Deciding to move your aging parents into an assisted living facility is a difficult decision. It’s important to do your research and look at all your options before making this life-changing advanced life planning decision. If you are unsure if your parents are at that stage and would like a free checklist on “11 Signs Your Aging Parent May Need Help in the Home” you can get that HERE.
Selecting an assisted living facility for your aging parents can be a challenging and emotional experience as well. The choice of where to place them should not be taken lightly as it affects both their physical and mental health, comfort, and wellbeing.
How do you choose the right facility? Are those free placement services the best choice? Making an informed decision can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Read on to learn more about how to pick the perfect assisted living facility for your parents.
Let’s start with the option of using a placement service – but are they the best option for you and your family? Let’s explore the pros and cons of free placement services so that you can make an informed decision.
What Is a Free Placement Service?
A free placement service helps match senior citizens with an assisted living facility that meets their needs. Most placement services are free, although some may require an initial fee. The way these services work is that they assess the needs of the aging parent, such as medical care, food preferences, level of mobility, ability to participate in activities, and then match them up with appropriate facilities in their area.
Free placement services are typically provided by private companies that specialize in finding and vetting assisted living facilities. They will typically provide you with a list of options that meet all your criteria and will even do some research into the amenities, staff credentials, reviews, cost, etc., of each facility on your behalf. This can save considerable time when selecting an assisted living facility because they have already done much of the legwork for you.
The Pros of Using Free Placement Services
Using a free placement service has its advantages – it saves time, money and energy when trying to find the right fit for your aging parent(s). With one call or online form submission, you can get matched up with several potential facilities in your area. You don’t have to worry about spending hours online researching different facilities or making dozens of phone calls; you’ll already have the information you need right at your fingertips!
Another pro is that most placement services offer unbiased advice and will take into account all factors related to finding the best environment for your aging parent(s). Finally, many placement services also provide post-placement follow-up services to ensure that everything is going smoothly after you’ve decided.
The Cons of Using Free Placement Services
Although there are many benefits associated with using a free placement service, there are also some drawbacks that should be considered before committing. For example, it’s important to note that not all placement services are equal – some may not have access to all available resources in your area or they may not be able to provide accurate advice on potential placements due to lack of experience or expertise in certain areas related to senior’s care.
However, even though these services are free on paper, they may still be collecting fees from the assisted living facilities they recommend in exchange for referring potential clients. As such, they may not be providing you with unbiased advice but instead recommending a facility based on commission rather than quality or suitability for your particular needs.
Additionally, many placement services operate on commission-based business models which means they may not always put your needs first as they try to maximize their profits from connecting seniors with facilities. Finally, some placement services may charge hidden fees or require lengthy contracts which could result in additional costs down the line.
It’s important to keep in mind that these services exist primarily as marketing tools for specific facilities, so always take time to read reviews and perform independent research on any home that you’re considering.
DIY Approach
The other option is to take matters into your own hands and select an assisted living facility without outside help. To do this successfully requires considerable time as it involves researching local facilities yourself and visiting each one personally before making a decision about which one is right for your parents.
That said, taking a DIY approach allows you to make sure that the information you receive about each facility is accurate and up to date since you are collecting it firsthand from people working at each location rather than relying on someone else’s research or opinion alone. It also gives you more control over what type of environment your parents will live in so that they can remain comfortable while enjoying their retirement years as much as possible.
Here are some questions to ask when evaluating potential facilities:
- What type of care does this facility provide?
- Does this facility provide specialized care for certain conditions, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease? This could be referred to as Memory Care. Is it a “locked facility?”
- Is there an activity program? What activities do they offer? Do they go on outings?
- Is there access to medical care if needed? What kind of medical staff is available? Is there a nurse on site or how available is the nurse?
- What safety features does this facility offer?
- Do they have a form such as a “Care plan” to communicate your loved ones needs to the staff?
- How much does this facility cost and what payment methods are accepted?
- What is the base price and what services are included?
- If they have an “a la carte” list of services, make sure to see all the costs to add extra care such as assisting with medications and medication administration or assistance with bathing or dressing. How are non-nursing staff trained to provide safe medication administration and assistance?
- Is wound care provided?
- Can someone assist with insulin injections?
- Are special need diets offered such as a low carb diet for diabetics? How about a low salt diet for loved ones with heart disease?
Once you have a better understanding of the various types of care available at different facilities, you can begin narrowing down your choices. It also helps if you visit each potential home before making a final decision so that you can get a firsthand look at the environment and meet with staff members.
Hiring an Independent Patient Advocate:
Choosing an assisted living facility for your aging parents isn’t easy; there’s no one size fits all solution. However, by doing research into potential homes, visiting them in person and taking advantage of free placement services where appropriate.
If you want the best choice for your loved one but time is something you are short on or you don’t live close to your aging parent or grandparent, you can consider hiring an Independent Patient Advocate to do the leg work for you.
The benefit of an Independent Patient Advocate is that they do not work for anyone but you. The Independent Advocate does not have any alliance with any companies, insurances, or healthcare organizations, hospitals or clinics. These Advocates stay independent so they can give 100% of their loyalty to you, their client. The only needs they are looking out for are yours.
If you are in a time crunch or have competing priorities with your own family needs, you’ll be able go into the process feeling confident that you’ve found the best possible fit for your parents’ needs and preferences with someone that will seek out all the amenities that you need while making sure all the options and facilities are considered.
Conclusion:
Choosing whether or not to use a free placement service for finding an assisted living facility for your aging parents is ultimately up to you – just make sure you do enough research beforehand so that you know what kind of commitment you’re getting into! Consider factors like cost (both upfront and long term), access to resources available in your area and reputation before making any decisions regarding assisted living placements for yourself or someone else in your family. Doing so will help ensure smooth transition into an ideal situation for everyone involved!
Deciding whether or not to use free placement services when selecting an assisted living facility for your aging parents depends largely on how much time you have available to dedicate to this process yourself versus how much money/resources you want to spend on these services as well as if there are any special needs or considerations that must be taken into account when choosing a suitable home for them (e.g., access to medical care). Ultimately, either route could work depending on what works best for both parties involved so long as adequate research has been done beforehand in order to ensure that all requirements have been met and that everyone involved is happy with the final decision made regarding where their loved ones will reside during their golden years!
Choosing an Independent Patient Advocate may help you make the right decision without any other outside influences. Just your loved ones needs and exploring all options.
If you are just beginning to explore the possibility of having to care for an aging parent in the future, you may want to get our free checklist “11 Signs Your Aging Parent May Need Help in the Home.” You can grab that HERE.
If you are already deep in the weeds with your caregiving journey you are welcome to join our Private Facebook Forum “Speaking Out on the Care of Your Aging Parents” where people come together to discuss the struggles and learn from others how to make this journey a bit easier. You can request to join HERE.
Take care and we will see you back here soon.
Pam and Linda
Resources:
https://yournurseadvocateconsulting.com/ Independent Advocates with Access to Advocates across the county.
https://patientadvocatematch.com/ Directory of Healthcare Resources
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/assisted-living/how-to-choose-an-assisted-living-facility.html
https://www.consumerreports.org/elder-care/choosing-the-right-assisted-living-community/
