Your mom started the conversation about maybe needing some help. Great! Because you’ve been worried about her for months. You’re not exactly sure what she needs but you’re ready to find out. You sit down to your trusty computer and…. pause… what the heck are you supposed to type in? You’re not even sure what you’re looking for! I’m your host Valerie Lynn and this week we’re online searching for senior services.
Hi and welcome to the show! So many of our clients have told us they spent hours on the internet… which led them to countless phone calls…which led them nowhere! Some were lucky to find someone who pointed them in a direction but usually this was just a piece to the puzzle and required more and more research and phone calls. So why is it so hard to find what you’re looking for? Well because senior care is an industry…a really big one! It has it’s own language, rules and acronyms and how could YOU possibly be expected to know any of it!?
So in this episode, we’re going to take a look at some common searches, what you might encounter and key information to help your search get you where you want to go.
The first most important thing to know is that the first page of results almost always takes you somewhere you may not want to go. Even IF you know you want to find information about the senior community right down the street! So let’s say you drive by this community every day. You decide it’s time to learn more so you google it. It pops up and you call the number. But did you? Did you actually call the community you’re trying to reach? Because it’s very likely that you called an online service. You suddenly find yourself having an entire conversation with someone who also very likely has never stepped foot in that community.
So the first tip is…. if you know where you want to search…be sure you aren’t on an ad for another online search engine. This usually requires scrolling down a few selections until you find the community itself. You might be saying… well of course Valerie, I know that! And I know it too! But it just happened to me!! It’s so easy to want to quickly find a phone number and end up in the wrong place!
But what if…like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, you don’t really know where you should call or how to find it? We hear from the admissions team at skilled nursing facilities that they get calls all the time from families calling because mom or dad needs help in the restroom…makes sense… you know exactly what you need so it should be easy to find help right? Not so much… in this case – a skilled nursing facility is a short-term and longterm rehab. This is for very heavy care or recovering from a surgery or fall. These are not senior living communities and not for those just needing help to the restroom. So how is it that so many families call the wrong place? Partly because it’s impossible for someone with no experience in the senior living industry to know one building from another. And partly because of the industry terms … how could you possible know the difference between an independent community with no services an assisted living or a skilled nursing home? Very often they all look the same online and even if you make it to a list of places in your area…it’s likely you’ll find all options on one list including adult family homes…which we haven’t even mentioned.
Let’s look at some examples and what happens when you google them – maybe you’ve even done this!
If you google mom needs help in the restroom you’ll get a few in home care companies…assisted devices and then it’s the Wild Wild West of the bathroom!
Google elderly mom needs assistance and it’s all over the place from articles to online search engines to home care.
Googling Assisted Living brings up communities, skilled nursing and adult family homes….all very different.
Senior care – a mix of everything
If I haven’t completely dashed your on-line searching dreams – let’s take a look at some ways to search that might be helpful.
Know what problem you’re trying to solve and the overall goal.
-Is it for your mom or dad to continue living at home?
-Is it for them to get stronger to do so?
-Is it time for them to move to a protected environment?
-Are they wanting to move because they’re fearful of living alone and ready to give up the chores if owning a home or is it because they need physical assistance?
-Where are you hoping to find a place?
-How much can you afford per month?
Now that you have these answers…you can make your search more specific.
For staying home – google in-home care in whatever area you’re looking for.
For wanting to move to give up those household chores – Google retirement living or independent living and the area.
If your loved one needs assistance like help with the bathroom – Google assisted living and the area you want.
For skilled nursing you’ll most likely find yourself in a situation where your loved one is in the hospital and the staff of social workers will help you find a skilled nursing home
Want a more home like setting? For those states that have them – you’ll google either residential care home, adult family or or adult care home.
And if you DO find your way to what looks like a good place that fits what you need? Some floor plans will even list pricing. But be aware those specific floor plans may not be available.
*On a side note – I’ll put links in notes to our short episodes defining each type of care.
Even armed with this information and the specific terms? I’m sorry to say the list of options will give you some that don’t fit your situation and costs can vary wildly. You may find yourself on the phone with a place that cannot help you…but hopefully the conversations can be shorter because you’ll be armed with your specific needs, know your budget and know what you don’t want. My company, Clear Path helps families with this research…finding the best fit for your mom or dad. We make the calls, visit the places and there are folks like us in every state. I wish I could say the search will be easy…but as you start your search hopefully just knowing what to look out for helps make your online search – a little more doable.
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