In our previous post, we talked about how our senior care advisors differ from realtors in that they do not always get paid for the families they place in senior living communities.
In this article, we continue to explore the differences.
We Are Not Afraid to Say “No”
When you’re working with a realtor, banker, or… pretty much anyone in marketing, you always need to consider their bias – you know, the “what’s in it for them” bias. Maybe it’s because of Kickstarter or The Lean Startup, but businesses in general have learned that people like “packaged deals.” So yes, you can purchase Netflix Instant for $7 a month OR for just $3 more, you can also get DVDs delivered to your door! You know what I’m talking about?
It’s actually become so bad, that you can’t go out to eat without someone saying, “Would you like to double your order with a (insert food, size, or rewards item) on the side?”
People are always trying to upsell and of course the same can frequently be said for realtors. In short, the more expensive the house, the bigger the commission. But if our last blog post was any indicator that we’re not interested in money (since we don’t always make money), this is another example of where realtors and the senior care advisors diverge.
Whereas in real estate, you may be able to sell your house and make your money back (or even a profit), the same cannot be said for senior housing. As a result, it’s not simply a place you move to for a little bit and then move out, so we need to make sure of two things:
- That you can afford this for a long time
- That it fits with your lifestyle
The thing is, you have to view senior living communities as permanent homes and because of that, if there are any lingering concerns that, at one point, you won’t be able to afford it, then it’s not a good fit and we will tell you so!
We don’t simply take your maximum price point, we look for what you can comfortably afford long-term and what your senior’s health needs are. If your senior is diagnosed with dementia or a chronic health condition that will worsen over time… but currently, they’re doing great, then that’s something we take into consideration.
We don’t want to move your elder into a palatial retirement home if in ten years, they’re going to need nursing home care. That would be wasted funds.
When we meet with seniors, we assess their expenses, assets, and health condition because we it’s important that when they make the choice to move into a senior housing community, that they only need to move ONCE.
So, yes, we may visit a great independent living home or assisted living, but if we think it’s going to be a problem down the line, we are absolutely going to let you know.
