady.

There is one care personal on shift and 24 hours stay in the house. The caregiver on shift is responsible for all the residents in the house and provides services in need.

There is one nurse, one maintenance person, one driver on call 24 hours to make sure the residents and caregiver has back up plan if anything happens.

Have contract with local hospital to receive residents who ever is sick needing medical care.

 

5.   Where you operate?

In Oregon.

 

6.   How you will generate profits?

Residents pay for apartment rent and care fee. After using for caregiver’s wages, operating cost and maintenance, the left over payment will be the profit.

 

7.   Who your customers are?

Seniors in Eugene, Springfield area, and people with severe disabilities will be my customers. We will accept private pay, Medicare and Medicaid payments.

 

8.   Why your business is important?

My facility is just like a home but have a safe net for seniors. It is like renting apartment and has an independent living but caregiving is readily available.

Americans are getting gray so as the world. Senior care is in need and even more in the near future. I believe by the time my facility starts operate, there will be more seniors need help.

For seniors, it is very important to be some independent and also to know that they are going to be well cared for when they need it. And they are not going to be a burden to their family and children when they lost their ability to care of themselves.

For families, it is important to know their loved ones are well taking cared for and they do not need to worry and they can visit 24/7. Ashoka care will have it all!

My facility will serve multiple cultures especially Chinese Americans. The caregiver will be bilingual with Chinese and English. There will be Chinese entertainments, exercises, spiritual services and so on. There also are English cultural treatments.

There are more and more Chinese came to the US and they miss their own culture, especially when they are getting old and retired. Their children grown up in America and would not able to provide the services they wanted as Chinese. Here in my senior facility, they can speak Chinese, cook and eat Chinese food, play Chinese mahjong, listen or sing Chinese opera etc. They also can dance like Chinese and exercise like the way they always did in China.