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How A Senior Placement Advisor Should Represent You
While working as a sales director at an assisted living and memory care facility in Central Florida, I had the opportunity of partnering with a few Senior Placement firms. Some firms were better than others in terms of quality of leads, professionalism, and knowledge of the industry. Some were experts and had great follow-ups while others were literally just placing people and moving on. A Senior Placement Advisor, also known as Senior Living Advisors, Placement Specialists, or Placement Navigators, works hard to research senior living communities on your behalf. It’s more than just a Google search.
Central Florida has over 200 assisted living facilities and the list continues to grow. So how does one know which facility is the right place for you or your loved one? This is where expert advice comes into play. Working with a Senior Placement Advisor is a great way for someone to guide you, work as your advocate, and also help you with locating the best facility in your budget range. Some have heard that working with a Senior Placement Advisor will drive the cost up due to fees paid to us by the Assisted Living Facilities. This is not true. In fact, we have been able to get some communities to waive fees or lower the monthly rate quoted.
So now that you know what a Senior Placement Advisor is, you’ll want to know how to choose the right one to represent you! When I decided to start North Star Senior Advisors, I took the time to visit every facility prior to partnering with them. I chose to do this because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just “placing” my client somewhere for a fee. I also asked my target market and referral sources questions about how I can be better for my clients.
A good Senior Placement Advisor will take the time to understand the industry and know each facility prior to “placing” someone in a particular community. This industry is not regulated (yet) so make sure you are working with an expert.
Top Ten Things to Know
- Make sure the advisor has visited each community prior to recommending the place to you. A good advisor knows their partnered communities.
- Ask how long they’ve been in business and find out how they’re paid. Typically we are paid a marketing fee from the assisted living facilities. This is how we are free to our clients.
- A good Senior Placement Advisor is trained and understands assisted living state rules and regulations.
- Ask if they’ve ever worked in an Assisted Living Facility and also if they’ve attended any type of training. In Florida, Assisted Living Executive Directors must attend CORE training. If searching for a Senior Placement Advisor in Florida, it might be good if there is a CORE trained representative on staff or if the advisor has ever worked at an Assisted Living Facility. (Keep in mind, if they say that they have a healthcare background, that is simply not enough. Healthcare is broad and Assisted Living is a unique branch of the industry.)
- Ask them if they’ll accompany you on tours and if not, how they plan to represent you.
- You should have a consult/assessment prior to going on tours. Ask the Senior Placement Advisor to tell you about the facilities prior to tours. You don’t want to waste your time or the facility’s time on tours that don’t match the criteria and amenities you are looking for prior to visiting.
- If you’re working with a national online senior placement firm, ask them if they plan on giving your personal contact information to multiple facilities. Be prepared to receive numerous phone calls from the many facilities they refer you to. – (Local on the ground Senior Placement firms typically don’t give your personal contact information since they work as the advocate/middleman).
- Read the Senior Placement Agency’s reviews. Google, Social Media, etc. You can even ask for previous client recommendations if you feel you need more information.
- A Senior Placement Advisor will give you options and not stir you in any particular direction or choose the facility for you.
- A Senior Placement Advisor should never make any promises and should ALWAYS be transparent. Keep in mind, the final approval for choosing an assisted living facility is made by YOU. The final Acceptance of an assisted living facility is made by the COMMUNITY.
Resource and Representation with North Star Senior Advisors
The Senior Placement Advisor’s job is to recommend, guide, represent as your advocate, and help with resources for a smooth transition! Should you have any questions about our services or any of our partnered communities please give us a call. We are happy to help you in any way we can! Our staff is CORE Trained. We have a nurse on staff. We have Certified Dementia Practitioners on Staff. We have over 25 years of combined experience in the industry. We have a Bilingual Staff. We are Veteran Owned/Operated and most importantly, we love what we do!
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Share this article on social media!
How A Senior Placement Advisor Should Represent You
While working as a sales director at an assisted living and memory care facility in Central Florida, I had the opportunity of partnering with a few Senior Placement firms. Some firms were better than others in terms of quality of leads, professionalism, and knowledge of the industry. Some were experts and had great follow-ups while others were literally just placing people and moving on. A Senior Placement Advisor, also known as Senior Living Advisors, Placement Specialists, or Placement Navigators, works hard to research senior living communities on your behalf. It’s more than just a Google search.
Central Florida has over 200 assisted living facilities and the list continues to grow. So how does one know which facility is the right place for you or your loved one? This is where expert advice comes into play. Working with a Senior Placement Advisor is a great way for someone to guide you, work as your advocate, and also help you with locating the best facility in your budget range. Some have heard that working with a Senior Placement Advisor will drive the cost up due to fees paid to us by the Assisted Living Facilities. This is not true. In fact, we have been able to get some communities to waive fees or lower the monthly rate quoted.
So now that you know what a Senior Placement Advisor is, you’ll want to know how to choose the right one to represent you! When I decided to start North Star Senior Advisors, I took the time to visit every facility prior to partnering with them. I chose to do this because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just “placing” my client somewhere for a fee. I also asked my target market and referral sources questions about how I can be better for my clients.
A good Senior Placement Advisor will take the time to understand the industry and know each facility prior to “placing” someone in a particular community. This industry is not regulated (yet) so make sure you are working with an expert.
Top Ten Things to Know
- Make sure the advisor has visited each community prior to recommending the place to you. A good advisor knows their partnered communities.
- Ask how long they’ve been in business and find out how they’re paid. Typically we are paid a marketing fee from the assisted living facilities. This is how we are free to our clients.
- A good Senior Placement Advisor is trained and understands assisted living state rules and regulations.
- Ask if they’ve ever worked in an Assisted Living Facility and also if they’ve attended any type of training. In Florida, Assisted Living Executive Directors must attend CORE training. If searching for a Senior Placement Advisor in Florida, it might be good if there is a CORE trained representative on staff or if the advisor has ever worked at an Assisted Living Facility. (Keep in mind, if they say that they have a healthcare background, that is simply not enough. Healthcare is broad and Assisted Living is a unique branch of the industry.)
- Ask them if they’ll accompany you on tours and if not, how they plan to represent you.
- You should have a consult/assessment prior to going on tours. Ask the Senior Placement Advisor to tell you about the facilities prior to tours. You don’t want to waste your time or the facility’s time on tours that don’t match the criteria and amenities you are looking for prior to visiting.
- If you’re working with a national online senior placement firm, ask them if they plan on giving your personal contact information to multiple facilities. Be prepared to receive numerous phone calls from the many facilities they refer you to. – (Local on the ground Senior Placement firms typically don’t give your personal contact information since they work as the advocate/middleman).
- Read the Senior Placement Agency’s reviews. Google, Social Media, etc. You can even ask for previous client recommendations if you feel you need more information.
- A Senior Placement Advisor will give you options and not stir you in any particular direction or choose the facility for you.
- A Senior Placement Advisor should never make any promises and should ALWAYS be transparent. Keep in mind, the final approval for choosing an assisted living facility is made by YOU. The final Acceptance of an assisted living facility is made by the COMMUNITY.
Resource and Representation with North Star Senior Advisors
The Senior Placement Advisor’s job is to recommend, guide, represent as your advocate, and help with resources for a smooth transition! Should you have any questions about our services or any of our partnered communities please give us a call. We are happy to help you in any way we can! Our staff is CORE Trained. We have a nurse on staff. We have Certified Dementia Practitioners on Staff. We have over 25 years of combined experience in the industry. We have a Bilingual Staff. We are Veteran Owned/Operated and most importantly, we love what we do!
