What is a Senior Living Advisor?

A senior living advisor sometimes referred to as a senior living care professional, senior care consultant, eldercare advisor, or senior living broker is a professional who assists individuals and their families navigate the process of finding the best housing option for a senior family member’s needs and budget when they’re looking towards the next life step.

These professionals work for an advisor company or work independently and have an established network of communities in the area that they know, as well as a firm familiarity with the world of senior living and geriatric care.

Most local advisors are compensated by the senior communities when someone moves in. So, they generally work at no cost to the individual and their family.

Do you need to work with a senior living advisor to find the right senior community for your family member? NO. But experienced support from a senior advisor can be a great relief.

Why You Should Consider Working with a Senior Living Advisor

Beyond the low/no cost factor, there are many valuable reasons to work with a Senior Living Advisor. Here are just the top FIVE reasons –

1. An experienced Senior Living 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 Senior Living Advisor.
2. A Senior Living 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 to help provide the best options for the level of care needed.
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. Senior 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. A care 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.
6. BONUS REASON! – A professional senior living advisor can save you TIME and MONEY when you need it the most. Often the need for senior housing arises after some life issue occurs – an incident that often clarifies the family’s perception of an aging family member’s ability to live on their own. It could be an injury from a fall or an incident that damages property.
   For many reasons, a family may be looking for a senior housing option within a 30-day time period. Without the expert guidance of an advisor, family members may have to take time out of work to do the research work of identifying options. Many times, the family will end up moving the aging family member from their first choice because it did not live up to the standards that were presented. All of this activity will cost family members either lost time, lost wages, and/or both.

Ultimately, the process of finding a great living solution for your aging family member is a very personal process. You need objective information from a professional who also cares that the family is happy with the result. In your interviews with a senior living advisor, look to their knowledge of the market and the aging process. But, also look for a person that you can feel comfortable bringing into your family, at least for this emotionally charged period of time.

Free advice is available 

At Best Nest Senior Advisors, we’ve helped hundreds of seniors connect with communities that meet their needs and allow them to live their best quality of life. We’re confident that we can help you, too. Call us at 770-280-5200 to learn more.