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

4/21/2013 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 old) 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 1

4/21/2013 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: We do the leg work for each family by completing a questionnaire and 1. then referring them to the top two - three facilities / care homes that best meet their needs We then coach each family on what’s important to look for at each 2. facility. Each family will quickly find that each place has its own personality We develop a coaching strategy on the best way to go about touring and 3. create a customized list of questions that’s developed specifically for each family Finally, we offer resources in a variety of areas such as: in home 4. companion care companies, elder law attorneys, Veteran’s Benefits and moving companies  Featured on CBS News and in the Dallas Morning News!!! 2

4/21/2013 What to Think About?  What’s the experience of the  What does the monthly rate include? executive director? How long have  Would my LTC qualify and is there an they been at the community for? elimination period?  What’s the staff turnover rate?  Is there an initial entrance fee,  What is ratio of staff to residents? community fee or deposit required?  How is experienced is the staff and  What’s the typical yearly increase on is there ongoing training? rent?  Can my family member age in  Do doctors and other services come place? What can the community to the community? not handle?  Can I talk with a couple of current  Are the options that exist today like residents and their family members? old school nursing homes?  Can I do a “trial stay” and can you  Is the size of the community to big? provide some references?  What type of activities are offered and what kind of transportation is provided? 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 3