by admin | Nov 12, 2014 | Blog, How To, Uncategorized
If it has become difficult for an elderly loved one to live independently on their own, then senior housing facilities can provide the ideal solution. Your loved one can still maintain their independence, while receiving the extra assistance or nursing care they need to live safely and comfortably. There are a range of living and care options to choose from, so how do you know which one is right for your loved one?
Are They Able to Engage in Social Activities?
If your loved one can engage in social activities, find an independent living community that can keep up with them and keep them mentally, physically, and socially engaged. These facilities will allow them to enjoy their post-retirement years more, relax comfortably, and leave the housekeeping and daily maintenance to others.
Do They Need Daily Assistance?
If your loved one needs assistance with the activities of of daily living, then they may need more than just a little extra help. Some of the services commonly provided by assisted living facilities includes the following:
- Medication reminders and assistance
- Social, recreational, and educational activities
- Eating and meal management
- Housekeeping and laundry
- Transportation assistance
- Grooming and dressing
- 24-hour staffing
- Other services, customized to each resident’s needs
Do They Require Nursing Care?
Not all senior living facilities offer nursing care. Make sure your ideal nursing home has an RN on staff that can provide 24-hour medical care, if needed. Inquire about what services are offered by doctors, nurses, and therapists on staff. If your loved one has specialized needs, find a location that can cater to them, such as memory care housing for those suffering from Alzheimer’s or Dementia.
Is It a Short Stay?
Not all facilities are designed for an elongated stay. If you or a loved one just needs a comfortable place to stay for a short time, then look for a respite care or short-term facility. These are ideal when you are recovering from a surgery, injury, or illness. It can also provide the normal caregiver with some much-needed time off.
Are They Moving in for the Long Run?
If you or a loved one is looking for a place to settle into for the long-term, you may consider continued care communities. With these apartments, a resident can remain living comfortably throughout their various stages of life, even as their health, age, and abilities change. Continued care communities offer a range of services, amenities, and activities so that you can enjoy your post-retirement years more with other seniors. If your health deteriorates, you can receive nursing care or dementia care from the same facility, so you will never have to move to another facility or be inconvenienced.
Ask the Right Questions
Once you schedule a live tour, make sure to have a list of questions ready. You’ll want to know things such as the staff-to-resident ratio, what type of experience the staff has, what services are offered, and what the price includes. Contact Senior Search at 888-930-8981 if you have more questions about finding the right senior housing.
by admin | Nov 12, 2014 | Blog, Uncategorized
When you’re looking for senior housing, there are certain things to keep in mind to ensure you make the best choice for your family. We’ve covered some of the top things you should know to save time in your search for the right community:
- Not all senior housing is the same. There are different types of senior care and living options (such as assisted living, independent living, senior housing, respite care, short-term stays, continued care communities, memory care, respite care, and nursing homes). The right one for your loved one will depend on the level of care needed and preferred amenities.
- Nursing care is not always offered. Not all seniors care facilities are qualified to offer medical or nursing care. If your loved one needs nursing care, find a nursing home or qualified location that can offer around-the-clock care.
- Not all prices are stated upfront. Many facilities will charge hidden costs or fees. Ask for a complete monthly fee, which includes all services.
- What you like may not be what your loved one likes. If you will be choosing the facility for a parent or elderly loved one, make sure to put yourself in their shoes. Consider what they would like, rather than what you would like.
- Think about both current and future needs. The way your loved one lives now may not be the way they are living in the near future. If their condition or health is changing (or may change soon), find a location that can care for them even after their condition has deteriorated.
- You should inquire about the staff. The staff can make or break a location. Your loved one will want to feel safe, secure, comfortable, and well cared for by the staff. Look into things like employee retention, experience, and medical capabilities.
- You should ask for help. This is a big, important decision to make and it can be very stressful to take this task upon yourself. Instead, rely on your family to assist with narrowing down the options to find the best place for your loved one’s needs, preferences, and finances.
