Fall 2025 Learning Objectives: Family-Focused Elder Care Research
Learning Journal - Article 002I. Introduction: From Exploration to Family-Centered Research
I started this learning journal thinking it would be a systematic but somewhat academic exploration of elder care business models. However, the past few weeks have shown me how quickly the caregiving journey can shift from theoretical interest to concrete family needs.
As I’ve navigated conversations with my 66-year-old father (a veteran) and my 88-year-old grandmother about their changing care needs, I’ve realized that both want to remain in their own homes but could benefit from more support than occasional family check-ins can provide. The frustration, guilt, and sometimes fear that comes with these realizations has crystallized something for me: the most valuable research I can do this semester is investigation that directly serves families like mine navigating these exact challenges.
Instead of a broad market analysis, I’m focusing this semester on research questions that will help me—and families facing similar situations—make better-informed decisions about care options, business models, and quality of life improvements for aging relatives who want to remain independent.
Personal Note: For more insight into this public learning approach, check out “Why I’m Learning in Public”.
II. Five Learning Objectives for Fall 2025
Following on my initial market overview in “Elder Care Market Analysis 2025”, here are my family-centered learning objectives for this semester:
Learning Objective 1: Adult Day Care Programs - Market Gap Analysis
Core Question: “What adult day care options exist for veterans and elderly adults who want to age in place, and where are the service gaps?”
Research Focus:
California Adult Day Program licensing, capacity, and geographic distribution
Service models serving veterans vs. general elderly population
Family decision factors between day programs vs. in-home care vs. residential placement
Cost comparison and insurance coverage across different program types
Why This Matters: Elderly often resist moving to residential facilities, but can need more stimulation, social connection, and structured support than they currently receive. Understanding what day program options exist—and what’s missing from the current market—could reveal both immediate solutions for our family and broader business opportunities.
Learning Objective 2: Family Caregiving Economics & Decision Navigation
Core Question: “How do sandwich generation families make care decisions, and what support systems exist to help them navigate options?”
Research Focus:
Decision matrix frameworks families actually use vs. optimal approaches
Role of care consultants, social workers, and advisors in family decision-making
Hidden costs and time commitments across different care arrangements
How veteran benefits and civilian resources stack up for mixed families
Why This Matters: As someone in my 40s helping coordinate care for aging relatives, I’m part of the rapidly growing “sandwich generation”—the demographic cohort caught between their own life responsibilities and increasing elder care needs. The emotional and financial stress of these decisions affects millions of families, yet the guidance available feels fragmented and insufficient.
Learning Objective 3: Veteran Care Specialization - Market Opportunity
Core Question: “What unique care needs do veterans have, and how well are they being served by current elder care options?”
Research Focus:
VA benefits integration with civilian care services
Military culture considerations in care delivery and environment design
Veteran-owned care businesses and their competitive advantages
Geographic concentration effects (military communities like Travis AFB area)
Why This Matters: My father’s veteran status provides both potential benefits and specific cultural needs that civilian care providers may not understand. With approximately 18 million veterans nationwide1 and many aging into care needs, veteran-specialized services could represent both a market opportunity and a quality-of-care imperative.
Learning Objective 4: Small-Scale Care Business Model Evolution
Core Question: “How have family-scale care models like board & care evolved, and what innovation opportunities exist?”
Research Focus:
California RCFE regulations and their impact on small operators
Comparing family-operated vs. corporate care quality and satisfaction
Startup costs, financing, and business model sustainability for small operators
Integration opportunities between small facilities and community services
Why This Matters: My grandmother operated a board & care facility for decades, providing excellent care in a home-like environment. Understanding how regulations, economics, and family expectations have changed could reveal whether similar models could serve today’s aging population more effectively than large institutional facilities.
Learning Objective 5: Technology Integration for Aging in Place
Core Question: “What technology solutions actually help elderly adults remain safely independent, and how do families evaluate and implement them?”
Research Focus:
Home safety and medical alert systems: effectiveness and adoption barriers
Durable medical equipment integration with family caregiving
Digital health monitoring that works for non-tech-savvy seniors
Cost-benefit analysis of technology vs. increased human care services
Why This Matters: Both my father and grandmother resist many technology solutions, yet some technological support could enhance their independence and our family’s peace of mind. Understanding what works, what doesn’t, and how to encourage adoption could benefit both our immediate situation and the broader aging-in-place movement.
III. Research Methodology & Approach
I’ll be exploring these areas through a multi-source strategy that combines:
Industry analysis: Existing market research, regulatory documentation, and business model studies
Professional interviews: Adult day program administrators, veteran care specialists, small facility operators, and care technology companies
Family interviews: Other sandwich generation caregivers, veterans and their families, and elderly adults navigating care decisions
Personal experimentation: Testing solutions with my own family members and documenting what works
Regional Focus: While some research will be national in scope, I’ll concentrate on Northern California and specifically the greater Bay Area to develop deep local insights.
This isn’t funded academic research, so I won’t be conducting statistically significant analysis or maintaining neutral perspectives. Instead, I’m deliberately combining systematic investigation with personal advocacy—researching with the explicit goal of finding better solutions for families like mine.
IV. Content Calendar & Commitment
Based on the previous learning objectives, these are the topics that I intend to explore this semester:
October:
Adult Day Care in California: Service Models and Market Gaps
Veteran Care Specialization: Military Culture Meets Elder Care
Family Caregiving Decision Framework: Beyond Institutional vs. Home
November:
Small-Scale Care Innovation: Board & Care Evolution and Opportunity
Technology Integration for Aging in Place: What Works and What Doesn’t
December: Semester synthesis and planning for Spring 2026 research focus
I’m committing to substantial research for each topic while maintaining flexibility to dive deeper where discoveries warrant additional investigation.
V. Learning Together and Looking Forward
This research will be more valuable if it extends beyond my individual family experience. I invite you to participate:
Share your experiences: Reach out with your family caregiving stories, decision frameworks, and lessons learned
Professional perspectives: Connect with me on LinkedIn if you work in elder care, veteran services, or family support—I’d love to interview industry professionals
Suggest research areas: Are there other aspects of family caregiving and elder care business models you’d like me to explore?
Follow Along: Subscribe to my newsletter for updates on research findings, or check back here for new articles as I publish them.
Through this semester’s research, I hope to develop practical frameworks that help families navigate care decisions more effectively while identifying business model innovations that could better serve the aging-in-place preference that characterizes most elderly adults and their families.
Most importantly, I aim to find actionable solutions that improve quality of life for my father and grandmother—and by extension, the millions of other families working through these same challenges.
Sources
Pew Research Center. (2023, November 8). "The changing face of America's veteran population." Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/08/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/