A senior referral service is an agency that assists families in locating a senior living community that is most optimal for their family members. In the past, a suitable residence could be challenging to find. Thanks to the internet, it is now easier to perform research and locate a referral service that will help you find the perfect residence.
What Services Do They Provide?
Aside from helping retirees identify a compatible senior living community, they will also provide information regarding the surrounding area, the cost, amenities, and caretaking requirements. Attempting to directly compile this information from each community is tedious and referral services streamline and simplify the process in a manner that makes it more convenient.
For instance, a quality referral service can provide info that is not commonly available, even on the internet, such as current staff to resident ratios, occupancy rates, pricing variables, proximity to healthcare facilities, reviews, and the number of community residents. As you can see, having all this information at your fingertips can save you a significant amount of time, money, and hassles while ensuring your loved one will receive the proper care.
The Importance of Touring
Once you’ve found an independent living community that interests you, it is highly recommended to schedule a visit so you can tour the premises. This will allow retirees and their loved ones to see the area and converse with staff members and residents to ask any questions and to see if they like it. While online reviews are important, seeing a community up close and in person is equally so.
How Referral Services Generate Their Profits
It is important to note how these agencies generate their profits. While some referral groups offer their services free of charge, they will earn a profit whenever a retiree that they introduce to the community decides to move in. The retirement or assisted living community will then award the referral service a specific percentage or the equivalent of a single month’s rent.
However, an additional fact to bear in mind is that when a retiree or their loved one contacts a referral agency, whether online or via phone, some information might be gathered. Examples of this include your name, contact details, and your relationship with the retiree. Once you tell them what you’re looking for, you’ll be contacted by retirement communities who will then begin recommending their locales.
As with everything in life, the quality of different referral services may vary. You want to avoid services that are driven purely by profit, because their number one goal should be to help you or your loved one find a suitable community to reside in, instead of just referring you to a specific community just because they pay the highest commission. This is why you want to research referral service reviews to find the ones which are the most legitimate.
