In my capacity as a professional entertainer touring coast to coast to Senior facilities, I am VERY aware of the wide/wide disparity of facilities.
There are the modern, comfortable sometimes even luxurious spots. Nicest places to live in their entire town or suburb!
Then, there are the almost scary places that seem to want to fulfill the caricature. You expect a nurse that looks like an NFL linebacker or Miss Hannegan to emerge down the hallway.
All of these places, to hear them tell it [ or to look at the website or brochure ] have the best food, the greatest medicine and the most budget wise fees in the universe.
How can you discern the hype from the reality?
Here are some hints from a guy who has dealt with over 1000 places, knows the nationwide companies and has observed from an objective point of view, not burdened with the decision at the times of my evaluation.
I am going to give you five hints/strategies/tricks. Before I do, a word about the three highest priorities. I have no special insight on these.
I recommend the National Association of Caregivers as your source with reference to the quality of medical attention..
The second priority is food. Ask to see the menu, ask to see the kitchen. That should be obvious.
For cost I recommend www.newlifestyles.com.
The New Lifestyles folks are my friends and they put out more than 40 regional catalogs plus have website listings for just about any geographical area you choose.
They were founded by a man who faced his own decision with his Dad 20 some years ago and was distressed at the lack of info available.
Bear in mind that they exist selling advertising to facilities...
Nevertheless, the geographical set up will help you determine the going rates in the area in question.
Now to my suggested strategies, which will put you ahead of the curve.
What could be more important after those first three priorities than:
Attention to Detail (professionalism)
Adequate Staff
Integrity
TRICK #1 Make a phone call to the facility
on the weekend. You will ask the name of the Activity Director and ask to be put into her voice mail.
Point A: Was the phone answered in timely fashion ON THE WEEKEND?
Point B: Was it answered by a human or a machine? Machines are not out of the question. They might be there to hold your call while humans are assisting previous callers. But, if the machines make it very difficult to navigate your desire for contact, what does that say for the management’s approach to detail?
How well-run is a place that an out of town caller can’t make contact on a Saturday. I’m not talking 3 AM!!
Point C: If you got a human, did they answer the phone professionally? Did you get a receptionist who knows what goes on or a skeleton crew nurse carrying a portable that can’t connect to a department?
Are you ready for my statistics?
Less than 30% of Activity Directors have email.
Only about 55% have a voice mail.
About 20% of the people answering the phone on the weekend don't even know who the Activity Director is.
8-12% of places I end up having to call during the week, JUST TO LEAVE MY WEBSITE OR PHONE NUMBER IN THE RIGHT PLACE!!!
We are talking about the professionalism of attention to detail.
How into the new century is this outfit?
Are they really as modern as they claim to be? Good grief, I’ve had an answer machine
at my home since 1989!
Trick #2 Ask if the Activity Director drives the bus. One outstanding nationwide chain has the Activity Director drive the bus for outings,
because they want their best person to be with the residents when away from the facility.
BUT most such outfits are simply understaffed.
So, if that strategy leaves you in a quandary ask when the residents will be playing Bingo. Show up for the Bingo.
If the Activity Director is calling the Bingo numbers, she/he may be using that time to identify with residents and establish relationships. If the A/D is merely calling the numbers without turning it into such an opportunity, it’s because they are understaffed or unimaginative in the deployment of personnel.
Trick #3 Look at the Activity Calendar. What outside entertainment is being brought in? The folks in the age demographic of these places grew up in the day of LIVE entertainment.
Any live entertainment? Any national guys/gals like me?
Anyone doing Nostalgia of any kind? The best facilities actually-really-do what they call
Nostalgia Therapy. They recognize that memories are at least as important as the present for these folks whose future is well, you know.
That sounds like I am biassed and overrate the importance of what I do. But even if the budget is such that it’s all volunteer entertainment…what are the volunteers doing? Their own thing? Throwing a movie into the VCR? Or genuninely connecting wiht the age group?
Trick #4 Go to an entertainment session that is not in-house. Is the Activity Director there? If she can’t be, has it been delegated to some other evaluator? OR, do they just use the time when an outsider comes in to take a coffee break?
I come from 1000 miles away, I bug ‘em to have me back, I charge prices that are not high but take into account travel expenses.
HALF, that’s right, HALF do not have anyone there to evaluate me.
If you want to talk about my weekend performances, it’s 4 out of 5 that don’t rearrange schedules [with 4-8 months advance notice] to have someone there to get a feel for what I give the residents.
Trick #5 Integrity? Believe it or not, I get stiffed about ten times a year. I also have several cases each year where the Activity Director who booked me has left without passing along info for the successor, not even to the manager.
I showed up at one place on a Sunday, having driven an hour and a half to my only gig that day. They had no idea what I was doing there. They had none of the paperwork I had sent. Didn’t care I had made a final confirmation call less than 30 days earlier. Didn’t let me perform.
If you don’t want you deal with people like that or those who don’t pay their bills, go to my website at www.ijklmnopq.com and send me an email with the names of the facilities you are considering. I don’t give out a list of those who have cheated me, but I’ll clue you in if you are considering that place.
On a more positive note, I know most of the National Companies or if you are searching in a geographical location I’ve travelled, I’d be happy to give you recommendations.
At Your Service
Nostalgia John
