Mary S. Schreiber, PhD, founder of GUAVA Senior Home and Healthcare Services, and GUAVA Franchising, has paired a fresh new concept with her GUAVA Building Block Healthcare SystemT for healthcare planners preparing to meet the growing needs of Baby Boomers. Caring for her father after a heart operation, Schreiber realized the need for home-based personal healthcare services for seniors. "Finding the personalized, individualized attention when a family member was unable to be there for my father was very difficult," she says. Using her entrepreneurial skills, Schreiber researched the industry and launched GUAVA in 2006, meeting immediate success.

In January 2009, the Hockessin, DE-based company began franchising the GUAVA concept, using a unique approach that helped franchisees build their revenues from home-based non-medical care providers all the way through operating medical in-home care agencies to staffing. According to Schreiber, this allows many lucrative revenue streams in serving pediatric to geriatric clients. "We give you the tools to put teams in place and to build your business one step at a time," she says.

Schreiber counts the carefully chosen name among the company's assets. "I wanted a fun appeal, a fresh approach that communicated that growing old is one of the best parts of our lives, so enjoy!" she says. Among other providers bearing labels evoking comfort and caring, GUAVA stands out as memorable, she says. Calls to potential referral sources often feature complementary guava juice and guava slices and the odd-sounding name services as a reliable conversation-starter. "I wanted our company to be very different," she says. "Our name is a fabulous marketing device."

Mary S. Schreiber, PhD
Founding President
GUAVA Senior Home and Healthcare Services Inc.
GUAVA Franchising Inc.
407 Valley Brook Drive
Hockessin, DE 19707
888-GUA-VA24 (Business)
888-482-8224
302-399-6389 (Cell)
888-806-2577 (Fax)
mschreiberphd@msn.com
www.guavahomecare.com