Searching on your own for a senior living community can be a time-consuming and frustrating endeavor. All too often our agency receives calls from seniors or their adult children who feel completely overwhelmed and frustrated in their search for a senior living community that fits their needs and budget. Here’s a scenario that plays out over and over:

An adult daughter posts on Facebook asking for senior living recommendations for her dad. Dad is very social and independent, he only needs meals and the opportunity to make new friends. The responses the daughter receives are all over the place, including…

• “my friend’s cousin moved to Happy Hills Nursing home” (nope, wrong type of community) or
• “my mom loves her senior community and it only costs $6,000/month” (daughter silently freaks out because dad’s budget is $2,000/month) or
• “you should move your dad to my grandma’s Retirement community. It’s in Idaho.” (hmm…dad, and his entire family live in Texas)

People love to share their experiences, and that’s wonderful. Unfortunately, if you don’t know the differences between the types of senior living communities and what services are provided by each, you are going to end up going down a lot of rabbit holes. Best case scenario, you end up wasting your time. Worst case, you move dad into a community that is not the right fit for him, ultimately having to move him again, which is disruptive and costly.

Why use a local senior placement agency?

When you work with a local senior placement agency, you cut out all of the guess work. You have direct access to a senior care specialist who is not only an expert on the different types of senior living communities, but has also personally visited the communities, and knows what amenities are provided at each one. Senior care specialists form Relationships with the staff of the senior living communities, who in turn keep them up to date regarding waiting lists and special pricing or discounts that may be available.

In many cases, there may also be a need for services, such as home health or Hospice care. The senior placement agency can educate you on these services and direct you to providers in your area. In addition, many seniors have lived in their homes for 40+ years, and the thought of Downsizing is overwhelming. A senior placement service can connect you with realtors and transition specialists who can coordinate everything for a Stress-free move.

How does the service work?

• Consultation. This can be with the senior or with their adult child. During the consultation, you share with the senior care specialist what is going on, the more you share the likelier it is to make a good fit. Questions asked include, health & mobility concerns, finances, geographic preferences, hobbies, etc. Personally, I want to learn all about the person I am assisting, and I enjoy hearing their life story. Maybe your dad has dementia now, but he had an incredible career as an engineer with NASA, he loved to fish and watch the Cowboys play. I think sharing this information can be very cathartic for most people, and it helps to paint a picture of who this person is, especially if they are no longer able to communicate due to dementia. During the consultation you will also be asked for a budget. Senior living communities are for the most part private pay, which means payment is made using: Social Security, savings, investments, Pension, sale of home, VA benefits, long term care policies, etc.
• Housing/Care Options. Once you have shared the above information, the senior living specialist will create a custom list of options. They will go over each option in detail, explaining why this type of community or service is a good fit. Typically, the next step is to schedule tours of the senior living communities on your list.
• Guidance. Your senior placement specialist will stay in contact with you as you visit each community. They will listen to your feedback regarding what you like or didn’t like, and then fine tune your search as needed. For example, you may have started your search, adamant that you needed an apartment with a full kitchen, but as you begin visiting communities you realize a kitchenette is fine, since all of your meals are included. This may open up additional senior living communities for you to visit.

How much does it cost to use a senior placement agency?

It’s FREE to seniors and their families!

We have contracts with senior living communities and if you choose to move into a community we referred you to, the community pays the contracted fee to the agency.

Ready to begin your search?

You can spend hours googling and scrolling through Facebook searching for senior living communities, OR you can reach out to your senior living experts today. We cover all of Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas.

Visit www.loriwilliams-seniorservices.com to schedule your consultation.

Be sure to listen to our Podcast, ‘Aging in Style’, to learn more about senior living communities and services.

Originally Published on https://www.loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/

Lori Williams Senior Living Expert & Host of the Podcast, Aging in Style

Owner/Founder of Lori Williams - Senior Services. I’ve worked in senior living for over 16 years. My passion for learning all I could about aging, dementia and resources for older adults was inspired by my grandmother who was diagnosed with dementia in 1994. I am also the creator and host of the podcast, Aging in Style. The purpose of the podcast is to educate on all things senior related and to share stories of inspirational seniors.

I have a degree in Marketing from LSU, and I am a Certified Senior Advisor and a Certified Dementia Practitioner.