Age-In-Place Trend Feeds Growth of In-Home Senior

CHICAGO, July 24, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The astounding number of older adults across the nation opting to stay in their own homes as they age is creating a positive impact on the economy, driving growth not only for businesses that specialize in various aspects of senior care, but also resulting in significant job creation.

By 2020, the ranks of home health and personal care aides will have grown by more than 1.3 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BrightStar Care, a full-service home care franchise that provides both medical and non-medical care to patients from infants to elders, has hired more than 23,000 people since 2011, creating 10,000-12,000 jobs each year, with plans to create 60,000 new jobs over the next five years.

In addition, according to a recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau, the healthcare industry generated $1.7 trillion dollars in total revenue in 2012 and accounted for nearly 17 million jobs across the United States. BrightStar Care is supporting these statistics with 258 franchised and corporate locations across 36 states. In total, BrightStar Care employs more than 16,000 nurses, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and home health aides (HHAs), including 2,000 registered nurses, 2,300 Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs). One in every eight of BrightStar Care's field staff employees is a licensed RN, and one in every four members of BrightStar Care field staff holds a nursing degree (RN, LPN, or LVN).

Nearly all adults over the age of 50 feel that staying in their own homes as they age is important, according to a recent survey by AARP. With the demand for in-home care rising, coupled with the fact that the in-home nursing profession provides flexible work hours and the ability to develop strong, personal relationships with patients, the industry continues to grow.

"Each year, more and more seniors are making the decision to 'age in place'," explained Shelly Sun, Co-Founder and CEO of BrightStar Care. "At the same time, many nurses are looking into alternative career options to working in a hospital. BrightStar Care is one of the only in-home healthcare franchises that provides highly-skilled medical treatment to patients in their homes, allowing nurses to utilize their skill sets in an unconventional, growing sector of the industry."

BrightStar Care recognizes a need within the healthcare industry for homecare services that offer high-level, clinical expertise. Consumers are looking for expert and compassionate care that only BrightStar Care provides. These services include trained caregivers, individualized plans of care, registered nurse oversight and Joint Commission accreditation, among others. Two-thirds of BrightStar Care's total clients chose them because of their clinical expertise.

BrightStar Care plans on adding more franchises across the country, specifically targeting Dallas, New York, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston, Atlanta and Miami, where there is room for additional expansion.

Further differentiating themselves in the in-home care segment, BrightStar Care locations are required to attain accreditation by The Joint Commission, a nationally recognized healthcare quality standards organization. After demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission's national standards for healthcare quality and safety, each agency earns The Gold Seal of Approval™, a symbol of quality that reflects the franchise's commitment to meeting specific performance standards. BrightStar Care is the only national homecare franchise to require its locations to pursue Joint Commission Accreditation.

"Another factor that sets BrightStar Care apart is that not only are we hiring thousands of people into caregiving jobs each year, but we are primarily hiring highly-skilled, well-trained professionals with nursing degrees that can provide optimum care for clients," explained Sun. "It is our goal to have at least one BrightStar location in every state, so that no one will ever have to feel like they cannot find quality home healthcare for their loved ones."

About BrightStar Care

Based in Chicago, BrightStar Care is a national franchise with more than 250 locations that provide full-service staffing of medical and non-medical homecare to private clients from children to older adults within their homes, as well as supplemental staffing to healthcare organizations and corporate clients. Each of BrightStar's locations voluntarily pursue Joint Commission accreditation, a nationally recognized measure of quality that is recognized throughout the healthcare industry. BrightStar Care's well-qualified, attentive caregivers provide peace of mind to clients and their families, providing a customized care plan to match clients with qualified, pre-screened caregivers that best suit their needs. BrightStar Care is one of the few home care providers that offer both medical and non-medical homecare, available to all clients 24/7. BrightStar uses the nationally known patient satisfaction survey company Press Ganey to measure client satisfaction and is proud that 9 out of 10 clients would recommend us to a friend.

For more information on BrightStar Care please visit brightstarcare.com ; to find out more about BrightStar Franchising, visit http://www.brightstarfranchise.com/ "> www.brightstarfranchise.com .

Cory Zielke, Fishman Public Relations, 847-945-1300 or