Support and guidance to help you navigate the challenges facing an aging loved one
By Beth Newcomb
You’ve decided to have Mom move in with you, only to discover her dementia is way more serious than you’d realized. She roams your two-story house at night, calls out repeatedly, and panics because she doesn’t know where she is. You’re stressed, the rest of the family is stressed, and Mom is in danger of falling—or worse. The need to have her placed in a secure, caring environment is immediate, but you haven’t done the legwork necessary to find a suitable arrangement in advance.
“A lot of the calls we get are urgent,” says Mary Molnar, an occupational therapist who, along with her husband, Mark, is the owner of Senior Care Authority. “With our knowledge and experience, we can help to have a loved one placed in a safe, secure, financially appropriate environment quickly, if that’s the need.”
Mary says she and Mark launched Senior Care Authority to address the widespread need people have to find appropriate senior living accommodations for their parents or loved ones. “It can be overwhelming,” she says. “Many people are able to plan ahead, others need to find a place immediately. We’re here to simplify the process, whatever the need might be.”
Mark and Mary have visited hundreds of independent, assisted and memory care communities and created a scorecard for each. They have itemized lists that include cost, location, type of care offered, environmental factors and more.
“We spent months touring, reviewing public records, meeting with staff members, combing satisfaction surveys and state surveys, finding out about the food, the services offered and any violations the community might have,” she remarks.
“When a client comes to us for help, we ask them a series of questions and can immediately narrow their options down to three or four care communities to choose from. Because we’ve physically been in all of the communities we recommend, clients can feel confident about our suggestions. We carefully take into consideration what matters most to the family so we can suggest the best fit for their loved one.”
Once the choices have been narrowed down, Mary and Mark schedule in-person appointments for clients to visit the recommended options, and they accompany their clients on the visits, help with questions and offer support. “We want it to be a perfect match for the resident and their family,” Mary emphasizes. “If there are any issues once a person is placed, we’ll be there to back the family up.”
And the best part is, concierge placement services from Senior Care Authority are offered free of charge. “We get paid the way insurance agents get paid,” Mary explains. “The communities pay us, not the clients.”
Mary says one of the greatest advantages she and Mark offer is protecting people from wasting time and money. “We get calls from people who’ve placed a family member in haste, only to realize later they can’t afford to keep their loved one in that community, which means they have to move,” Mary says. “We can help people to avoid that mistake.”
A second service offered by Senior Care Authority is Eldercare Consulting. This pay-per-hour service helps to keep family members spread out across the country informed as to Mom or Dad’s health status. “We do peace-of-mind visits, checking to make sure the person has fresh food and clean clothing, for example, and that they’re taking their medications. If an older loved one isn’t quite ready for assisted living but could use a little support, this service is ideal.”
“We know that navigating the process of supporting an older loved one at home, or finding a community for him or her to transition to, can be stressful and daunting,” Mary says. “Calling us first can eliminate a lot of wasted time and unnecessary upset. You don’t have to do this alone.”
To connect with a gentle, supportive, informed member of the Senior Care Authority staff, you can call 440-695-3377. To find out more, visit SeniorCare-GreaterCleveland.com.