- Proximity is important, but not crucial. You’ll want to find a location that is close enough for your family to visit as often as you like. However, keep in mind that you likely won’t be visiting everyday, especially when most seniors spend a lot of time at their new community, enjoying social activities with others their age. So find a location that is close, but don’t let it be the determining factor in where your loved one will reside.
- Nothing beats a tour. Take advantage of one of Senior Search’s online video tours to experience a facility for yourself, before scheduling a live tour. This will give you a better idea of the rooms, group areas, and community as a whole. Once you have chosen the right location, visit in person so you can get a feel for the staff, residents, and more about the amenities.
- Stay for more than the tour. While you can get a good idea of the location from a tour, staying for an entire meal, walking around the facility on your own, or even staying overnight can really give you a better idea of how the residence is run when you aren’t around.
Contact Senior Search at 888-930-8981 if you have more questions about searching for senior housing for yourself or a loved one.
by admin | Nov 12, 2014 | Blog, How To, Uncategorized
Finding the right senior living facility for your loved one may seem like a confusing process, but it doesn’t have to be. Senior Search offers a unique service to make the process fast, easy, and stress-free for you and your family.
How We Can Help
We can guide you through what each type of senior living facility is, what they offer, and whether they are the right fit for your loved one with the following:
- Video tours: Rather than spending all day touring just a couple of facilities, with our online tools and video tours, you can find out everything there is to know about the facilities near you in just a matter of seconds. With video tours, your elderly loved one can easily see, feel, and experience what each facility is like, without ever having to leave their home. This can get them more involved in the decision-making process and will allow you and your family to compare more facilities.
- Simple search tools: Filter your search by name, area, and types of services offered to find the best locations near you.
- Clearly displayed information: All information relating to a location is clearly displayed, including the location profile, distance, services offered, and availability. This can help clear away most of the confusion and assist you in easily comparing multiple facilities.
- Pricing information: Some locations aren’t straightforward with their pricing. They may have hidden costs or charge separate fees every month for each service, which is why we offer clearly marked pricing, making it easy for you to compare prices.
- Global sharing options: Senior Search offers a range of helpful online tools, which can make it easier for your family to coordinate care. Once you have found a location that may suit your loved one’s needs, you can easily favorite and share the location online, so that any of your family members from around the world can view the location and video tour whenever – and wherever – they please. Having more than one opinion is best when choosing a place for an elderly loved one as not all parties may agree, or someone else may notice something or ask questions that you hadn’t considered before.
Take Your Time
The advantage of searching for senior housing from your home computer is that you will save a huge amount of time, stress, and hassle. However, it doesn’t mean that you should rush through the decision. You or a loved one will be living in this facility for some time, and want to feel comfortable in it. Even if your elderly loved one only needs a short-term stay, the place you choose will serve as a home away from home for the time being. You’ll want it to be as comfortable as possible so they can recover and relax.
You don’t need to make this decision alone. Take your time, share your favorite listings with loved ones, and tour more facilities online. Contact Senior Search at 888-930-8981 if you have questions or would like more guidance.
by admin | Nov 11, 2014 | Blog
Our Humble Beginnings
A few short years ago, our CEO Chris’ grandmother, affectionately nicknamed Mammo, suffered a fall in her home. Mammo didn’t receive help for several hours, which caused a scare that rippled throughout the family. It had finally happened: Mammo was no longer able to care for herself, and was in need of assisted living services.
Like so many other families who experience a similar situation, the first thought was, “Where do we start? What do we do?” After some deliberating, the process began online, searching for assisted living facilities nearby and trying to compare prices. However, things didn’t go quite as Chris’ family had hoped: no pricing information was displayed anywhere, no matter how hard they looked. Every directory service they used badgered them with calls and emails, making it difficult to focus. And worst of all, there was no way for Mammo or her family to see the inside of a facility they liked.
