A Senior Living Sales Exec’s Guide to Assisting Adult Children

As a senior living sales executive, you understand the immense value your community offers. You see it every day – residents thriving in a supportive environment, forging friendships, and rediscovering their passions. However, the path to bringing new residents into your community often involves navigating a complex web of emotions with their adult children. These children, juggling their own lives and responsibilities, may feel overwhelmed, hesitant, or even guilty about the prospect of senior living for their parents.

With this guide, we aim to equip you with strategies to foster open communication, address common concerns, and help adult children make informed decisions about senior living for their loved ones.

Understanding Their Concerns

Adult children often approach the topic of senior living with a mix of anxieties and misconceptions. Here are some of the most common concerns you’ll encounter:

• Loss of independence and autonomy: Many people make the assumption that senior living residents have to surrender control of their daily routine, decision-making process, lifestyle choices and overall autonomy. This is likely driven by our desire to remain independent as we age. In fact, a 2023 AARP report found that at least 70% aged 40 and up expect to remain independent as they age. The good news is that the same report showed that 80% of respondents would consider making a move to a community if living arrangements enabled them to maintain this goal. With independence as a major requirement, it’s important that senior living sales execs emphasize the amenities and customizable care options provided at modern senior living communities that enhance independence.
• Quality of care: Concerns about the level of care available is a legitimate one. Globally, the prevalence of elder abuse in community settings is at 15.7%, according to the WHO. So it is important to cover your community’s staff-to-resident ratio and personalized attention to help ease these worries.
• Social isolation and loneliness: Children often fear their parents will feel isolated and lonely in a new environment. In cases like this, it may help them to hear about your community’s programs for aiding new residents to settle in and get to know fellow residents, and help them to find and get involved in the social programs that interest them.

• Cost: The financial implications of senior living can be a significant hurdle – especially when trying to understand how it might apply through a 20 to 30-year period. It may work to treat each prospect’s case uniquely based on their available funds and potential future scenarios. Of course, this approach will depend greatly on your community’s policies, as well as on your state’s legislation. However, being as transparent and as clear as possible, as well as offering budgeting tools and step-by-step guides on making the transition financially, will foster the greatest trust and help allay anxieties of prospects and their families.
• Negative stereotypes: Outdated perceptions about senior living as sterile or institutional can cause resistance. Start off by sharing positive stories from current residents about their experiences. Next, encourage your prospects and their families to join you on a tour where you showcase your community’s updated and inviting spaces, emphasizing how it is designed to promote comfort, independence, and socialization.

Facilitating Open Dialogue

By acknowledging these concerns and providing accurate information, you can build trust and foster open communication. Here are some strategies to employ:

• Be a patient and empathetic listener. Let the adult children express their worries without judgment. Encourage open communication by getting all the decision-makers into one room to discuss their concerns and to hear how your community can offer a solution. Christie Freeze shares some great insights on personalized video in an episode of From Leads to Leases.
• Focus on the benefits for their parents. Frame senior living as a way to enhance their quality of life, not take anything away.
• Educate them about your community. Highlight how your services address their specific concerns – independent living options for maintaining autonomy, personalized care plans, vibrant social calendars, transparent pricing structures, and modern facilities that dispel outdated stereotypes.
• Offer resources and support. Provide brochures, share testimonials from residents and their families, and offer to connect them with financial advisors who can help navigate the costs.
• Adjust your own approach. Bear in mind that each family communicates differently, so be ready to adapt and adjust your approach based on what best works for each family.

Tools for Adult Children to Use

Equip adult children with tools to initiate the conversation with their parents:

• Suggest conversation starters: Encourage them to talk about specific challenges their parents might be facing and how senior living could offer solutions. For instance, “Mom, Dad, I’ve noticed it’s been harder for you to keep up with the yard work/house cleaning/grocery shopping. Would you be open to talking about some options that might make things easier for you?”
• Validate their feelings: Acknowledge that this is a big decision and that their parents might feel hesitant or scared.
• Focus on the emotional benefits: Talk about how senior living can combat loneliness and provide a sense of community.
• Encourage tours (either virtual or in-person): Seeing is believing. Allow the parents to experience the community firsthand.
• Encourage patience. A move to a senior living community is a major life decision that will require a lot of thought and discussion. Coach your prospects to accept that their parents might need a little time (where that is possible) to think things over.

A Partner Through A Major Decision

By providing support and guidance, you become a partner in this crucial decision-making process. You can help families work through their anxieties, address potential roadblocks, and ultimately make informed choices that benefit everyone involved.

Wrap-Up

Encourage adult children to reach out to your community for a personalized consultation. There, they can have their questions answered, address their concerns, and discover how your senior living community can provide their parents with a vibrant and fulfilling next chapter.

Additional Tips:

• Offer flexibility: Understand that the process may take time, and be prepared to adapt your approach to meet the individual needs of each family.
• Address concerns proactively: Anticipate common questions and have answers prepared.
• Leverage technology: Utilize virtual tours, online resources, and social media to connect with families.
• Provide ongoing support: Even after the decision is made, offer continued support and assistance throughout the transition process.

By following these guidelines and fostering open communication, you can empower adult children to make informed decisions about senior living for their parents, ultimately leading to more positive and fulfilling experiences for all involved.