Boomer Connections This Boomer's Life

One of the most difficult decisions an older adult can make is to transition to a more supportive living environment, such as an assisted living community, or even an independent retirement community, with supportive services. The thought of leaving their home, and the perceived loss of independence associated with a move, often makes the process inconceivable. Unfortunately, more often than not, lack of a true understanding of available options results in the older adult remaining in an unsafe environment, until an incident forces them and/or their loved ones to make immediate care decisions, lacking an in-depth knowledge of available services at home or in a community.

A quality eldercare advisor can alleviate a great deal of the uncertainty surrounding a transition to a community, educate their client about all options available to them, not just push them to choose a care community, and ensure they have the information needed to make an informed decision that is best for their unique situation.

Choosing a qualified, experienced eldercare advisor to work with is very important. There are vast differences between the types of advisors, and you should do your due diligence when making that choice. Here are a few factors to consider as you interview potential advisors-

• Background, education, qualifications- What experience and/or licensure do they have in working with older adults, that qualifies them to serve as your advocate through this often-difficult time?
• What is their primary goal when working with you and/or your loved one? Any answer other than, “To ensure I help you find the best solutions to solve the challenges you’re facing”, is unacceptable. The advisor should have an in-depth knowledge of the local area, and be able and willing to recommend other solutions, in addition to supportive environment communities. Examples include adult day centers, private duty caregivers (home care), rehabilitation services, and other programs designed to maximize quality of life for older adults.
• Which communities do they have a relationship with, along with those with which do they not work with. This is a critical component of your interview, as you do not want to limit your options by choosing an advisor that only works with a few communities, regardless of the rationale.
• Can they provide references, including older adults they’ve helped transition to a community, as well as those they have assisted to establish services that have allowed them to remain in their home?
• What is their process? It is critical they actually meet with their client, in person, and does not attempt to conduct the interview over the phone.
• Which evaluation/assessment tools do they use when determining what services their client needs, and which are best for each unique client?
• Where are they located? They need to be located in the area you or your loved one are in, as it is highly unlikely the advisor knows anything about the services and/or communities they are recommending if they live out of town, or in another part of the state.
• How do they evaluate the communities and services they recommend? How often do they visit the communities? Can they intelligently discuss the communities in your area?
• If they recommend you visit communities, when do they provide your loved one’s name to the communities?
• If they recommend you visit communities, do they accompany you on the visit, or just set up the visit and allow you to go alone?
• How long do they work with their client? When does the relationship end?

Although this is not an exhaustive list of factors to consider when hiring an eldercare advisor, this will certainly help you feel more confident when partnering with the professional that will, hopefully, replace the chaos with clarity as you explore options to provide solutions to the unique challenges you are facing.