If you’re a senior living placement agent, hats off to you. You fill a vital role and have developed a very special skill set to work with families in transition. Thank you for your dedication to helping older adults.
It isn’t easy work, but you have the satisfaction of knowing that you’re providing significant value and peace of mind to people who need it most. We work with senior living placement agents every day, and those who are the most successful are able to:
- Demonstrate authentic empathy
- Build trust with the client and family
- Provide resources and options based on their needs
- Pave the way to the smoothest possible transition
- Follow up and keep in touch with the client and family
We’ve also seen how their partners who don’t share these values can make these touchpoints harder to reach.
An article in Senior Housing News, written by a senior living placement agent, noted the frustration experienced by the lack of compassion sometimes shown by their business partners.
“I can tell you, the lowest moment in my long career was when a VP of sales for a major provider told me, ‘I don’t pay you to offer families a better experience, I pay you to fill my beds.’”
And yet a “better experience” is exactly what you need to provide your clients.
That kind of attitude comes across to residents as well, in interviews and tours. It can make your job as a senior living placement agent, much harder. And, most importantly, it can put the brakes on a transition to senior care for those who need it most.
Focus only on partners who help you give clients a better experience.
You may say that it’s hard to change the mindset of a care provider. That may be true. But there are areas where you can have more control.
A great example is when a family must sell their home to pay for the transition to a care community. As you know, this brings with it an emotional component that must be understood and respected.
The best partners make your life, and the life of your clients, easier.
Real estate agents may be good at what they do, but they won’t take any burdens off your client. In fact, they’ll add a laundry list of action items to get the house ready for sale. Requests such as “remodel this, remove that”, and requiring numerous open houses. And your clients end up spending a lot of money in the process. These become your action items too because you can’t move the transition forward until your client’s long list of expensive items are tackled.
Emotions run higher than ever as the placement transition loses steam.
Senior living placement agents can offer clients a better experience.
What if, instead of a realtor, you partnered with someone who can actually purchase that property from your client?
How would that give your clients a better experience? Most realtors aren’t interested in doing it. But specialized transition specialists, like Mom’s House, are certified to buy houses. And partners like Mom’s House share your dedication to finding solutions for families, with team members who are passionate about serving seniors and understand the emotional issues that come with selling their homes filled with loved possessions.
The Senior Transition Specialists at Mom’s House can take a huge burden off the backs of your clients. They remove the emotional and physical drain of prepping their house for sale. And they help guide them through the transition with compassion and dignity.
And for senior living placement agents, it means a move-in can occur within weeks, not months.
But that’s just one example. It’s time to look at all of your partners.
As a senior living placement agent, you’ve worked hard to provide your clients with a better experience as they transition. Your partners should be working just as hard.
For each of them, ask yourself these questions:
- Do they put the prospective resident’s needs first?
- How do they help you provide a better experience for your client?
- Are they providing solutions or creating hurdles?
There are caring people, like Mom’s House, who are focused on providing the best solution for families and offering them (and you) a better experience at this very important and delicate moment in their life. If you’re partnering with people and organizations that aren’t offering this type of empathic care, don’t hesitate to make a change.
When everyone is working together to benefit your client, Your placements will be faster, less disruptive, and more respectful of the families you so unselfishly serve.