By Steve Moran
I was invited to deliver the closing keynote at the Arkansas Residential Assisted Living Association annual conference in November. It was their first time gathering since the pandemic, and they are in a tremendous rebuilding process with amazing leadership.
When I have time, I love to visit senior living communities that are doing something unusual. The day after the conference, I spent the morning with Koy Butler, the president of House of Three, who has a remarkable senior living organization.
The Obvious Story (the nonobvious story is below, and more remarkable than the obvious)
He figured out that in the state of Arkansas, you are allowed to provide care to up to three individuals without needing a license. He started with one home and currently owns eight homes that each care for three residents. At this point you’re thinking … “This is nuts; he can’t make any money.”
You’re right, but you are wrong. Much of this is pinned on one big question: What kind of life do you want to build for yourself? Another way of looking at it is this: “How much money do you really need to be happy?”
The Way It Works
This is not possible to do in many states for a variety of reasons, but I offer you this story as stimulation to ask yourself, are there things that are possible that you can’t really imagine right now, that would give you the financial results and lifestyle you want?
- It is only private pay, charging around $7,000 per month.
- They offer a residential alternative to private pay skilled nursing and assisted living.
- It is not for everyone.
- He staffs it 24/7 using a “fireman’s schedule”: two-and-a-half days on equals a full-time paycheck
- There is always at least one person on duty, but back-up is readily available 24/7.
- They can do just about anything that is within the scope of the license of the person performing specific care duties.
Most importantly, these residents are living in a home, something similar to what they grew up in and what they experienced for 40, 50, 60 years of their adult lives. This is something traditional big box senior living can never provide.
It is also not for everyone.
Happiness
Koy’s business is still growing, and he does not have a real sense of what his “right size” is yet.
No matter what that right size is, it will likely never amount to the total number of beds in a single large community.
He is not the only one. There are other operators that don’t have much status in the current world of senior living that most of us inhabit. You will never see them on stages or in articles. They have just a few goals:
- Creating a great living experience in their local marketplace for a few older people
- Creating a great working experience where people love coming to work every day
- Making enough money to live the life experience that makes them happy
They have figured out that more money, more personal wealth, and more status do not automatically mean more happiness, but that they do automatically mean more headache and worry.
Maybe the question we each need to ask is this: What does a good life really look like?
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
I live in Oregon were care homes are strictly regulated. I solved the problem by having a home/village where the spouse or caregiver still provides the care but in surrounding that provides education and support 24/7. We also offer specialized adult day care for the community and residents. We keep the families together throughout dementia, Parkinson’s and brain injury progression. Combined with exercise, Rock Steady gym for Parkinson’s, support groups, water aerobics, massage, sauna, physical therapy and diet we work hard to slow the symptoms and provide quality of live for all involved, including the caregivers. The house is private pay $2900 per month for each apartment per couple and the day care will be covered by private and state funds.
Forget Me Not Village.org
This is really cool. Sounds like it might be a story for us to do if you are willing.
that would be awesome. Thank you, Pam
I’m in Oregon!! Pamela Speta, so glad we BOTH read about Steve’s time with Koy Butler and his House of Three. (I just posted it on LinkedIn as my weekly Enthused Day Tuesday share out.) I’m VERY interested in knowing about the function of your village! (I was an in-home caregiver for nearly 100 individuals over an 8 year period. More recently, I am the LinkedIn #AgingEnthusiast and a video podcaster/LIVEstreamer of Aspects of Aging conversations as part of my resource Website: Aging Better Network. There’s quite a few reasons to get together in-person and on screen. What a delightful concept. ARE YOU THE FOUNDER?
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Yes, I am the founder. I would love to get together. my contact information is on the website forgetmenotvillage.org
Great story Steve and thanks for visiting with us at the Arkansas Residential Assisted Living Association’s annual conference. What the story did not bring out is what a classy guy Koy Butler is and the devotion he has to his business. He has had to fight hard and sometimes even go to court to provide his service. Rather than viewing him as a competitor, our industry needs to embrace his ideas.
It is so sad that he has had to work so hard to make needed changes. I too have had my own issues. I believe that the more “Good” we do, the more “Bad” has to work to stop it. If we all reach out together, we can change the way we all live as seniors. Thank you Steve for your amazing website and information.