Which long term care facility is best for our senior loved ones? Finding the right one is a dilemma faced by many families and the number is only growing as the boomer generation ages.
Yes, there is a lot of information out there on senior living facilities of all types, but pulling it together can be a huge task — let alone determining which is current vs. out of date, which is complete vs. lacking some key facts and, maybe hardest of all, which is advertising or otherwise biased vs. plain fact.
Wouldn’t it be nice to find a single website that not only pulls together information about hundreds of thousands of senior living facilities but also provides a ranking of those found to be the best based on that information? How many of you are saying “I wish”?
SeniorHomes.com Fills a Gap
We were intrigued upon encountering SeniorHomes.com, first through Twitter and then on their website. They view their mission as “to help seniors and their families find housing and care for themselves and their loved ones by providing objective information...”
Learning more about the work of SeniorHomes.com and what they have to offer family members of seniors — and then sharing what we learned with our community — has been high on our agenda for a while. When we got the chance to record a conversation with Chris Rodde, the company’s Co-Founder and CEO, for the Senior Care Corner Show we jumped at the chance.
Catch the feature segment of this episode to hear what Chris has to say about what the data gather process behind the information that’s available on the site and from their Care Advisor service. Chris also fills us in on their new comprehensive ratings system, which takes the available data and applies their proprietary algorithm to rank the best senior living facilities in a community — and eventually nationwide.
We are looking forward to the full implementation of their rankings, not only as a tool for seniors and family members but as motivation for senior living facilities nationwide to improve. Hopefully there will be enough insight into the ranking criteria for facilities not listed as among the best to understand what they need to do to improve their ranking the next time around.
A Tool But Not the Whole Answer
One thing we feel is important about SeniorHomes.com is their recognition of the role rankings can fill. They are not advocating that seniors or families simply choose the top ranked facility on their list but, as Chris Rodde explained, use the rankings to narrow what is a long list in many communities to a handful of facilities that might best meet a senior’s needs.
It’s crucial for seniors and families using this, or any, service to think ahead of time about the needs a living facility — long term care or otherwise — is needed to fill. That will help in sorting through the data that’s available and hopefully avoiding the temptation of getting caught up in those facilities that look nice or tell a good story.
It is also important to keep in mind that the Featured Listings (not the same as the rankings) on SeniorHomes.com are paid listings. This doesn’t make them better or worse than the facilities in the free listings — which is our point. We encourage you to look at all the listings that you think might meet the needs of your senior loved one.
Do we see a problem with the idea of paid listings? Not at all, as long as every facility has an opportunity to be listed and the rankings aren’t based on who paid and who didn’t. We think SeniorHomes.com provides a valuable resource, one which likely requires a lot of time and expense to offer and maintain. Senior Care Corner wishes them the best and looks forward to the full implementation of their rankings and the improvements they drive in the care and facilities available to seniors in America.
News Items in this Episode
- One in Five Americans Reports Visiting the Emergency Room in the Past Year
- New Survey of Aging Experts Gives 5 Top Tips for Avoiding Family Feuds When Caring for Aging Parents
- Sleep Apnea in Seniors Tied to Alzheimer’s in Study
- Study: Seniors More Likely to Crash When Driving with Pets
And don’t forget Kathy’s quick tip, this time on “How to Get Up from a Fall.” It’s a great tip, not just for seniors but anyone who may have a senior living with or visiting them.
Link Mentioned in this Episode
- Find SeniorHomes.com on the web or on the phone at 855-598-4107
We hope you’ll find this episode of the Senior Care Corner Show informative and maybe even an enjoyable listen. If you have any feedback on the episode or suggestions for future topics or conversations, we encourage you to leave a comment below the post, on our Facebook Page or via the Contact page.
Podcast Transcript – so you can follow along or read at your convenience
I find it amazing that so many senior homes to fit the needs of our loved ones, What if every home could have things like chair lifts and walk in bath tubs? I think senior care would rise to a whole new level. Please take full advantage of medicare and medicaid to see if you can outfit your senior’s home with these items that will make life so much easier for all.
You discussed car accidents with dogs that aren’t restrained…
You should check out MY post about restraints for dogs while they are riding in the car. That should help those numbers!
They make dog seat belts and car seats, depending on the size of the dog. This should make traveling in the car with a senior safer for both the dog and the senior.
http://pet-shop-online.com/dog-roadtrips-travelling-with-the-family/
Thanks Reilly, it is important to keep everyone safe in the car (pets and humans)! Cool post! Thanks for sharing!
Interesting interview! Websites like these have been incredibly helpful in finding a nursing home for my mom. One thing to note is that some websites try hard to get seniors on the phone where they will then push you to the facility that pays them the highest fee. I have found http://www.ElderBranch.com to be an exception to this practice. They include all facilities, rather than just those that pay them, and were really helpful in making sure I found a facility that was a mutual fit for my mother and for the facility.
Good reminder to everyone to be prepared for a “push” when calling, John. I know companies need to make money somewhere, but hope the information isn’t tied to a real sales pitch. SeniorHomes does openly mention they make money on referrals and I am sure others do as well. I did like their suggestion that their site be used to develop a short list for personal investigation.
This is so informative! My family is currently deciding if it’s good for our mom to be in a senior home. We’ve been checking out a few reviews and the information from http://www.myageingparent.com/ has been enlightening on this subject. And now that I came across this post, there’s more to consider! Thank you very much!