Using a Referral Service is a Good Idea

The decision to move a loved one into an assisted living community can be a difficult one. If you are trying to decide whether assisted living is the right choice, the following questions, when answered as honestly as possible, can be helpful:

Do you find that your loved one is needing more help than your family and friends are able to provide?  Do daily activities and living seem more and more to be becoming stressful or overwhelming?

If family, friends, or in-home help is not able to bridge the gap, then assisted living may be a very good option.

Does the loved one make comments that they feel isolated or even lonely at home?

An active social life is very important to your well-being, health and happiness. Being alone can be a recipe for depression. Assisted living can provide a social aspect to your loved one’s life which can be a huge benefit when dealing with isolation based depression. Most assisted living communities will offer a wide variety of social and recreational activities. The community environment also gives the opportunity to make new friends.

Do you worry for your loved one’s safety?

Perhaps they have limited mobility, making it difficult to get out of bed by themselves, for example. Maybe you’re afraid of what might happen if they fell and were not able to get up on their own, or perhaps they have experience other problems and couldn’t get help.

Is your loved one having difficulty or no longer want to maintain a home?

We know that there are many responsibilities that come with living in your own home. Assisted living communities offer home-like surroundings, but can eliminate the day to day chores of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and doing laundry.

Has transportation become an issue for your loved one?

Maybe they’re having increased difficulty driving or can no longer drive. If public transportation is not easy and convenient, they may find that they are becoming increasingly homebound. Assisted living communities offer transportation, so they can get where they need to go without having to constantly rely on friends and family for outings.

Does someone you know need senior care?  A placement agency can be a great help.

As a free senior housing & care placement service, 1^st CHOICE takes the time to gather the details and specifics of an older adult’s needs and preferences.  Our agency provides the senior or their family several options that most closely match the criteria they set forth.  Instead of making endless phone calls and visiting numerous places in search of the right match, one phone call connects families to the entire spectrum of options.

Finding your next home & care has not always been easy for families and older adults.

Whether by phone or in person, 1^st CHOICE advisors offer insight into the senior care industry to help guide you in to making informed decisions.  And we tour communities along side with you.

Before the 1980’s when a family member became physically frail, and their memory started to fail the only options were to open the phone book and randomly call about boarding, care and availability. Or you personally cared for an aging parent in your home. There weren’t many choices.

The term “assisted living” wasn’t commonly used in the senior care industry until 1979.  Oregon was a pioneer in the fledgling industry; along with Washington, the two states were also at the forefront in the development of four other senior care options:

• Continuing Care Retirement Communities – offering all levels of care in one building or on one campus.
• Memory Care – offering a safe setting for people who may wander about or need personalized care.
• Adult Care Homes – originally called a boarding home, these care options expanded in their services to take the place of nursing homes and now offer care tailored to the individual.
• Private duty in-home care offers services directly in the home where the senior lives.

Jump forward to 2022, and we now have just under 2,000 options for senior care in the Portland metro area.  With so many options, though, comes information overload.  If you need a certain level of care in an environment at a certain monthly cost, how are you supposed to consider the hundreds or even thousands of options?

• Level of care
• Financials
• Social & Emotional Needs
• Geographical area
• Community -vs- Adult Family Home

That’s where 1^st CHOICE Advisory Services steps in.  The agency was started in 1993 as an answer to the rising tide of families needing to find suitable options for their senior members, but also needing help navigating the information being presented to them.

For nearly 30^–years we have been a FREE service assisting seniors and their families with options for housing & care.  Senior care communities find it helpful to be introduced to prospective residents who are a suitable match.

Whether people choose to wade through the process on their own or they choose to enlist the help of an advisor, the monthly costs for housing and care remain the same.

If you or a loved one needs guidance, 1^st CHOICE is available 7-days a week including holidays.

We can help in the greater: Portland Tri-County’s – Vancouver – Puget Sound – Spokane – Idaho areas.

Feel free to visit our website at www.choiceadvisory.com

Our Best!

Jody Pearson – Regional Account Manager

 

FREE help defining housing & care options for older adults

Cell/Text: 503-730-0442 – Jody@choiceadvisory.com

Office: 800-361-0138 – Fax: 800-206-6910 – www.choiceadvisory.com

OSRAA Member Since 2004 – OR Senior Referral Agency Association