The primary purpose of this book is to enlighten the reader with an alternative to downsizing their lifestyle, including their home, when they become "Empty Nesters." "Empty Nesters" is the term that most people associate with couples when all of their children have left home, or their "Nest" for whatever reason. It might be college, marriage, work transfers, or just to be on their own. But, suppose you really love your "Nest." What if................ What if you decide to keep your larger home with the extra bedrooms and baths, and would like to retain the equity you have built over the years? What if you could turn your home into a Residential Eldercare Home? What if you could create an income of thousands of dollars per month using those extra bedrooms and baths? What if you could offer one or more elderly people who can no longer care for themselves, a place to live, other than a nursing home? What if you could do that without having to get any license to do so? What if those elderly people, or their families, were willing to pay you $3,000 per month or more, each. What if you lived in a state where you could have 2 or 3 residents who were not related to you, and bring in $6,000 to $9,000 or more of income every month without having to drive to work? What if the cost of starting this business and running this business is very affordable, and quite frankly not much more that you are paying for utilities and maintenance on your home already? What if your home had an extra bedroom for a live-in caregiver, who would be willing to work 2 or 3 days per week, just for room and board? What if your home was the safe, loving, and well-maintained home that those elderly residents have been looking for all of their lives? I could go on and on with the What Ifs', but the truth is, your home could be that home! Who couldn't use an extra $5,000 or more per month to pay for college tuitions, or paying off the mortgage, or retiring debt, or just plain retiring. My wife, Marilyn, and I have been doing this for years. We started out in the mid 1990's fostering young adults with social disorders, and that helped us pay off our small farm in Minnesota. After moving to Texas and getting into real estate investing, we found the money to be very good, as long as we did all the work. When the real estate market tightened up in 2007, Marilyn prayed for a financial solution, and God led her to the Bible scripture James 1:27, which basically says we should take care of our widows and orphans. We followed God's lead and chose to open our home to widows and widowers. We have had dozens of residents over these last 10 years. Many of them we have taken all the way through Hospice care, and many of them have chosen to spend their last hours with us, where they felt safe, comfortable, and loved. On the flip side, some of our residents have been placed in our care as Hospice patients, when the doctors felt there was nothing else that they could do. And a few of those Hospice residents who were placed in our care, recovered to the point where they could go back home. In this book, in addition to learning how to do what we do, you will find short stories of residents, and of caregivers whose lives were changed, not by us, but by the peaceful and loving environment that God has provided. Wherever you live, and whatever size home you have, God can use you and your home to provide shelter and care for someone who desperately needs it. Don't downsize, turn your home into a residential eldercare home, an alternative to senior care, assisted living, and nursing homes. An empty nest can be your business! If you intend to be a caregiver for your mom or dad, why not use your home for them and for others who need help, who are willing to pay for that help. And be able to get help for you at the same time. This business can be yours!
Rick Lundberg was born in Minnesota, in 1947. He spent his first 4 years on a farm. When his mother was expecting, they moved where we would be closer to her family. They purchased a local Taxi Service, and his parents got regular jobs as well. Rick would answer calls when they were out. It was a town of about 1,200 people. The phone number for the Taxi was 200. The work ethic that his parents demonstrated rubbed off on Rick. When Rick was 10 years old he started delivering newspapers for the St Paul Pioneer Press and Dispatch. During the summer, he would pick berries and mow lawns for extra money. In the winter, he would shovel snow, deliver papers, and answer the Taxi phone when he wasn't in school. He also had a sister and two brothers at that time. When Rick was 19 years old, he bought his first home, and furnished it with new furniture. He married his first wife on his 20th birthday. He was drafted into the Army three months later, and served as the SP5 Company Clerk in the 1st Infantry Division from 1968 to 1970. After getting a degree in Construction Technology, he worked for a Consulting Engineering firm for 8 years as a draftsman and a project manager. He then spent the next 12 years as an independent contractor working for several firms in the Twin City area. During that time he started an engraving and jewelry business, which he operated in a retail center near his home. By then he had a daughter and a son. He divorced his first wife after 20 years of marriage, and sold the business that she helped him run. He then started up a property management and maintenance business which grew after he met his new business partner, Marilyn. They were married 5 years later in 1993. By then the business had 44 crews working in 14 states. Since then, he and Marilyn have started over 20 small businesses in Minnesota, Nevada, California, and in Texas where they now reside. Their ministries have been many. They have helped to start several churches, ministered to the homeless, served as altar ministers in both small and large churches, gone on mission trips to Mexico, have led several small groups in their home, and most recently performed their first wedding ceremony after being ordained. And with her two sons, they now have a combined family of 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren by blood. And, through the years they have ministered to many young couples who now call them Mom and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa.
