A Novel Idea: Recycled Healthcare Equipment Eases Financial Burdens of ‘Aging in Place’

Jan. 10, 2013 - PRLog -- BURLINGTON, ONTARIO – Fluctuating healthcare policies and demographic trends have combined to create a ripe new market for innovative companies that can help reduce financial burdens on the rapidly increasing aging population and their families. One Canadian franchise, SILVER CROSS®, has hit upon a novel solution that drastically reduces the costs of in-home mobility and accessibility equipment, helping an increasing number of families across North America afford to keep their aging loved ones at home.

The company’s brilliant idea of recycling stair lifts, wheelchair lifts, ramps and other costly in-home medical and mobility equipment – literally buying, selling and trading the right products to families after in-depth consultations in their homes – has taken Canada by storm, and has started trickling with gradual franchise expansion into the United States.  

In fact, SILVER CROSS has become the leading North American healthcare franchise devoted to recycling accessibility and mobility equipment. With 15 locations throughout Canada and four locations throughout the United States, the company’s goal is to serve half of the North American population within the next seven years through a well-managed growth strategy. Partially driving the growth of the in-home medical equipment business is the trend of “Aging in Place” – the desire to remain in one’s home and live independently rather than moving to assisted living facilities.

“By helping families find lower-cost alternatives for in-home medical equipment, our franchisees have helped thousands of people with disabilities and other physical limitation challenges maintain their lifestyle in their own homes,” said Bob Harvey, CEO and founder of SILVER CROSS. “Given the rise in the aging population and increasing factors that make consumers pay more out-of-pocket for medical expenses, recycling quality healthcare products just makes sense,” noted Harvey, pointing to a statistic that 10,000 baby boomers are becoming seniors every day.

The demand for low-cost solutions for in-home medical equipment, such as those provided by SILVER CROSS, will only increase, as hospitals throughout North America increasingly implement “Quicker & Sicker” patient discharges, as healthcare costs rise and as public and private insurance coverage shrinks, Harvey added. “All of these factors added up are leaving families financially burdened as they try to care for their loved ones. Our business truly helps people during a time when they need it most,” he said.

The company sells, installs and maintains accessibility and mobility equipment for residential applications with low-cost alternatives for healthcare professionals, patients and their families. Each SILVER CROSS franchise partner is the “go-to” source for healthcare-related lifting equipment including stair lifts, wheelchair lifts, vertical lifts and ceiling lifts, as well as in-home accessibility and mobility equipment including ramps, bathtub and showers lifts.

SILVER CROSS focuses on providing superior, long-term customer service by helping families through the process, educating them on the variety of solutions available that best fit their needs and making sure their loved one understands how to use the equipment purchased. As a customer’s condition evolves and changes, SILVER CROSS will buy back or trade equipment, as long as the product is in good working condition and a current model.

“Buying-back and trading-in equipment saves significant costs in the long run,” Harvey added. “For example, if your loved one’s needs have changed— requiring you to purchase a different piece of equipment—SILVER CROSS will offer a trade-in which ultimately leaves you paying only a portion of the equipment cost that your loved one needs. The SILVER CROSS service is a life-long process of evolving your equipment needs over time.”

For more information about SILVER CROSS or its franchise opportunity, call (800) 572-9310 or visit http://www.silvercrossfranchise.com/.

ABOUT SILVER CROSS®:

Headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, SILVER CROSS® is the leading healthcare accessibility and mobility equipment franchise. The company helps consumers find lower-cost alternatives for in-home medical equipment by buying, selling and trading the right products that will allow people with disabilities and other physical limitation challenges to remain in their homes, living independently. Founded in 1993 by Bob Harvey, the company began franchising in 1995 and has served more than 200,000 clients with its 19 locations throughout Canada and the United States. For more information about SILVER CROSS or its franchise opportunity, call (800) 572-9310 or visit http://www.silvercrossfranchise.com/.