Jamie McWilliam
Searching for a senior living option for a loved one can undoubtedly be an overwhelming feat. In today’s landscape, families have choices when it comes to how to go about their search including using a senior referral agency.
In today’s blog, we will review what a senior referral or placement agency is, look at how the relationship between referral agencies, senior living communities and a prospective family works, and explore the pros and cons of working with an agency.
What is a Senior Living Referral Agency?
A senior referral agency works with families to help them find senior living options that meet their loved one’s needs, such as assisted living or home care. The agency may work directly with the senior or together with that senior’s family, and will listen to their specific situation and needs to to create a list of options that could be a good fit.
Some of the most commonly used referral agencies in the US include A Place for Mom, Caring.com and Silver Assist.
How Does it Work? Generally, working with a referral agency comes at no cost to families. Most commonly, when a prospective resident or family works with an agency to find a senior community solution and moves into one of their partnered communities, the agency/advisor is paid by the community that is ultimately chosen.
Pros To Working with a Referral Agency?
Families may find comfort in working with an agency that can sort through dozens of options for them. Some benefits of working with a referral agency include:
Needs Assessment – An expert advisor will typically conduct a review of your loved one’s needs (in regards to care needs, geographic search area and financial situation) to pair you up with appropriate options. This can help save you time and offer a tailored approach to your search. When working with a local advisor, this review may be conducted in person, while other agencies typically conduct their reviews over an introductory phone call, email or even a simple form on their website.
Insider Knowledge – Advisors can be based locally or can be a part of a national organization, so it is a good idea to ask how personally the advisor knows the area you are searching in. Advisors (especially those who are local to your search) can offer insider knowledge on communities/organizations that may be able to meet your needs. Local advisors often meet with, tour and educate themselves on communities and care agencies, and therefore may have first-hand knowledge of the options they are presenting.
Coordination of Your Search – The average family tours 4-5 senior living communities, so balancing the coordination when it comes to phone calls, scheduling tours and follow-up can be very overwhelming. By employing an advisor to help, they can ease this burden by handling communication and scheduling for you.
Cons To Working with a Referral Agency?
A Skewed Search – The list you are provided from a referral agency may not be truly representative of all the options in your locale. Not all senior living communities and home care agencies partner with referral agencies, and generally your list will only include those providers they have formal relationships with.
Communities and Home Care organizations that perform very well (meaning that they tend to have high occupancy and/or a stellar reputation) are less likely to rely on paid referrals and therefore may not be included in your referral agency’s list of recommendations, either because they are not contracted to work with the referral agency or because the agent would be less likely to make a commission.
Lack of Firsthand Knowledge of Your Area – Some agencies employ a high volume of advisors who live across the country, representing thousands of communities at a time which, in turn, means they may not have any first-hand knowledge about the communities you are looking at, like staff turnover rates, reputation and state inspections.
Volume of Calls – Some referral agencies are known to have a high frequency of follow-up calls with families and some are known to share your contact information with a large list of communities, resulting in an overwhelming number of phone calls, emails and choices for families to sort through. Researching reviews and experiences from others who have used a service can provide insight into call frequency and information-sharing practices.
Access to Cost Savings – Families who choose not to work with referral agencies may have access to more savings or specials where the community is not paying out a referral commission.
More Options For Help With Your Senior Care Search
Consider a Geriatric Care Manager (GCM): If a family is out-of-state and needs support on the search from a far, a Geriatric Care Manager can be a great solution. Geriatric Care Managers become an advocate for seniors and their families, they offer advice and guidance on all things related to current and future planning/meeting needs. When it comes to finding the right senior living fit, they can help evaluate your loved one’s personal needs, give heart-felt recommendations and even set up appointments and tours for communities and support services that match those needs.
The National Care Planning Council offers an online resource library where you can search Geriatric Care Managers by state. You can also use search terms like “(MY STATE) Geriatric Care Managers”.
Go Local: There are many local senior referral agencies that will guide their customers personally through the experience. Look for those who offer to meet with you and/or your loved one in person for a consultation. These agencies can make the process less overwhelming by offering expertise from experience in the field and also help to be present during the tour process with you. They become a liaison between you and the communities. To find a local agency, use search terms like “Senior placement agencies near me” or “Senior Living Advisors near me.” You can also call your local senior center or Council on Aging and ask for recommendations.
Research Your Referral Agency: All referral agencies are not built the same. Some agencies take a more localized approach, offering agents who are “boots on the ground” and know their market well. If you’re considering a specific referral agency, you should look at online ratings and reviews before opting in. Also, reach out to families/friends to hear about any experience they’ve had working with a referral agency.
Benefits of “organically” searching for a Senior Living Community without an Advisor
- You control your search.
- You know your search area best, what is a reasonable distance, what roads are traffic-laden etc. You wont waste time looking at communities that may fall outside of your area.
- You can view any/all of the senior communities in your area rather than filtering to those who have contracted with a search agency.
- You can work at your own speed, without undue pressure
- You can make changes “on the fly”. For example, if you scheduled a tour through an agency and need to change the time/day, you may not have access to the community’s representative to make a change to your appointment
- You can find real and honest testimonials online with Google and Social Media sites.
- You can control the amount of calls you receive by setting expectations directly with the communities and not including an agency in the mix who will have their own continued follow up measures.
Choices are about differences…
When you need to find additional support for a loved one, undoubtedly the search for a senior community or related solution can get overwhelming. There are certainly pros and cons to hiring outside help or going at it on your own. Arming yourself with the right tools and questions to ask can really help you understand what you are being offered, and how that agency will support you throughout your search and ultimately help you to find support best that fits your needs.