When exploring your options for senior living, turning to a referral website may seem like the quickest way to find the community for you. Senior living review and referral sites offer online directories and phone advisors, promising a personalized approach, easy searching and comprehensive support. These sites allow you to search from the comfort of your home without endlessly calling and emailing communities. Plus, these review sites claim you can get objective information from people who have toured and lived in the communities.
But can you?
Senior living review sites are a good place to begin your recommendations, but they’re not the be-all and end-all of senior living research. If you get your information solely from these sites, you may be getting a skewed and incomplete picture. That’s because many of these companies often have a financial incentive to refer you to the businesses that pay them for listings.
While it may seem like these senior living directories, also called referral sites, have a wealth of information in one spot, they often don’t show you the whole picture. In fact, they often take a commission if you choose a community through them.
According to Chicago-based senior living advisor Andrea Donovan, these referral fees could amount to thousands of dollars in the Chicago area alone. This means that these senior living review sites have a vested interest in you finding a community that will pay them a referral fee — not necessarily finding a community that will align with your lifestyle. Donovan’s company, Andrea Donovan Senior Living Advisors, isn’t compensated by any of the senior living communities it presents to families.
What’s more, these directories benefit from Google’s algorithm. They’re at the top of Google search listings not because they offer the most valuable or reliable information but because these nationwide review sites garner a large number of clicks, increasing their visibility within Google.
Moreover, these companies don’t necessarily offer the full picture. Not all positive or negative reviews make it onto the site. They may not include senior living communities that don’t pay their listing fees either, which could potentially exclude a community that’s a great fit.
Andrea notes that individual community websites are often missing important information, including pricing. “I can count on one hand the number of places that actually list their pricing,” she says.
It may seem counterintuitive when so much other information is available, but many times, fees vary greatly by level of care, size of living space and other variables. Many cross a community off their list of options, assuming that it’s too expensive. Yet experts at individual communities are often able to work with families to make a move possible.
The other very important piece of information you can’t glean from any website, she says, is the quality of a community’s food. In many communities, food is an important part of socializing, and many people eat most, if not all, of their meals in a communal dining room.
“I always tell people to eat the food before they sign on the dotted line,” she says. “If the food is bad, it could ruin the experience of living there.”
To ensure you find a community that’s a good fit for you, it’s essential to go to the most reputable senior living review sites that provide accurate, up-to-date information and genuine reviews. These sites should provide unbiased and nonincentivized information that helps you make an informed decision.
The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA), a nonprofit advocacy group, created a unique review site called Where You Live Matters. This unbiased, noncommercial source of education was designed to provide just the facts, so you can make an informed decision about your future that isn’t skewed by financial incentives.
Google Business Profiles help senior living communities — and businesses in general — maintain accurate information about their business online. It also allows communities to interact with potential residents and their families. Residents and families can leave reviews for the community on its profile, and the community can respond. This feature helps you see unbiased and objective information about a community and, most importantly, how the community responded.
“Referral sites are a great place to start your research,” Suzanne Nagel, vice president of marketing at HumanGood, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of housing for older adults, says. “But it should only be a start. Find a community, contact them directly, then visit them in person.”
Below are a few more pieces of expert advice to keep in mind when researching senior living communities:
Giving your contact information to a referral site and working with an online advisor often means you’ll receive frequent phone calls from the referral service and the communities they work with. It’s best to cut out the middle person and speak directly with the communities you’re interested in. Phone calls and emails may take slightly more time, but you’ll usually get the most reliable information from a real person, not online.
Recognize keywords that may try to sway you in a certain direction. When browsing reviews, consider the context — one person’s experience, whether positive or negative, may not necessarily reflect the community’s quality as a whole. Read multiple reviews to get a feel for the community. See if there was a response to the review and if the response showed a collaborative and open mindset.
Keep in mind that a reviewer may have personal biases based on their preconceived expectations or unique circumstances. For example, overly positive reviews may be influenced by a personal relationship or exceptional experience. Additionally, some senior living review sites may have measures to validate reviews, such as requiring proof of residency or using moderation processes to filter out misleading content.
Searching strictly online often narrows your focus to aesthetics, advises Jay Cortez, founder and CEO of Room and Residence, a navigation service in Highland Park, Texas. His top tip is to first focus on the level of living you desire and whether the community meets your needs in terms of engagement, connection and happiness.
The other element that doesn’t always come across online is how a community feels to you. Are the people friendly? Is it clean? Are there events that you will be interested in, and are they well-attended?
For more comprehensive findings, combine reading online reviews with other research methods, such as:
Visiting and touring communities: Once you’ve found the type of community you’re interested in, do in-depth research to explore the photos, activity calendars, videos, floor plans, blog posts and other information on the website for each potential community on your list. After narrowing down your list, start scheduling tours so you can see the communities in person.
Speaking with team members: Talking with team members can tell you a lot about the community. Are they enthusiastic to answer your questions and talk about the community? Do they seem warm and inviting when talking with them on the phone, through email and in person?
Consulting with professionals such as your physician: Discuss your thoughts with the professionals in your life, such as your physician, and ask if they have any communities they recommend or experiences with any of the communities on your list.
While reading online reviews of senior living communities can provide some helpful information, don’t give the opinions of reviewers too much weight, Nagel notes.
“You have to keep reviews in the appropriate context,” she says. “People who review generally have strong opinions. They’re either extremely enthusiastic or very disparaging. Use reviews to identify any questions or concerns you may have, but, ultimately, you are the best judge of which community is right.”
Begin your search online, cautiously read the reviews to gather any questions and then visit the communities you like. Consider whether the community is consistent with the reviews you have read in senior living reviews or in stark contrast to them.
When you’re there, don’t just talk to the sales team. Talk to the people in charge of health and wellness, events and dining. Sit down for a meal, and visit at various times of the day. Be sure to talk to the residents themselves — many will be happy to share their experiences.
“They have the truest picture of what life there is really like,” Nagel says.
To get the most out of the visit, consider attending a community event or going during a meal or other active time. This gives the most accurate view of everyday community life.
If there is something you would like to know, ask! At an exceptional senior living community, resident concerns are their concerns. When you take your tour, don’t be afraid to inquire about the different aspects of life there to help you decide if they’re a good fit.
If you’re not sure exactly which questions to ask during your tour of the community, just jot down a few important points you would like to know more details about, such as apartment sizes, food options and the event calendar.
Choosing a Life Plan Community is an incredibly important decision — one that requires your due diligence. But don’t go overboard either. After you’ve done your homework, get out there and visit them in person.
Learn more about touring a senior living community with our comprehensive guide.