Making the decision to move a senior loved one into assisted living can be difficult. You want to make sure that they are in the best possible care, but you also don’t want them to feel like they are being moved to a sterile environment lacking the opportunity to connect with their peers or continue to seek pleasure in the activities of life that bring them joy. That’s where senior placement advisors come in. They can help you find the perfect assisted living facility for your loved one that balances medical treatment with the emotional and spiritual needs of your loved one as well. But what exactly is the role of a senior placement advisor? In this article, we will discuss what senior placement advisors can do for your loved one as well as the top five qualities to look for when choosing one to work with.
Senior Placement Advisors: What to Look For
What Are Senior Placement Advisors?
Also sometimes referred to as an “eldercare advisor,” it is the role of a senior placement advisor to work with the family in front of them to find a proper match for assisted living or continued care for their loved one, considering medical needs, social needs, budget, location, and more. Their job is to not only represent the needs of your loved one but to apply their local knowledge of assisted living facilities in the area that will likely be a good match for their particular needs or circumstances. A good senior placement advisor will be well-connected with the community and will take the time to pair your loved one with the right caretaking environment without rushing into placing them just to make a paycheck. But there are other qualities you should look for when deciding between senior placement advisors to make sure the candidate is the best person to represent the interests of the elder in your life.
Top 5 Qualities to Look for in a Senior Placement Advisor
It’s no secret that a senior placement advisor willing to take their time with each client until the whole family is comfortable with the decision of where to transition is likelier to have more positive recommendations than those who simply try to move on to the next client as quickly as possible. However, there’s more in a senior placement advisor than their operating speed to consider when it comes to choosing one to work with—not to mention that a faster senior placement advisor might simply be well-connected in the community, experienced, and good at their job. Here are some must-have qualities demonstrated by the best quality senior placement advisors that you should look for before partnering with one.
1. Active listening to the senior: Perhaps the most crucial quality an eldercare advisor can exhibit is active listening to the family in front of them, taking time to truly understand their client’s needs. Senior needs can be medical or physical, such as a need for an ADA-compliant building or continuous nursing care—but their needs also involve more holistic health concerns as well, such as mental health, emotional health, opportunities to socialize or partake in community activities, or creatively express themselves. Some seniors might have emotional needs that far outstrip their medical ones or vice versa—and this is something the senior placement advisor should be actively listening for and considering during the assisted living selection process. Emotional health can have a profound impact on not only physical health, but our ability to enjoy life—and it is the partial responsibility of the senior placement advisor to set their client up for the best possible chance at success.
2. Compassion and patience: Of course, everyone needs to get paid—but recommending a facility for a senior out of a desire to “get things over with” and collect a paycheck is the opposite of the kind of service your senior needs and deserves during this time. The decision to transition into assisted living is often not an easy one and can sometimes leave seniors feeling vulnerable or disenfranchised. A good senior advisor will take the time to go through all their possible options until they settle on one that feels right for the client—without convincing them one way or another.
3. Transparency and full disclosure with families about the transition: Not only is this transition emotionally taxing, but it can be confusing to navigate as well—from the financial end of things to simple logistics. It’s only fair that in making this significant step, a senior should understand what they are signing up for—from meal plans and payment plans to social opportunities and other enrichment activities. This can take a lot of the uncertainty and discomfort out of the process for families and help ease this sometimes challenging life change.
4. Comprehensive knowledge of all available options in the surrounding area: We said it before, but we’ll say it again: a good senior placement advisor is a well-connected placement advisor, with a thorough understanding of every available senior wellness or assisted living facility in the community. Does your client just want someone to help them remember to take their pills for the lowest price? Do they want a holistic wellness center where they can continue to develop a spiritual practice? Do they want to be able to garden in their spare time? Understanding their options will help certain facilities stand out and provide the client with all the information necessary before taking this significant step.
5. Timely communication throughout the process: A senior placement advisor won’t do you much good if they are hard to reach or slow to respond. A professional placement advisor will do their best to be available throughout the entirety of the process to answer any questions or provide insight into the assisted living protocol, government funding, and more. When a senior makes it to old age, the last thing they need is to wait on a placement advisor to check their voicemail! It’s time for the star treatment.
Best Senior Placement Advisors at Passionate Senior Placement
Aside from the qualities we’ve outlined above, there are further steps a family can take to ensure they’re working with the best senior placement advisor to represent their loved one. Take some time before working with an advisor to ensure they have at least several years of experience working in the local community and go ahead and read through previous client testimonies. With the help of a qualified and compassionate senior placement advisor, you can rest assured that this transition for the elder in your life can mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter of life, one in which they feel seen, cared for, and supported.