What It’s Like to Start Your Own Legato Living Home
Erin Render and her mom Jill McMahon started Legato Living after working in the long-term care industry for many years. We’d come to believe that a smaller, more residential living environment held significant benefits to those with memory care needs. That belief led us to shape the Legato Living culture: one offering compassionate long-term care services for those with dementia in a true home setting.
As dementia progresses, larger memory facilities are often too big to provide the highly individualized care we’ve come to believe in. Providing this type of care in a smaller setting, residents often experience less anxiety, knowing there is a familiar caregiver close by. Providing this type of facility enhances the quality of life for this vulnerable group of seniors in your community.
The true home-based model allows us to properly care for our memory care residents. That’s because we have more favorable staffing levels. Our typical staff: resident ratio is 4:1; very different from big box, institutionalized facilities, which are more typically staffed at double a Living Legato residence.
Erin Render, MHA
Owner/Administrator
Jill McMahon
Owner/Director of Nursing
It’s Not as Easy as It Appears
At Legato Living we’ve “been there, done that.” We’ve accumulated the scrapes, burns, and scars so you don’t have to. Our goal is to keep you out of hot water as you bring your first Legato Living home to life. We’ll walk you through our “lessons learned” allowing you to open a home much faster and more successfully.
Many people expect that they can just go and purchase a home in their local neighborhood and move people in. Then, operational details rear their ugly heads:
- What regulations apply to me? State, county, local?
- How do I navigate this process with all the regulatory authorities?
- Did I buy the right home?
- What’s all this HIPAA stuff?
- And many, many more
At Legato Living we’ve “been there, done that.” We’ve accumulated the scrapes, burns and scars so you don’t have to. Our goal is to keep you out of hot water as you bring your first Legato Living home to life. We’ll walk you through our “lessons learned” allowing you to open a home much faster and more successfully.
Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Legato Living Franchise Owner?
There are two aspects to a Legato Living franchise. The Care Side and the Real Estate Side.
We’re looking for people who are driven – that have a passion for serving an aging senior population living with memory care impairments. Compassion for families facing end-of-life situations for a loved one.
The human dimension of owning a Legato Living franchise is just as profound as the amazing financial opportunity to build a successful local or regional business. You need the passion and will to take care of people in the communities you serve, enabling your residents to live their best lives.
Both the health care and real estate aspects of our franchise business model can all be taught. What can’t be taught is the passion you bring to work every day.
People that bring passion can have a variety of different backgrounds
We look for people with:
- Executive-level leadership
- Assisted Living management experience
- Long-term management care experience
- Management in institutionalized health care settings
- Real estate portfolio management
- Team players
- Community-minded leaders
Learn Who’s a Good Fit for Legato Living?
The Services We Offer Focus on Total Quality of Life
Health Care Services
Legato Living franchise owners strive to improve the quality of life for their residents. We work to meet the physical, emotional, and medical needs of our residents living with memory impairment. In our endeavors to provide quality care to our residents, our staff monitors the following: sleep habits, nutritional intake, vital signs, and symptoms involving behavior changes.
Some of the common types of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. At Legato Living, you’ll work to ensure your residents stay healthy and happy. The best way to achieve this is through our team approach. Your care team will include a highly trained and compassionate staff of caregivers, a professional nurse, and physicians. We take our residents’ physical and emotional needs seriously.
To ensure that our residents get the best medical care, we have a licensed nurse as our Director of Clinical Services. The Director of Clinical Services at Legato Living monitors all medical and health-related issues and consults with family members, Powers of Attorney (POA), and the family’s physician when necessary.
Cognitive Care
People with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia show symptoms of cognitive impairment. To provide our new franchise owners and staff with the best dementia training possible we’ve partnered with the Teepa Snow Positive Approach to Care organization.
Teepa Snow’s philosophy and education are reflective of her life-long journey professionally caring for and personally supporting people living with various forms of dementia. This person-centered approach evolved to meet the complex and unique needs of individuals using effective and structured techniques. Teepa and her company strive to grow appreciation of differences that will lead to better care and support of those living with changing abilities.
At Legato Living, we help our residents cope with such problems by meeting them where they are in their journey. By continuously monitoring the physical, emotional, and medical requirements of our residents, we’re able to give them the love and attention they need to lead a peaceful life. Due to the additional dementia-specific staff training and environmental guidelines, each of our homes meets the requirements of an Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit under the Nebraska licensure.
Physical Care
Our Director of Clinical Services at Legato Living is a Licensed Nurse. She provides coordination of our residents’ care through written and verbal communication between families, residents, their physicians, and the pharmacy. The Licensed nurse is also responsible for the training and oversight of Medication and Nurse Aides that provide daily care in our homes.
Personal Care
We believe in providing personalized care and attention to all our residents. To achieve this, we help all residents continue to enjoy some of their most memorable and beautiful moments of life.
During the initial admission process, we complete an activity and social history for every person. Our caregivers use this information to plan activities and programs in which residents take part. Most of the activities are made up of a resident’s former hobbies such as gardening, baking, and feeding birds and squirrels. These activities may seem small, but they keep residents busy and above all, give them purpose.
