The 5 Biggest Mistakes Families Make When Choosing Senior Care

Eleven years ago, I jumped out of a 20+ year PR career into working with Seniors. My mom was in the middle of a 12-year battle with dementia (she passed in 2019), and I was ready to do something different. Becoming a Senior Care Placement Consultant gave me intense purpose and immense satisfaction, helping families navigate through one of the most complex and chaotic times in their lives.

Working with each family is an intensely personal process. However, I often see people make common mistakes when considering care options for aging adults. Here are the five most common mistakes:

1.                FOLLOWING A FRIEND - People choose a community recommended by a friend or neighbor. While this works for restaurants, it’s a terrible idea for senior care. You would not take the same medication that a friend recommends because it works for them, so the same thing holds true when seeking assisted living and memory care. One size does not fit all. This is an intensely individual decision based on specific care needs, budget, family dynamics, and lifestyle. Assisted Living Communities change ownership and staff often, so the community your neighbor went to could be very different 2 years later.

2.                UNDERESTIMATING YOUR NEEDS - Families downplay or are in denial of the level of care their loved one needs, or that staying home is no longer safe.

3.                WAITING TOO LONG - Families don’t act soon enough, and a parent injures themselves. Falls are the #1 risk that creates a decline in quality of life and often leads to an earlier death. It can also dramatically increase the cost of care.

4.                JUDGING A COMMUNITY BY ITS LOOKS—Don’t choose a community based on its décor; prioritize the quality or appropriateness of care, and a social environment your loved one will thrive in. Understand what type and level of care is offered. The assisted living and memory care communities can differ considerably.

5.                NAVIGATING CARE OPTIONS ALONE – This area is one of the most complicated webs of government regulations and requires immense knowledge of healthcare, the law, financial planning, and family relationships – I can’t think of a more important decision than the care of a loved one. Professional help should be sought, and it’s at no cost to you.

I’ve spent 11 years obtaining credentials, keeping up to date on state regulations that change several times a year, continuously visiting communities, and have 1000s of hours circumnavigating the assisted living, Medicare, and healthcare system. We pay experts to do our hair, why wouldn’t we seek an expert for the health and safety of our family?!

Jacqui Clark is a Certified Senior Advisor™ (CSA™), Certified Placement & Referral Specialist (CPRS), consultant with Living Coastal Senior Resources, editor-in-chief of Aging Well Magazine, and host of the Get Ready for Better Aging podcast.