Elder Care Comes of Age

By Courtney Perkes, The Orange County Register, Calif.

Mar. 2–COSTA MESA — At 29, Robert Rosenberg thought like a very old businessman.

He began dreaming up services to ease the indignities of aging.

Like free referrals to nursing homes. An adult diaper delivery business. Traveling podiatrists to trim toenails for the elderly.

While many people don’t think about such things until they absolutely have to, Rosenberg has built his livelihood on the inevitable process of growing older.

“I never say, ‘How old?’ — I say, ‘How young are you?’ — because I think that’s rude,” said Rosenberg, who is 44.

Orange County is graying much faster than the rest of the state and nation.

Growth locally is especially high among those 85 and older. That segment of the county will increase 26 percent by 2020. And about 438,000 people in the county are 60 and older.

“The age wave is here,” said Lynn Rodriguez, gerontology specialist for the county’s Office on Aging. “We are living longer.”

But that good news comes with an asterisk, she said.

“We are living frailer for a longer period of time,” Rodriguez said. “During that frail period is when we need the assistance.”

Rosenberg has caught the wave. He’s formed nine private companies, all aimed at some segment of the aging industry. Though he declines to discuss earnings, he said the companies grossed $10 million last year.

His most consumer-focused enterprise is U.S. Eldercare Referral Agency, which offers free help to families choosing from among the 850 licensed care facilities in Orange County. The Costa Mesa company then receives a finder’s fee from the facility.

“We’re a matchmaking service,” Rosenberg said.

Angie Hardin, 46, of Huntington Beach visited several assisted-living homes for her mother, who has Alzheimer’s, before she heard about U.S. Eldercare.

“You have no clue where to look,” she said. “It was horrible. They were very institutional. They smelled.”

Though Hardin is happy with her mother’s placement at Sunrise Assisted Living in Huntington Beach, she still calls Rosenberg’s service for advice and questions.

Government officials who offer services to the aging say families can find credible information without help from an agency. But they don’t recommend specific places. For that they refer callers to Rosenberg.

Industry competition is stiff, so most homes are willing to pay referral fees to services like Rosenberg’s.

“The concentration is just amazing,” said Richard Ealy, licensing program manager for the state agency that oversees board-and-care and assisted-living homes.

“Marketing is the essential key in getting these residents.”

As Rosenberg noticed demand growing, he branched out into the real estate business with Eldercare Development Co.

Four years ago, he began buying houses in neighborhoods across the county. He guts them and modifies them with features such as wheelchair-accessible showers. He then sells them as boardand-care facilities where up to six people live with a caretaker.

Ruth Billings, 83, moved into a sunny bedroom in Mission Viejo in a house that Rosenberg built and sold. Her children called his referral hot line after she fell and broke her arm.

Billings goes on outings to Hometown Buffet, watches a big-screen TV and never has to wash dishes after dinner.

“At first I didn’t want to come because I had my own place; I thought I could manage,” she said, taking a break from her bingo game. “I’m glad now that I’m here.”

Rosenberg’s other businesses include providing in-home care and doctors who make house calls, just as Rosenberg’s late father once did.

Growing up in St. Louis, Rosenberg said he was the type of kid who liked the company of adults and working for them.

He didn’t just start a lawn-mowing business at age 9; he employed six neighborhood pals and bought a fleet of lawnmowers.

At 19, after his mother died, Rosenberg and his father moved to Orange County. His father worked as a geriatric doctor and Rosenberg drove him to house calls.

He never considered college.

“I was very energetic and I loved providing service,” Rosenberg said. “People said, ‘Thank you’ and they paid me.”

Rosenberg’s father died a few years later. He continued working with the house-call business and administered a team of doctors who visited the elderly.

Rosenberg started the referral agency 15 years ago.

The company is registered as a nonprofit and advertises as such, but does not receive tax breaks or accept charitable contributions.

But Rosenberg considers the work a community service, not just a business. For instance, he also refers to facilities that don’t pay commissions.

He used his expertise to place an aunt who suffered from dementia and experienced personally the pain of many of his clients.

Rosenberg, who lives in Newport Beach, said he doesn’t worry about growing older.

“I know there are good places and loving services,” said Rosenberg, who collects canes as a hobby. “I still feel the youth and energy of being an entrepreneur.”

HOW U.S. ELDERCARE REFERRAL WORKS:

— Family members seeking placement for a relative can call an 800 number any time of the day or night. The caller answers an assortment of questions over the phone — from budget to geographical preferences to physical needs.

— After about a half-hour, the client receives a list of choices.

— If Rosenberg successfully places a person for 30 days, he receives half of the first month’s fee from the home. Costs depend on the type of facility and level of care needed but range from $1,000 to $7,000 per month.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Orange County Register, Calif.

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