Understanding Private Home Care in New Brunswick

Insights into the province’s private home care industry will help you craft an effective business plan, market your services and budget appropriately. Here are some of the key things you should know before you launch your private home care agency:

New Brunswick’s Acute Need for Private Home Care Services

There’s a growing demand for private home care services in New Brunswick, where more than one in five people are aged 65 or older. While Canada’s population as a whole is aging, the situation is particularly pronounced in New Brunswick. The province has the second-oldest median age in the country.

With care home beds going empty due to nursing staff shortages, private home care services are taking on a vital role in ensuring that older New Brunswickers can live at home safely, comfortably and with dignity.

On starting your private home care agency, you’ll find there’s plenty of demand for your services. The challenge will be ensuring that you have the systems and staff in place to deliver consistent and high-quality care services. Workforce management tools will help you achieve this as you scale your business.

Private Home Care Services for New Brunswickers with Disability

There’s also a pressing need for care services for people with disability in New Brunswick. 35.3% of the province’s population lives with at least one disability, and that number is growing faster than anywhere else in Canada.

The majority of people with disability in New Brunswick are older. However, there’s also a substantial market for at-home disability care services for younger New Brunswickers.

When you create the business plan for your private home care agency, consider which market segments you wish to target. Marketing home care services for younger people with disability can require adopting a different approach.

The Challenge of Providing Plurilingual Private Home Care Services

Given that New Brunswick is Canada’s only officially bilingual province, clients will expect to receive private home care services in the language of their choice.

You could respond by prioritizing bilingual caregiver recruitment. However, in light of the province’s severe care worker shortage, this may make it even harder to hire and retain sufficient staff. 

Another option is to use a scheduler with caregiver filters. This will help you stay on top of your caregivers’ language skills and assign appropriate caregivers to each client. 

For example, with the ShiftCare job board, you can set it so that only approved caregivers are able to view and bid on new shifts. By combining that with the software’s caregiver filters, you’ll make sure that Francophone clients always receive care services from French-speaking care staff.

Creating Your New Brunswick Private Home Care Business’ Legal and Financial Structure 

Before you can start offering private home care services, you’ll need to legally set up your business and register it with the Government of New Brunswick. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Choose Your Home Care Business’ Structure 

You can run your private home care business as a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation. Your choice will impact your tax obligations, legal and financial liability and more, so we advise speaking to legal and financial advisors. 

You can also use the New Brunswick Business Structures Wizard for some free guidance.

2. Incorporate Your Private Home Care Business via Service New Brunswick

Unless you provide home care services as a sole proprietor under your own name, you’ll need to register your business with Service New Brunswick. You’ll also have to renew your business name every five years.

3. Apply for Licences and Permits

Search your municipality on the BizPaL database to find out which permits and licenses are required.

4. Register for WorkSafeNB Coverage 

WorkSafeNB provides workers’ compensation for you and your team. Once you have three or more employees, you must sign up for coverage. Below that level, you can also sign up for voluntary coverage.

Building Your Private Home Care Team

Hiring caregivers is an essential step in providing private home care services. Recruiting staff is never easy, but New Brunswick’s worker shortage makes it especially challenging.

Make sure your private home care agency is an attractive place to work. You can do this by offering competitive pay rates, flexible schedules and on-the-job support.

A caregiver app will ensure your staff have the information they need to provide quality care services. This will reduce work-related stress and can improve job satisfaction. The ShiftCare caregiver app also allows your team to set their availability, bid on additional shifts and view their schedules.

Professional Help and Resources for New Brunswick’s Private Home Care Businesses

Professional associations can support you in launching your private home care business. You’ll find a list of national associations in our step-by-step guide to launching a Canadian care business. But in this article, we’ll focus on your local options.

New Brunswick Home Support Association (NBHSA)

The NBHSA dedicates itself to providing advocacy, advice and events for New Brunswick’s home care providers. It also has a directory of home care agencies on its website, helping improve your visibility among potential clients.

Women in Business New Brunswick

Women in Business NB shares funding opportunities, training, networking events and a resource library.

New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council (NBAPC)

The NBAPC advocates and provides support for Aboriginal people living in New Brunswick. One of their initiatives is the NBAPC Equity Fund, available for Aboriginal people who want to start or expand their businesses.

Atlantic Canada Business Grants

Atlantic Canada Business Grants publishes free educational guides and information about business grants in New Brunswick.

How is home care funded in New Brunswick?

The Department of Social Development in New Brunswick funds some home support services. However, many New Brunswickers choose to pay privately for additional home care, either to supplement their care services or avoid long waiting lists.

How much does it cost to start a business in New Brunswick?

Your private home care business’ launch costs will depend on how many caregivers you employ and how much you invest in marketing, vehicles and business management systems. 

That’s why, in addition to following our step-by-step guide to starting your business, you should have a fully laid out business plan with estimated costs.

Final Thoughts on Starting Your Private Home Care Business in New Brunswick

Launching a private home care business isn’t always easy, but the rewards are significant. You’ll get the immense satisfaction of not just building a thriving business but also supporting elderly people and people with disability in your local community. Your work will enable your clients to live independent, comfortable and safe lives in their own homes.

ShiftCare’s home care software helps you start and grow your private home care business. It comes with rostering tools, client document management tools, accounting and payroll integrations, a caregiver app and a portal for your client’s loved ones.

Try ShiftCare for free.