How Does the Touching Hearts at Home Franchise Work?

The contractual offering is Approved Services. Core Services include personal care, non-medical and in-home assistance, companionship care and care management for older adults, people with disabilities and others with care needs. Ancillary Services may include skilled or medical in-home care, but only with Touching Hearts, Inc. consent and applicable licenses. 2026 FDD, Items 1 and 16, pp. 1-3 and 20-21.

The official service overview shows Core Services in consumer terms: companionship, transportation, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and Alzheimer’s and dementia support. The consumer home page identifies seniors, adults with disabilities or medical conditions, people transitioning home from a hospital, and other adults needing professional Caregiver assistance.

The disclosed sequence is a lead-to-care workflow. The official home-care FAQ starts service with an in-home consultation, a designed program, then selection and introduction of a qualified Caregiver. The Operations Manual adds inquiry calls, family visit, care plan, scheduling, Caregiver matching, first day of care, client communication, quality assurance and franchise reporting.

Sources: 2026 Touching Hearts FDD, Item 11, pp. 12-15; Franchise Agreement §§ 6(C), 6(I), 10 and 11; Operations Manual TOC, Sections E, F, H and I. The FDD does not disclose one mandatory consumer payment method, so the workflow stops at billing and record/report requirements rather than assuming a payment channel.

Each unit must have an approved General Manager who completes required training and devotes full-time attention to day-to-day management. The General Manager may be a Principal Owner or a non-owner; if not a Principal Owner, a Principal Owner also must complete the Initial Training Program. The FDD permits manager-run daily operations but does not call the model absentee or semi-absentee. 2026 FDD, Item 15, p. 20.

The franchisee is the employer: it hires, schedules, disciplines and pays employees, uses an approved background-check vendor, implements required training and maintains enough trained staff for system standards. The Franchise Agreement says Approved Services are performed by the franchisee or its employees. The Operations Manual names Director/Franchisee, Marketer, Scheduler and Caregiver functions, but does not mandate a standard headcount.

The official Caregiver careers page places Caregivers in clients’ homes, apartments or care facilities. The health and safety page describes home safety checks, emergency procedures and universal precautions; the FDD leaves legal, employment, privacy and licensing compliance with the franchisee.

The required Computer System combines the franchisor’s Designated Software with compliant hardware and accounting software. Item 11 names WellSky as the current Designated Software and requires broadband computer access plus Intuit QuickBooks Pro. Touching Hearts, Inc. can replace the Designated Software, require upgrades, set security rules and access Customer Data; the franchisee remains responsible for privacy compliance, customer consents and breach response.

WellSky’s official Personal Care page describes platform functions including scheduling, client intake, billing and reporting. That vendor description explains the operating role of the platform; the 2026 FDD controls the franchise obligation and the franchisor’s access rights.

Item 8 lets a franchisee propose an unapproved supplier, but Touching Hearts, Inc. has 30 days to approve or reject it and may inspect the supplier or products. The Franchise Agreement also permits a single source for the Computer System. Supplier choice is therefore approval-based, not open purchasing. 2026 FDD, Item 8, pp. 10-11; Franchise Agreement § 6(C).

The Protected Territory blocks another Touching Hearts franchise from being established inside it while the agreement is in force, but it is expressly non-exclusive. A Protected Territory generally contains at least 20,000 people age 65 or older. Advertising, solicitation, orders and service outside it require franchisor consent. 2026 FDD, Item 12, pp. 16-18.

Touching Hearts, Inc. reserves Internet and alternative-distribution rights and may serve a customer inside a Protected Territory if the local franchisee is unwilling or unable. The franchisee participates in the corporate website but cannot independently create a brand domain or conduct Internet sales or advertising using the Marks without authorization. Branded Internet infrastructure remains centrally controlled.

Demand generation remains local. The franchisee conducts approved marketing and reports that activity monthly; the Operations Manual covers referral sources, networking, direct mail, social media, digital marketing and referral tracking. Touching Hearts, Inc. supplies the Touching Hearts at Home website and may require system promotions. The official U.S. franchise page is the public franchise hub; the 2026 FDD and Franchise Agreement control operating obligations.

Item 20 shows 69 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets at the end of 2025. The system ended both 2023 and 2024 with 65 franchised outlets, then added a net four in 2025. Table 3 reports four 2025 openings and no terminations, nonrenewals, franchisor reacquisitions or other ceased operations.

Hiring, compensation, scheduling, discipline, compliance, client interactions and day-to-day delivery sit with the franchisee and General Manager; Touching Hearts, Inc. does not employ Touching Hearts at Home Caregivers. The franchisor controls Approved Services, Operations Manual changes, Office and advertising approval, supplier and technology specifications, Customer Data access, inspections and audits.