Have you spent hours pouring over websites and brochures to the point your head is spinning?

Are you avoiding the headache and hoping your older brother will step up and take it off your plate?

Choosing the right senior living facility for your loved one is overwhelming.

That’s where Senior Home Transitions comes in.

We transform the process from a pile of paperwork to a seamless transition for you and your family. National Companies provide generic lists of options in your area where Senior Home Transitions works with you as an individual to find what works for you.

In this article, we cover the most commonly asked questions we get on what makes Senior Home Transitions different than national companies.

Senior Home Transitions can help you find what suits your needs.

What is a Senior Living Placement Specialist?

There are two main avenues to finding, applying for, and selecting a senior living facility in your area. You can use a national referral company or a Senior Home Transitions placement specialist.

  • National Referral Company: A quick search online can provide you with a list of senior living facilities in your area. You can even fill out a quiz or enter a list of parameters and the magic of the internet will even spit out the best options for senior living in your area. National referral companies include A Place for Mom, Care.com, and others. These sites all work off of a similar platform that will facilitate options, but they don’t really help you to see which one is best for you. They leave the bulk of the work up to you.
  • Senior Home Transitions: A placement specialist from Senior Home Transitions is different. Working with Senior Home Transitions is like a personal shopper for your senior living needs. We meet with you one-on-one to discuss your needs, budget, insurance, logistics, and walk you through the entire process from the first tour to move-in day.

Senior Home Transitions can help you find a suitable senior living facility for your loved ones..

Do You Work Off of Commissions?

It’s important to understand how each of these companies gets paid and where their money is coming from to ensure they have your best interest at heart.

  • National Referral Company: A nationwide website recommending senior living facilities in your area is making money from a referral fee that comes from those facilities. They will only recommend facilities that have contracted with them to pay that referral fee. Because of this relationship, their options are usually limited from what is actually available.
  • Senior Home Transitions: For the seniors we serve, our service is completely free. We are paid through a referral fee that works similar to closing costs when purchasing a house. These fees are paid entirely by the senior living community, not by the resident. Our agreements are the same at every community, this puts all facilities on equal ground and we focus on placing our seniors wherever is best for them.

How Do You Choose Which Facilities to Recommend?

National companies don’t really choose which facilities to recommend, you get stuck in an algorithm of revenue and money talks.

However, when you choose a senior placement specialist, the game is changed. Senior Home Transitions provides a personalized service that isn’t based on trying to make money.

  • National Referral Company: As soon as you sign up for their services, a national referral website will collect your name, email, phone number and usually little to no other information. Once they know where you live, they send you a blanket list of communities. Many of these communities will be outside of a reasonable driving distance, and/or completely out of your price range. Still, once this information is collected they often provide it to the facilities so you’ll start getting endless sales calls almost immediately.
  • Senior Home Transitions: We start with an interview to determine the level of care your loved one needs, and the financial situation of your family. We never recommend any facilities that are too expensive, too far for family and friends to visit, or communities that don’t meet your needs. Because we have personal relationships with almost every single facility in your area, we can provide insight that you won’t get from any national referral website.

Senior Home Transitions start with an interview to determine the level of your needs as well as your financial situation.

How Do I Go On a Tour?

Walking into a senior living community for the first time can be emotional and overwhelming. Taking a tour is an important step to learning about the facility, but should be handled carefully to ensure you’re comfortable with your decision.

  • National Referral Company: After they send you a list of communities, you are on your own to search, contact, and schedule a tour. Once they have sent you the list, their obligation to you is complete. They will simply wait for you to do the work and pick up their referral fee check at the end.
  • Senior Home Transitions: Once we have narrowed down the number of options to your top 3 or 4 facilities, we will schedule the tour and meet you there to walk you through each of your selected communities. As we walk the halls together, we can answer questions, visit with the staff, and discuss your options.

I Started with a National Company and Want to Switch to Senior Home Transitions. What Do I Do?

If you have already provided your contact information to a national referral website, you have already entered into a contractual obligation without even realizing it. The facilities on your referral list are already under contract to pay a fee to the national company once you commit.

If you decide to switch and use Patti at Senior Home Transitions, it’s important to remove that contractual obligation. The first thing we do is help you to get out of any contracts you may be in (and aren’t even aware of).

We help you do this and then move forward with finding the best placement for you and your loved one.

How Do I Know Which Communities Are Good and Which Are Bad?

For most families, this is the first time they have researched senior living communities and the options can be overwhelming.

  • National Referral Company: The truth is, any national website won’t know much more than statistics about the communities in your area. There is no way for a national company to really know details about what facilities are doing. They won’t know which ones have a caring staff, which ones have the best food, etc. Any agents you talk to are not local so they don’t have the local knowledge.
  • Senior Home Transitions: We live in the same area where we place clients. We have relationships with the staff, eat the food, and know which communities are the best. We keep up with new communities being built and when older ones are being remodeled.

Do I Get Any Help Moving into a Community?

Moving day can be stressful and we understand you need all the help you can get.

  • National Company: National companies don’t offer any help with the actual move – you are on your own.
  • Senior Home Transitions: We show up on moving day to help carry boxes, assemble furniture and do any other moving help you need. It is our priority to ensure you are settled in and have everything you need from day one.

Senior Home Transitions services include help in the moving process.

What Happens After I Move In?

The switch to a senior living community doesn’t end on move-in day. There are so many changes to get used to, questions to have answered, and a transition that takes time.

  • National Company: A national referral company provides no services for those who are already residing in a senior living community.
  • Senior Home Transitions: We partner with each resident throughout your time in the community to help you resolve any issues that might arise. If you need a different facility, need special accommodations, we will help you long after you move into your new home.

Making a Choice

There is no one-size-fits-all, and there is no obvious choice when it comes to senior living in Louisville, KY.

There are literally dozens (sometimes hundreds) of possible solutions.

Of course, you want what is best for your loved one, but you’re also balancing medical needs, future concerns, logistics, insurance, and a budget. As a placement service, we work closely with families and seniors to find the ideal location for their needs to serve them now and in the future.

If you or a loved one need help finding a community, please give us a call today.