An important practice area at Geyer Law is elder law, which deals with health, long-term care, and estate planning issues. Many of our clients need assistance which extends beyond the legal aspects of planning. As part of the compassionate care offered by Rebecca W. Geyer & Associates, we look for resources which seniors and their families can use to assist them with the issues they confront with aging.
For example, when it’s time to make decisions regarding senior housing and elder care, there are many factors that come into play and important choices to be made. For today’s blog post, we’re recapping our blog team’s interview with Lona Newton, owner of Senior Living Advisor.
Ronnie: What exactly does an independent senior living and elder care consultant like you do?
Lona Newton: Over the years of working with family caregivers – especially those in the “sandwich generation” who are taking care of both children and of parents – I’ve seen those adult children filled with anxiety when it comes to make the right choices for the health and safety of their senior loved ones. What we do is help those caregivers find – and check out – the best senior housing solutions.
Ronnie: So how does your process work?
Lona: We start by conducting a basic needs assessment, which includes healthcare needs, financial parameters, and space requirements. While often it’s an adult child who calls upon us, we actually meet with the seniors themselves to build rapport and to obtain and provide essential information. From there, we research different senior living communities that are most likely to meet each person’s particular needs, and actually take the senior for a visit to that senior living community, and we’re there to assist on the day of move-in.
Ronnie: We hear from many of our clients that there are so many options that they dread doing the research and it’s hard to make a decision. How do you take the pain out of the process?
Lona: My whole idea in starting Senior Living Advisor was to make senior housing and senior care decision-making less frightening and frustrating. You asked about consultants “like me”, but actually, we are unlike other senior care consultants in that our services are paid for by our clients, not by any senior living communities. That allows us to work independently with only the best interests of the senior and of the family as our guides.
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The elder law attorneys at Geyer Law have the experience and expertise to prepare the legal groundwork to assist seniors as they and their families cope with complex health, long-term care, and estate planning issues. When it comes to researching senior living facilities, we often refer clients and their family members to a senior living advisor.
– by Ronnie of the Rebecca W. Geyer & Associates blog team