Helping Families and Senior Care Facilities

For Randy Zehr, his job is all about helping families make the right choice, and helping senior care facilities find the right residents. As an eldercare advisor at A Place for Mom, Zehr helps seniors and their families through the maze of senior resources, and care and housing options. "It can be overwhelming for many, as most folks have never been through a search before and they don't know what to look for, what to ask, and where to start," he explains.

The results of his work are a win-win for families and for the senior care facilities with whom he partners. "We work very closely with the facilities that partner with us. We are here to find them the right residents who fit their model of care," he adds. Zehr says A Place for Mom becomes an important part of a facility's marketing plan, helping initiate facility tours. "After the tour, we follow up with families and learn what they like or did not like, and we share this information with the properties, to help them improve their presentation," he says.

Zehr offered the following tips for keeping a facility full.

1)    Be sure to stress benefits when taking family members on a facility tour. As an example, if you are approaching the dining room on a tour, instead of saying "here is the dining room", explain the benefit like this: "In the dining room we gather and enjoy nutritious home cooked meals and this helps them become healthier. Residents enjoy each other's company as they dine, and this socialization is vital to their health as well."

2)    As you talk with a family, either in person or on the telephone, listen for that family's hot buttons; what is most important to them? If it's security, where Mom has felt insecure at home, talk about that and how security is enabled at your facility. If the hot button is medication management, describe how your caregivers help ensure that Mom takes her meds appropriately. In any case, listen closely to what is most important to the family and address that as you tour your property.

3)    Have the right people in the right place during your tour. That is, make sure you communicate that your teams will truly care about their loved one. When families can make an emotional connection with the people they talk to, such rapport can go a long way in helping them make a decision and verify they've made the right choice.

Overall, says Zehr, it is important to emphasize that an older loved one will get help in ensuring that their medications are taken correctly, that they will eat well and they will socialize. "Those three things can really improve the health and outlook of that loved one, particularly if they have been living alone, and many have," he explains.

For more information contact Zehr at randyz@aplaceformom.com. A Place for Mom is a nationwide company with nearly 300 eldercare advisors. Learn more at www.aplaceformom.com.