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ENGAGING FAMILY IN THE SENIOR LIVING TRANSITION Family involvement can be a balancing


act for senior housing executives. On the one hand the kids’ participation in the sales cycle is crucial. At the same time, their presence at the table may bring added concerns and complications. Here’s how some industry leaders address the issue: Engaging family, while keeping the sales cycle moving forward.


‘Big influencers’ There are any number of good reasons for engaging adult children in the conversation around mom and dad’s living situation. The kids may be helping to finance this move, in which case they will want a say. There are issues of family harmony: For this to go smoothly, everyone needs to feel confident that this is the right move. Perhaps most significant, adult children


can be allies to the sales team, helping to nudge mom or dad to reach a decision. “The family are the big influencers,” said Jamison Gosselin, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Holiday Retirement. “They play a critical part in persuading their loved ones to make this change.”


Courtesy Solutions Advisors. Photo Credit/Immanuel Lutheran Communities. Often the family members will be the ones


OF INQUIRIES IN RENTAL INDEPENDENT LIVING START WITH FAMILY MEMBERS


50%


OF INQUIRIES IN CCRC INDEPENDENT LIVING START WITH FAMILY MEMBERS


30% 8 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 3 2017


to initiate the process: 50 percent of inquiries in rental independent living and 30 percent of inquiries in CCRC independent living originate with family, said Cecelia LaForge, director of administrative services at the se- nior housing consultancy Solutions Advisors. “Very often the family is driving the deci-


sion,” she said. “So if you don’t speak to the family members, the chances of that sale going through are very slim. They have the majority of influence and they are going to be involved one way or the other.” Family engagement can help to set a


prospective resident’s mind at ease. If the kids are backing this plan, then maybe it really does make sense. At the same time, involving adult children also may be a de- fensive tactic. Nearly every senior housing sales executive has encountered a situation in which, when a deal is nearly done, a pre- viously disengaged sibling shows up with a whole new set of concerns. Early, intensive conversations with all the kids can reduce the likelihood of such a surprise. All this speaks to the ‘why’ of


children to the table, to engage them with authenticity and ultimately earn their sup- port? Here are some strategies to consider.


Digging deep At Élan Spanish Springs, an 80-resident Life Care Services community in The Vil- lages, Fla., executive director Katie Harvey focuses her family engagement strategy at a deeply personal level. Fundamentally she’s interested in individuals. Who are these people? What are their concerns? Any at- tempt to address the family in the sales cycle has to originate from this zone. In one case, the daughter of a prospective


resident had concerns about food quality, but she couldn’t make it to the community during regular meal hours because of work commitments. The sales team engaged the dining services director to bring dinner to her home, in order to alleviate her fears. Sometimes that’s what it takes. In another instance, a prospective resi-


family


engagement. More complex, perhaps, is the ‘how’. What does it take to bring adult


dent’s wife was distraught about a wall in the couple’s home that had been damaged as a result of her husband’s fall. When they tried to talk about moving out and into the community, the wall kept coming up as an is-


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