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Archive for January, 2012
How to Evaluate an Assisted Living Community
Jan 25th
How to Evaluate an Assisted Living Community.
Last year I wrote a blog on this subject (see http://www.evergreenchalet.com/2011/04/choose-assisted-living-facility/). The content is still very much current and worth reading. However, at this time I would like to look at the topic from a different angle.
When prospective residents and/or family members come to Evergreen Chalet to check us out, quite often comments and comparisons are made about the size of the rooms, the furniture and the overall “look” of the place. Sometimes we hear about how much larger the rooms are at some of the facilities ran by big corporations, their new furniture, dining room accommodations, etc., places that of course charge almost twice as much as we are charging. It seems to me that, unfortunately, some people associate the amount of money they have to pay with the quality of care they would receive, i.e. the more money it costs, the better the care. This, of course, is almost never the case.
Clearly, these big facilities have to charge more money because it costs them a lot more to pay for these new buildings, fancy furniture, top heavy corporate administrators and many other niceties that make the place look like a very expensive More >
Searching the Internet for Assisted Living Communities.
Jan 20th
Searching the Internet for Assisted Living Communities.
It seems to me that more and more prospective residents and their families are using the Internet to search for an assisted living community. Perhaps the word is out that referral agencies are not very helpful in narrowing down the best communities that would fit the needs and wants of the consumers. (for more info on this subject please see my blog: http://www.evergreenchalet.com/2011/04/choose-placement-referral-agency/ ).
Searching the Internet is a very powerful tool if one learns how to use it properly. There are thousands of good sources that cover the mechanics of searching. Reading just a handful of these articles and following their recommendations will certainly improve the results of your search.
I am going to concentrate only on one element of the search: the key word. This is the word or words or phrases you use to describe what you are looking for. It is very important to use them properly, otherwise you end up with too much information, too little information or useless information. A rule of thumb is that we should use 3-5 words or phrases (a phrase is a combination of two or more words, ex. “assisted living facility”).
A recent article in the Senior More >
Evergreen Chalet is “Caring Star” of 2012
Jan 8th
We are very excited and happy here at Evergreen Chalet to learn that we were ranked as the “Caring Star” of 2012. The Caring Stars of 2012 for Assisted Living is based on consumer ratings and reviews posted on Caring. Com – the web’s #1 source of senior care reviews, with nearly two million visits to the website monthly. This is a great honor for us especially if we consider that we are one of only 119 assisted living communities in 24 states across US and the only one in San Diego area receiving this ranking.
Here is what Andy Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Caring.com had to say in his congratulatory letter: “Our research shows that word-of mouth recommendations from others outweigh all other factors for caregivers choosing an assisted living community for a loved one. These first-hand testimonials are consistently cited as more important than anything else, including price and location, which are second and third in impact respectively.” In its press release, Caring.com also notes that “Characteristics consumers often discuss in a five-star rating for an assisted living community include care that is personalized and provided with a genuine concern, homelike amenities and décor, a wide variety of More >