Most of the locations listed online had a few pictures; some had many, some had none. The pictures were helpful, but they didn’t provide any true sense of what it would be like to be there. What’s more, the occasional promo video was nice, but again, none of them gave any sense of what it’s actually like to walk through the doors and have an experience. Mammo’s family was upset, frustrated, and concerned about the well-being of their grandmother.
Through a miraculous coincidence, Chris was contacted to film several model homes in the Phoenix valley. This lead to him gaining experience with video tours, which when coupled with Chris’ unique style, proved very effective. In the midst of the struggle with finding senior care for Mammo, Chris’ wife mentioned that with his video tour experience, he should film video tours of senior living homes in order to make the search process easier for families.
After some deliberation, Chris took it upon himself to do just that: improve the search process for families everywhere, so that nobody would ever again have to go through what their family went through. Using his unique style of video tour, called Floating Motion Video, Chris established a small but exciting company called Late Living. The road to success was tough, and paved with failures, but after gaining a little traction, Late Living experienced explosive growth. Just over two years later, the company has grown to work with the biggest companies in the senior living industry, and is creating a wake that nobody in the industry can ignore.
Senior Search didn’t become what it is today out of a desire for money, nor a desire to own a business. Our company was founded on one simple principle: to make life easier. Our goal of making life easier is still the principle that drives us. With a video directory that allows users to experience every room, lobby, and area, we’ve made it easier than ever for seniors and their families to make decisions regarding senior living. And with Magnetic Marketing Video Analytics, we’ve made it easier for Marketing Managers and their teams to engage with their leads.
by admin | Nov 10, 2014 | Blog
Our Humble Beginnings
A few short years ago, our CEO Chris’ grandmother, affectionately nicknamed Mammo, suffered a fall in her home. Mammo didn’t receive help for several hours, which caused a scare that rippled throughout the family. It had finally happened: Mammo was no longer able to care for herself, and was in need of assisted living services.
Like so many other families who experience a similar situation, the first thought was, “Where do we start? What do we do?” After some deliberating, the process began online, searching for assisted living facilities nearby and trying to compare prices. However, things didn’t go quite as Chris’ family had hoped: no pricing information was displayed anywhere, no matter how hard they looked. Every directory service they used badgered them with calls and emails, making it difficult to focus. And worst of all, there was no way for Mammo or her family to see the inside of a facility they liked.
Most of the locations listed online had a few pictures; some had many, some had none. The pictures were helpful, but they didn’t provide any true sense of what it would be like to be there. What’s more, the occasional promo video was nice, but again, none of them gave any sense of what it’s actually like to walk through the doors and have an experience. Mammo’s family was upset, frustrated, and concerned about the well-being of their grandmother.
Through a miraculous coincidence, Chris was contacted to film several model homes in the Phoenix valley. This lead to him gaining experience with video tours, which when coupled with Chris’ unique style, proved very effective. In the midst of the struggle with finding senior care for Mammo, Chris’ wife mentioned that with his video tour experience, he should film video tours of senior living homes in order to make the search process easier for families.
After some deliberation, Chris took it upon himself to do just that: improve the search process for families everywhere, so that nobody would ever again have to go through what their family went through. Using his unique style of video tour, called Floating Motion Video, Chris established a small but exciting company called Late Living. The road to success was tough, and paved with failures, but after gaining a little traction, Late Living experienced explosive growth. Just over two years later, the company has grown to work with the biggest companies in the senior living industry, and is creating a wake that nobody in the industry can ignore.
Senior Search didn’t become what it is today out of a desire for money, nor a desire to own a business. Our company was founded on one simple principle: to make life easier. Our goal of making life easier is still the principle that drives us. With a video directory that allows users to experience every room, lobby, and area, we’ve made it easier than ever for seniors and their families to make decisions regarding senior living. And with Magnetic Marketing Video Analytics, we’ve made it easier for Marketing Managers and their teams to engage with their leads.
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