Before we delve into the third highlighted PASRS principle of best practice, we’d like to offer a refresher of our first blog on the topic and our second blog, which you can read here.
To spread awareness around the principles of best practice used by PASRS (The Professional Association of Senior Referral Specialists), we’ll share the five most prominent principles each week.
This week, we’ll explore the third principle below.
Best Practice #3: Meeting the Client Face-to-Face
PASRS Senior Referral Specialists Members will make every effort to arrange a personal interview with the client before touring. It is also the practice of the Senior Referral Specialist to tour with the client.
There are MANY horror stories of placement agents that have gone rogue and will entirely forego a personal meeting or call with a senior prospect needing help. While one can argue that today’s fast-paced world emphasizes speed and instant satisfaction (or relief), there may not be time to arrange a face-to-face consultation with a senior or their family. We wholeheartedly disagree.
The internet and its ability to provide information within the blink of an eye is undoubtedly a great tool to be used – but when it comes to placing seniors in the right kind of senior living environment, a face-to-face or direct phone call goes a long way.
Let’s see an example of how this situation can unfold and why this principle is important.
When the Internet Does Your Job for You
There’s arguably nothing easier than hopping online, typing in your search criteria for senior living, adding your location, and being served many results that, upon first sight, look like they meet your senior’s needs. Many senior referral service providers operate like this.
Yes, it saves time, but what it can’t do is take into consideration the finer nuances that come into play with each senior and their unique set of circumstances. We were recently contacted by a family who noted that their senior loved one was diagnosed with Dementia and that they were seeking a memory care community in their local area.
While this doesn’t sound like a complicated placement based on their criteria, upon a face-to-face consultation with the senior and their family, it came to light that her dementia was alcohol-induced, adding complexity to the placement. It was evident to our Certified Placement Expert handling this case that a special arrangement would need to be considered, which would incorporate a memory care community that could provide additional services to the senior in question to assist with the issue of alcohol abuse.
Had there not been an in-person meeting with the senior and their family, this information may not have come to light over the phone.
How Can I Protect My Senior?
If you’re not already working with a senior referral or placement agent that forms part of PASRS, the best thing to do is to insist that this agent takes a face-to-face consultation with your family or senior loved one.
If there is any form of resistance from the agent’s side, it may be time to reconsider the relationship. At the very least, an in-depth Zoom consultation needs to facilitate that personal connection that will help place your senior in the right kind of senior living community based on their unique requirements.
At Options for Senior Living, this best practice is fundamental to our daily operations with every senior and family we interact with. If you need advice, a trusted referral or assistance with senior resources, contact us directly by calling 602-845-1320 or email us at support@optionsfsl.com.
