Navigating the Senior Care Maze Top Things to Consider Presenter: - - PDF document

4/21/2013 1

Navigating the Senior Care Maze – Top Things to Consider

Presenter: Paul Markowitz

• Featured on CBS News
• Featured in Dallas Morning News
• Featured on 570 AM KLIF

My Life in September 2008

 26 years old  Parents divorced in 2001 and brother was a senior (21 years

• ld) at UT Austin

 Job required traveling every week Monday through Thursday

and was working an average of 80 hours per week

 My Mom had no health insurance at the time due to pre-

existing condition of Rheumatoid Arthritis

 My mom’s mom (my grandma) had passed away in 2007

My Life in October 2008

 Warning Signs: Getting confused driving between the white

lines, losing items around the house and spending long time looking for items, repeating things, etc

 Something needed to be done…..  Took car keys away and looked into DART Paratransit which

lead to depression due to having to rely on others for transportation and sudden loss of friends

 Found neurologist, got a MRI, CatScan and PetScan done and

got new medicines

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My Life in November 2008

 A complete shock…..early stages of Alzheimer’s at the age of 59  What to do?  Where to go?  What now?  Should my mom stay in her home or move to a senior living

community?

 What’s the right place for my mom?

My Life in December 2008

 So much to do….  Get will and power of attorney drafted with estate planning

attorney

 Talk to an elder law attorney to learn about social security,

disability, Medicare and Medicaid

 Meet with financial advisor  Tour 8 facilities and moved my mom into new environment  Pack clothing, downsize and find a moving company  Identify next steps on what to do with my mom’s house

Overview of Our Services

 Provide a FREE service to families in the DFW area looking for senior living

facilities

 Senior Living Specialists approach: 1.

We do the leg work for each family by completing a questionnaire and then referring them to the top two - three facilities / care homes that best meet their needs

2.

We then coach each family on what’s important to look for at each

• facility. Each family will quickly find that each place has its own

personality

3.

We develop a coaching strategy on the best way to go about touring and create a customized list of questions that’s developed specifically for each family

4.

Finally, we offer resources in a variety of areas such as: in home companion care companies, elder law attorneys, Veteran’s Benefits and moving companies

 Featured on CBS News and in the Dallas Morning News!!!

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What to Think About?

 What’s the experience of the

executive director? How long have they been at the community for?

 What’s the staff turnover rate?  What is ratio of staff to residents?  How is experienced is the staff and

is there ongoing training?

 Can my family member age in

place? What can the community not handle?

 Are the options that exist today like

• ld school nursing homes?

 Is the size of the community to big?  What type of activities are offered

and what kind of transportation is provided?

 What does the monthly rate include?  Would my LTC qualify and is there an

elimination period?

 Is there an initial entrance fee,

community fee or deposit required?

 What’s the typical yearly increase on

rent?

 Do doctors and other services come

to the community?

 Can I talk with a couple of current

residents and their family members?

 Can I do a “trial stay” and can you

provide some references?

Contact Information

 Senior Living Specialists, LLC  Paul Markowitz, Founder

4537 Lone Tree Dr. Plano, TX 75093

 Website: www.seniorlivingspecialists.com  (P): 214.929.5055  Email: paul@seniorlivingspecialists.com

• Featured on CBS News
• Featured in Dallas Morning News
• Featured on 570 AM KLIF