Legato Living can also provide personal services such as nail care, hairdressing, and clerical visits to ensure that our residents’ emotional and social needs continue to be met.
Adult Day Services
For those that care for their loved ones at home, we also offer Adult Day services. For short time periods (hours, days or even 1-2 weeks) we can care for a loved one to allow a family to get needed rest or time away. Residents who come for day services are welcomed into our home to participate in our daily happenings, meals, and activities…all while providing a supervised and safe environment while you’re away.
Hospice Care
Legato Living provides care to those with advanced stages of memory loss to the end of life by involving Hospice as an extension of our services.
Rather than curative treatment, hospice care treats the resident’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. There is no need to move from Legato Living for hospice care, as their team of professionals including registered nurses, social workers, chaplains, therapists, home health aides, volunteers, and others will come directly to our/their home.
Daily Life at Legato Living
Activities
Every month we create an activity calendar with the goal of increasing physical activity and increasing sensory and mental stimulation, along with improving self-esteem through failure-free activities.
Activities use skills that our residents already have. These activities focus on a resident’s current abilities and strengths. Some of these activities may include folding laundry, singing old hymns, baking, doing crafts, and feeding birds and squirrels.
Activities stimulate cognitive functioning. We include reality orientation (today is… the weather is… the season is…) music, word games, and reminiscing. Reminiscing activities may include our memory kits, looking through scrapbooks, and reading stories.
Pet Therapy
Almost everyone loves a pet and the joy they bring people. We’ve integrated pet therapy provided by Scatter Joy Acres into the lives of our residents. The positive response has been gratifying to our residents, the family members of our residents, and the Legato Living team.
Nutrition
Legato Living has four seasonal menus that consist of three nutritionally balanced meals including morning, afternoon, and evening hydration and snack program. Each season’s menu has been patterned to use foods that are available in the current season to ensure quality and freshness.
Snacks
Legato Living has a Hydration and Snack program that offers each resident something to eat or drink at 10 am, 2 pm, and 7 pm. However, because of our home environment, our kitchen is always open. Our residents can have a glass of milk or juice or eat a piece of fruit or other snacks at any time. As food preferences change over the years our small environment is perfect as we easily add favorites to our grocery list to always have on hand.
Meal Preparation
Food preparation and storage are always done with the utmost care to assure our residents’ health and safety. Preparation for each meal consists of appropriate portions for each resident and caregiver. The night shift caregiver may prepare a meal to ensure that the food is ready at mealtime. An example of this is preparing a pot roast and vegetables in a crockpot so that the next day it’s ready for the noon meal.
Modified diets are also available for those residents having swallowing difficulties. Meals may be pureed and liquids can be thickened if specified by the physician.
Training – How You Get Off on the Right Foot
Legato Living provides an initial training program for our new franchise owners and/or one more person, typically no later than 45 days before the opening of your home. New franchise owners pay for all travel expenses and any staff wages you incur in your initial training and participation.
Our training program is under the direction of Erin Render, CEO. The hours shown below are approximate for one trainee.
| Subject | Hours of Classroom Training | Hours of on-the-job training | Location |
| Welcome – The Brand and Our History | 1 | 1 | Omaha, NE |
| Marketing, Advertising, and Networking | 3 | 3 | Omaha, NE |
| Billing Management and Accounts Receivables | 3 | 0 | Omaha, NE |
| Human Resources, Recruiting, and Managing Employees | 3 | 2 | Omaha, NE |
| Equipment, Supplies, and Maintenance of Home | 2 | 1 | Omaha, NE |
| Operations | 15 | 3 | Omaha, NE |
| Franchise Reporting and Financial Management | 1 | 0 | Omaha, NE |
| Your Grand Opening | 1 | 0 | Omaha, NE |
| Total Hours | 30 | 10 | Omaha, NE |
Franchise Owner Support Keeps Things Moving Smoothly
As a new franchise owner, you’ll receive consultation regarding constructing, remodeling, or decorating your home in conjunction with our predetermined affiliates. In addition, you’ll receive on-site assistance for up to three days in connection with your opening – either before or during your grand opening.
In advance of your opening, we’ll provide templates for certain promotional and advertising materials and consultation in connection with the grand opening marketing for your Home.
Our Grand Opening package includes:
- Social media partner
- Personalized video content
- Friends and family invitations
- Press release
- Collateral materials for your use
- A 3-month campaign post-launch to build brand awareness in your market
On an ongoing basis, you’ll receive consultation regarding the operation of your Legato Living home.
Visit Two Legato Living Homes from the Comfort of Your Home
Take a 360 Virtual Tour
Eastridge
(Northwest Omaha)
Our Eastridge Home is located in Northwest Omaha’s Sunny Slope subdivision.
This is a stone front ranch style home on a tree lined street with a double wide driveway and a charming and cozy backyard. This ranch style home has 6 bedrooms, living room with large picture windows, 2 1/2 baths, private dining room and eat-in kitchen.
Legacy
(West Omaha)
This large, well lit and open concept home features unique custom details.
Located directly across from Lakeside Hospital to the east, this home features 5 bedrooms, 3 baths and a sunroom large enough for family gatherings. The recently renovated garden level is the perfect space for your loved one to reside with three others in a calm and relaxing environment.