Home health care as a practice tends to conjure up a specific image of a long-term arrangement between an in-home aide and an elderly patient who needs help with daily life, from getting out of bed to preparing meals and medications. While this is certainly the most common use of home health care, it is far from its only application. One entrepreneurial woman discovered this when she opened her own home healthcare facility, Home First Healthcare.
Hannah Hanshaw combined her passion for business with her previous experience as a certified nursing assistant to get Home First off the ground, but ran into trouble when she found out she needed to wait a year before it could be accredited by the state; this affected her ability to receive referrals for clients and could have meant financial ruin for the budding entrepreneur. Fortunately, she was familiar with pushing the envelope to find new paths to success: she decided to provide specialized services for those recovering from cosmetic and orthopedic surgery and is even considering expanding into chemotherapy and dialysis aftercare.
“After these treatments, you’re wiped out and some of these people are handling these issues alone, so what I have is a customized recovery program and plan for individuals that may need help in the home.”
It’s an excellent business strategy: nearly $13.3 billion is spent on cosmetic procedures each year, so the market is certainly booming. Recovery after such procedures, particularly invasive ones such as breast augmentation or those involving the face and eyes, can be a difficult and painful process. The experience is not dissimilar from common surgery: mobility will most likely be limited, and doing even the most basic of tasks can feel akin to climbing Mount Everest in gym shorts and a t-shirt — you’re going to need help.
Employing a home health aide, even if it’s just for the week or two following your surgery, can help you prevent common mistakes that can actually prolong your healing process, and will give your body the time it needs to rest and recover without worry or stress. Hanshaw’s specific attention to those that may require extra help, even if they aren’t aware of it, is what makes Home First so special.
Having previously opened and maintained a restaurant, Hanshaw was forced to shut it down when her youngest son was diagnosed with autism; her 15-hour days were keeping her from her children as it was, and the news of his diagnosis was the last straw.
“I wanted my next business venture to be able to not only provide for them but also not keep me away from them. I don’t care how ambitious I am in life…I want to be known as a good mother.”
Around 88% of home healthcare workers are female — if a mere handful of that percentage is as caring, devoted, and intelligent as Hannah Hanshaw is, the world will shine just a little bit brighter.
