Chicago Senior Living Advisors Blog
Andrea Donovan Senior Living Advisors Celebrates 20 Years! Two Decades Strong – and Still Not Collecting Commissions from the Communities Where I Place Seniors
Anyone who has faced the herculean task of choosing the right senior living option knows the feelings all too well: stressed, confused, and overwhelmed. That is why someone might succumb to the temptation to use one of the well-publicized, “free” senior housing placement services, which match seniors to independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing communities. What makes these organizations appealing is that they seek no fees from the families served.
These organizations’ efforts come at a price, however: the community wherein the senior is placed pays them a fee or commission that is linked to their housing costs. Some of the fees may be in the amount of as much as one or two month’s rent, a sum built into the organization’s bottom-line expense and borne by the residents and their families. This arrangement, a practice that dates back to the year 2000, raises questions about objectivity. If you were in the shoes of one of these “free” senior placement services, wouldn’t you perhaps be tempted to steer people to communities that offer more lucrative commissions, rather than those that pay a lower finder’s fee?
Please note that some communities don’t pay finder’s fees at all. Yet what is the likelihood that these free services would place a senior with a community that does not offer commissions? Maybe some would, but is it likely or worth taking a chance? A senior living community that has no contract with the “free” placement services organization might nevertheless be the perfect fit for your loved one. That’s a huge hole in your research. A representative of one senior living community told me that the community has so many of the free services knocking on its door that the administration cannot issue any new contracts.
I launched Andrea Donovan Senior Living Advisors in 2006. I did not even know that the free services existed. I embarked on my own mission for seniors by touring and analyzing senior living communities based upon cost and methods of payment accepted, levels of care available, staffing, activities, transportation schedules, and numerous other variables. I personally ate and assessed the food and nutrition at many of them. To date, I have systematically evaluated more than 500 independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing communities in the Chicago metropolitan area.
My process is simple. After I confer with a family member or relatives about a senior’s medical needs, financial realities, and location preferences, I set up an appointment to meet. At that time, I complete a face-to-face assessment of the senior so I can evaluate his or her physical and mental status. I also observe the senior’s existing environment so I do not mismatch the senior with the wrong community. Based on the information I have collected, I choose three options that fit the senior’s needs. I place all of the information on a spreadsheet that shows comparative costs, staffing, levels of care available, and future costs. This yields a very thorough, personalized consultation that saves the family and the senior considerable time, money and stress.
I recently consulted with a client whose mother had a stroke. She also needed wound care. My client was specific about his budget and preferred location. He reported that, after first trying several of the free services, he was given a list of communities and pricing that were out of his price range, not in his desired location, and/or did not provide wound care. He exclaimed, “I just need someone to help me!”
ADSLA is, of course, happy to do so. I would’ve been even happier to have saved him time and tribulation from the get-go.
ADSLA’s 20 years of success have been built without finders’ fees or commissions from senior communities. I understand the temptation to utilize one of the many “free” senior housing placement services popping up out of the woodwork these days. But for good old-fashioned research and footwork, waste no more time and come back to me. My fees are very reasonable and worth the investment.