Older adults have different needs. Senior communities and their caregivers have various customized care options to meet these needs. If you want you or your loved one to receive the care they need in this stage of their life, you will have to sift through the myriad of options available to find the one that fits their needs. If you don't want to go through all this trouble, you can contact a senior living advisor to help you. This article highlights some of the things a senior living professional will and will not do for you.
What a senior living advisor will do for you.
They will get to know you
Once you contact a senior living advisor, the first step they will take is to get to know you or your loved one who is seeking senior living options. They may meet with you in person or contact you on the phone. They will ask you for some details that will allow them to give you personalized choices later on. These details include;
1. What is the relationship between the individual and their loved ones? This may help them determine how close the home should be to them.
2. What is their background? Some specific aspects may help determine what kind of care they need. For example, there are special offers for some ex-veterans of family members of veterans.
3. What are the seniors' emotional and care needs? Medical details are vital as there are specific senior living communities and care centres that cater to particular needs.
4. What is their budget like? The prices of senior living care vary.
They will offer you choices.
A Caring Advisor senior living directory will give you an overview of the options available to you. They are divided into types as the care options are not the same. Some options include;
1. Assisted Living
2. Convalescent Care
3. Senior Apartments
4. Independent Living community
5. Adult Day Care
6. Hospice Care
7. Memory Care
8. Nursing Homes
9. Continuing Care Retirement Community
10. Respite Care
The choices available to you will depend on the details you gave. They will set up phone calls and tours for you to get more information so that you can make an informed decision. They may go with you to some of the tours and guide you through the process like telling you what to ask.
They can match you to professionals
These professionals come into contact with many people with similar needs as yours. They may, therefore, partner you with the correct vetted professionals to meet your needs. For example, they may recommend nurses for assisted home living, attorneys and even movers.
What a senior living advisor will not do
They will not charge you
Many times, the advisor does not get paid by the person or the family seeking senior living care. This is because the senior living communities usually pay them for bringing in clients. This may mean that you are not given all the available options, particularly if your advisor does not know about a particular home or community. You may, therefore, have to do your research to see if there are options available to you besides the ones the advisor has listed
They will not rush you
A senior living advisor matches the urgency of their client. One client may just be looking for options for their future and may not be interested in getting senior living care immediately. Another client may want to locate a community immediately. It is not the work of the advisor to tell you when to move into a community. That decision should be made by you when you are ready
The idea of going into senior living communities may be challenging for some seniors. It is advisable to have an advisor by their side to guide them and their loved ones through the process. Beware of red flags such as an advisor who is selling a specific community too much. Their work is to offer unbiased, knowledgeable assistance not to sell.
