Are Eldercare Advisors the Same as Senior Living Advisors?

The Quick Answer is “Yes”. 

An Eldercare advisor can also be referred to as either a senior care consultant, a senior living care professional, or a senior living advisor. And just like a senior living advisor, an eldercare advisor guides individuals and families through the process of locating the best senior housing options. 

These professionals own or work for an advisory company which has established ties and a network of communities in the area. They know these communities inside and out, and are  familiar with the world of senior living and elder care. 

Since senior living advisors are paid by the senior communities when someone moves in, they work at no cost to the individual and their family.

What do Eldercare Advisors do?

As with Senior Living Advisors, an Eldercare Advisor provides a wealth of information and local industry knowledge that you can tap into during an unusually stressful time. 

Here are some of the reasons that you would want to work with an Elder Care Advisor:

1. An experienced Eldercare Advisor has been through this process before. For many families, the process of evaluating the needs and solutions of an aging family member is a ‘once or twice a lifetime’ experience. Rarely will a family have the knowledge equal to a professional Eldercare Advisor.
2. An Eldercare Advisor provides a less emotional guide for the family. This transition period for an aging parent or family member can become very emotionally charged for most families. There is value in having someone who is not as emotionally attached to the aging family member.
3. There are so many options to consider when evaluating the assisted living communities. The senior housing market is expanding exponentially, providing not only multiple senior living communities to choose from but also a variety of levels of care services. If your aging family member has specific needs such as memory care, not all of the senior living options are equal.
4. Eldercare advisors work for the family and not for one community. These professionals take the ‘sales’ out of the process and allow the family to make a decision that is best for them. They remain neutral and advocate for the family.
5. An Eldercare advisor knows the track record of senior communities that the general public would not know. An active advisor will know about performance, family and resident ratings, and any regulatory surveys for the communities you will be looking at. This will prove invaluable to you and your family as you explore options.

Do I need an Eldercare Advisor?

Do you need to work with an eldercare advisor to be able to find the right housing option for yourself or your aging loved one? Definitely not. Can you make your way through the process without one? Absolutely. 

But having the assistance and guidance from a person knowledgeable in the senior living industry is not a bad thing to consider. And because there is normally no expense to you, it should be an easy option to consider.

Getting the support of an eldercare advisor is highly recommended. The idea of a non-biased, knowledgeable personal assistant at your side from beginning to end of an often unfamiliar process can be very comforting. 

The world of senior living and elder care can be big and confusing and the need for understanding it comes during a stressful time. An eldercare advisor can take that overwhelming situation and turn it into a streamlined process, saving time, preserving energy, and easing overwhelm.