Helping Prospective Residents Overcome Senior Living Decision Fears

In last week’s blog post, we discussed how making a senior living decision about whether to “age in place” in one’s current home or move to a retirement community can stir up many feelings, including a fear of the unknown. We shared ways older adults can overcome apprehensions in order to find the best option to meet their senior living goals. However, it’s also worth noting the valuable role representatives of the community can play in helping prospective residents overcome senior living decision fears they may be experiencing.

Addressing prospects’ senior living decision fears

The role of the retirement community representative; i.e., “residency [or sales] counselor” is multifaceted. Of course there are the marketing, prospecting, and sales aspects of the job. But at the heart of the position lies consumer education and guidance about the move.

The most successful residency counselors are those who are viewed as a trusted and knowledgeable resource — focused on making sure prospects can make an informed and confident decision — and not merely as a salesperson. And since confusion and uncertainty often drive a potential resident’s anxiety, residency counselors who fill this role can help allay some of the fears that senior living prospects commonly experience.

Let’s look at a few examples …

Analysis paralysis or the “paradox of choice”

While all sales counselors strive to convey the differentiating aspects of their community, empathy is critical in this role too. Many senior living prospects are starting from zero — maybe even learning about the different types of retirement communities for the first time. Or, perhaps they’ve already done a lot of online research and are overwhelmed by the various options and nuances.

To help ease prospects’ feelings of information overload, it can be beneficial to provide details about the community and other educational materials in smaller, more manageable chunks throughout the sales process.

For example, instead of giving them a large packet with comprehensive details all at once, consider periodic educational touchpoints. Nurturing prospects in this manner makes the information more digestible and also keeps your community’s name in front of the would-be resident. But just as important, it’s also about providing the right content at the right time based on where the person is in their decision journey.

It can also help to offer prospects unbiased information from third-party sources. For instance, the educational resources available on myLifeSite provide balanced guidance on making a senior living decision, such as explainers on the different types of senior living communities and the pros and cons of each.

I don’t know which type of residency contract is best for me.

It’s the duty of the retirement community representative to effectively educate prospects on the types of residency contracts offered by the community so that the prospect can make a well-informed decision. These educational opportunities can come in the form of one-on-one conversations, print materials, group presentations, and more.

But there is an art to explaining complex topics in a simplified way. A well-meaning sales counselor can cause even more confusion if they are not able to articulate key details in a way that a prospective resident can understand. There’s nothing more frustrating for a prospective resident than to leave a meeting more confused than when they arrived.

The educational aspect of the rep role is perhaps particularly important for continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs or life plan communities). CCRC contracts can be more complex and often more expensive than other types of senior living, and some CCRCs offer a variety of contract options like refundable or partially refundable, which must be considered by the prospect.

It is crucial to ensure that you are providing the best information and guidance to help match a prospect with the senior living solution that will help them achieve their goals and ensure their long-term happiness — even if that means choosing a community other than yours. Once again, sharing third-party educational resources, like myLifeSite, can be useful so as to convey your desire to help your prospect make the decision that is right for them.

>> Related: A Primer on CCRC Residency Contracts

Will my money last?

There is no shortage of surveys, such as this one from AP-NORC Center (PDF), showing that the concern about outliving money is one of the biggest issues for older adults contemplating a long lifetime. It may hold them back from making a senior living decision that they fear will be too expensive.

As with other aspects of the decision process, confusion or uncertainty about whether your community is a good financial fit may hinder the potential resident’s decision process. You want to be sure that you are attracting and pursuing those who are a good financial fit for your community so as not to frustrate unqualified prospects in the process.

While transparency is a critical aspect of building trust, one of the challenges of providing pricing is that without a full understanding of what’s included and how the contract works, the potential resident may not have the necessary information to make an educated decision.

One way to ensure a good financial match between potential residents and your community is to include a cost calculator tool on your website, such as the MoneyGauge™ by myLifeSite. This allows a site visitor to enter the basics of their financial situation and determine if they are potentially a good fit for your community, financially speaking. The link to MoneyGauge can also be sent proactively in advance of or following a meeting.

Today’s senior living prospects are often savvier than previous generations and therefore appreciate savvier tools. More than a simple affordability analysis, MoneyGauge incorporates age and life expectancy into its calculations, along with hypothetical growth rates, inflation rates, pricing, and more.

I don’t know if I will be happy living here.

When it comes to fear of the unknown, this may very well be the biggest one of all. Therefore, it’s helpful if the community offers plenty of opportunities that will help paint a picture of what it would be like to live there. It’s about making the unfamiliar more familiar.

One of the best ways for prospects to get a feel for a community is to spend time there and talk with existing residents about their experiences. This is one of the benefits of inviting prospects to on-site events like seminars or celebrations where they can get a feel for everyday life in the community. For communities that have a guest suite, allowing potential residents to stay onsite for a couple nights can help solidify their decision.

Ambassador programs are another great way to connect prospects with current residents who can share their experiences with the community. And granting prospects (typically those who have made a deposit) the ability to utilize the community’s amenities and dining also can help them become more familiar with the community and what it may feel like to live there.

Downsizing and moving seems too daunting.

Many older adults look around their current home and feel overwhelmed at the idea of going through all of their “stuff,” deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, putting their house on the market, and moving. Truthfully, it can be a daunting task no matter your age! There are a number of ways that retirement communities can help reduce the stress and burden of downsizing and moving.

For example, more and more communities are offering soon-to-be residents the services of a move-in coordinator. This person is a source of support, information, and resources. They can provide referrals for estate sale specialists, reputable realtors, and trusted moving companies. They also can assist with logistics like interior space planning in the new residence and act as a point-of-contact for questions that might arise.

Another way to help is to provide referrals to trusted senior move managers, such as LivNow, who will serve as project managers for the entire downsizing and moving process. But taking other simple steps can also make move-in day less stressful. Provide detailed diagrams of the new resident’s unit, showing the measurements of each wall in order to help them determine what furniture will work best in their new home, for example.

One of the biggest causes of hesitation regarding the move is storage and potentially less space. This means today’s communities must make storage options a priority and ensure that floorplans are maximizing pantry and closet space. It could even be worthwhile to consider picking up part of the cost for a resident to rent a nearby off-site storage unit for a period of time, such as one year.

Blending education and empathy to address senior living decision fears

Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of prospects’ potential senior living decision fears. And what’s more, there are unique nuances people may experience related to the fears we have included here. However, through a combination of education and compassion, as well as community sales materials and unbiased third-party resources, retirement community representatives truly have the power to help prospective residents overcome many of these fears.

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