You wouldn't’t buy a house without a real estate agent… So why would you move into a senior living community without a trusted counselor that is no direct cost to you?
Hi, my name is Kevin Williams; I started Senior Living Counselors after working in the senior living industry for nearly 10 years. Over those past 10 years, I have seen the needs of many seniors and family members go unmet when searching for a community. I was initially hired by a market leading advertising agency that specialized in senior living and senior care businesses a few years back. I was part of helping grow their internet marketing programs, to help them connect with seniors searching for their services.
During this time, I saw the rise of large online directories and referral companies. These companies give your information over to anywhere from 5-10 communities. You are already overburdened with having to go through one of the hardest decisions of your life, and now you have to deal with multiple salespeople from the communities (that may or may not fit your needs) and the internet company all trying to get your business.
To make your search even harder, senior living communities have have a built in bias by their very nature. Their main job is to close the sale, and this sometimes gets in the way of finding the best fit for your needs.
Senior living is complex, and requires help and assistance. I didn't really grasp this until my mother was searching for my Grandmother. My grandmother had kidney failure and needed to go on dialysis. Eventually, my mother became her primary caregiver.
I saw my mother sacrifice so much — including her entire social life — to care for my grandmother. It is something only a loving family member could do. My mother did not know what to do at times; I saw her break down in frustration. She didn't’t know who to turn to, what action to take, how to protect my grandmother’s assets, what level of care she would get if she needed to go somewhere, even meeting with an eldercare attorney.
Then my grandmother had a fall and broke her hip. My mother needed to find a place for her quickly, and even though I worked in the industry, I could only help so much. I watched her use a few of these large online directories and referral companies. Their sites weren't much help and worse, she started getting calls from 7 different communities and care companies who didn't provide the services my mother needed for my grandmother. She was already overburdened, and this was the last straw. It made her break down in frustration. (Even to this day, almost 2 years later, she continues to get calls from these companies!)
That's when I felt there is a strong need for an objective counselor to assist you in your search for senior living. Without my experience and background in the industry, I would have never found out about placement advisors. These are people who are not only have the experience and knowledge in the industry, but have personally visited and inspected all the communities in their area. They provide a high level of service by visiting your house, getting to know your needs, budget, and location, and will even tour communities with you. They know everything you would want to know about senior living. They know of any violations at a community, the level of services offered, insider gossip, the quality of food, if there are activities for your loved one. Stuff you would never see on a normal tour (Which is a choreographed sales presentation by the way.)
That's how senior living counselors was born. I'm proud and honored to partner with these objective counselors to bring my marketing skills to match people like you looking for truthful objective information to experts who can help you find a community that fits your needs.
I encourage you to download our free guide, 7 Questions to Ask When Screening Senior Living Communities, and discover the most important questions you need to ask to save you from frustration and disappointment when screening communities.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and how I’ve gotten into senior living and senior care marketing.
Thank You,
Kevin M. Williams
President
SeniorLivingCounselors.com