Finding a place for mom or dad to live when they can no longer care for themselves isn’t easy. The process of choosing from memory care and assisted living or personal care facilities for elderly parents can be fraught with emotions, both for the senior and for family members, and often the decision must be made quickly.
So, who do you turn to? Many families start with recommendations from family members, friends, and trusted advisors like doctors and financial planners. The next step when reviewing assisted living facilities for elderly parents is usually searching for nearby communities, calling for information and arranging tours. But in our hurried lives, this can be time-consuming.
A referral service, like A Place for Mom, Caring.com, or SeniorAdvisor, may seem to be a convenient solution. However, recently the for-profit senior care referral service, A Place for Mom, has come under fire from the government for putting seniors at risk by directing them to communities cited for neglect or sub-standard care. Here’s what you should know before relying on one of these for-profit referral companies.
Do they provide a comprehensive list of all the senior living communities in my area?
No. For-profit referral services incorporate a “pay to play” model. In other words, they recommend only retirement communities that have agreed to pay them high fees in exchange for referrals and a preferred status.
What does “free to the consumer” mean?
In short, it means that the selected community is paying for that referral. So, if an optimal community fitting the prospect’s criteria like location chooses not to subscribe to the services of a for-profit referral company, the prospect will not be informed of this option from the referral service, even if it is right down the road and meets their budget, needs and wishes. Because these referral companies profit from the large fees they receive from participating communities, they often use high-pressure sales techniques on overwhelmed families who are simply trying to find assisted living facilities for elderly parents who are unable to care for themselves.
How do referral companies determine if their recommended assisted living facilities for elderly parents are good?
For-profit online referral companies claim to make unbiased recommendations. However, their sales advisors work on commission paid when a prospect signs up at a participating assisted living facility for the elderly. Most of these advisors have never even set foot on the campuses that they recommend. In addition, they may ignore reviews and reports of sub-standard service and conditions at communities they suggest.
Why doesn’t Country Meadows work with for-profit referral companies?
Quite simply, we believe the for-profit referral model benefits the referral company and not the families it claims to serve.
For example, A Place for Mom has knowingly referred families to communities which were well beyond their financial means. On the company’s website for its senior community partners, it stated that nearly 40% of referred families paid approximately $1,000 more per month than their stated budget.
In addition, a Washington Post review of inspection reports found that more than a third of A Place for Mom’s most highly recommended facilities in 28 states were cited for neglect or substandard care in the past two years, many of them repeatedly. The company placed the responsibility for ultimately determining the quality of care of a referred senior living community on the families, essentially negating the value of its own recommendations.
We believe transparency is important. That’s why Country Meadows puts baseline pricing per level of care along with representative floor plans right on our website. The monthly rate is based on the preferred campus, apartment style and level of care. While we customize our plans based on the resident’s individual preferences and needs, sharing our starting rates provides a frame of reference for families as they are collecting initial information about us.
We also help families manage their budgets, too, with simplified, one monthly fee billing.
And while we think our campuses represent the best in senior living, you don’t have to take our word for it. Based on an independent survey of our residents and their families, each of our communities has been recognized by US News and World Report as among the best for our independent living, assisted living (or personal care) and/or memory support services. Residents and their families were asked about the communities’ safety, caregiving, management, staff, food and dining and activities.
Trusted advice from local experts
Whether families are looking for memory care or assisted living facilities for elderly parents or seniors are seeking to transition to independent living, our knowledgeable local advisors are here to help. We encourage families to tour, ask questions, enjoy a meal or even stay for a trial night to get the full Country Meadows experience. Reach out to one of our locations in Pennsylvania or Frederick, Md. to learn more today.
For prospective residents and their families who want to learn more but aren’t ready yet to talk to an advisor, our online Resource Center and informative blogs are full of frequently asked questions and information about senior living in general and at Country Meadows. Handy guides, such as Talking About Touchy Topics with Your Aging Parents and Navigating the Maze of Senior Living Options, can be downloaded for free with no email required!
