Families facing placement for their loved ones deal with unimaginable challenges. Will the facility care for my parent like I would want them to? Are there any issues with abuse or neglect in this facility? Is the facility equipped to deal with my loved one's special needs? These and many other questions make the task of choosing placement for a loved one a grueling but necessary one. A Place For Mom claims on its website to provide a FREE referral service complete with an assessment and "eldercare specialists" to tailor your options to meet your needs.
There are a few things this service does not tell you about.
A. The service is not "free." Any facility listed with A Place For Mom must agree to pay the sum of One Month's Cost of Care (the amount the family pays for care of their loved one) for each referral placement. It doesn't matter how much the cost of care is, nor is A Place For Mom concerned with how your loved one's care is financed for that month as long as they receive their "fee."
According to the Terms of Service for A Place For Mom:
Our Senior Care Partners
Any care provider that offers housing and/or supportive services to elderly and/or disabled individuals of the nature referenced on this Site (including Alzheimer's care facilities, assisted living facilities, home care facilities, nursing home facilities, residential care facilities, retirement facilities, adult day care facilities, senior apartment facilities or hospice facilities), is eligible to be included on our website provided that such provider (1) represents to us that they are licensed, and will at all times remain licensed, by the state in which they operate (unless their state doesn’t require licensure), and (2) has entered into an agreement with us and paid a fee, or agreed to pay a fee in the future in certain circumstances, for being included in our product and services offerings.
B. A Place For Mom has no stipulations on the quality of care received by the facility. According to the Terms of Service for A Place For Mom:
Our Senior Care Partners Any care provider that offers housing and/or supportive services to elderly and/or disabled individuals of the nature referenced on this Site (including Alzheimer's care facilities, assisted living facilities, home care facilities, nursing home facilities, residential care facilities, retirement facilities, adult day care facilities, senior apartment facilities or hospice facilities), is eligible to be included on our website provided that such provider (1) represents to us that they are licensed, and will at all times remain licensed, by the state in which they operate (unless their state doesn’t require licensure), and (2) has entered into an agreement with us and paid a fee, or agreed to pay a fee in the future in certain circumstances, for being included in our product and services offerings. We impose no requirements on our partner providers as to the manner in which they deliver services to residents. Each provider included in our service has agreed to charge our clients in the same way they charge other clients for the same care level.
C. The "Services" they provide are not that of a "Professional."
Our Services We help families evaluate the type of care needed by an elderly person including an assessment of issues such as care requirements, desired price level, and amenity preferences. Once we understand the individual's needs and preferences, we help to identify the senior care providers in our participant group that could potentially meet those needs and preferences. The names of those providers are shared with the individual and/or family member. We also forward the individual's name and pertinent information to the provider(s) along with a request that the provider contact such individual.
No Professional Advice
The information contained in this Site may include content that relates to medical, legal, financial or other professional matters. It is provided for informational, educational and discussion purposes only and should not be used, interpreted, or relied upon as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment; legal; financial or professional advice; or advice regarding which service providers you should use. You should consult with a medical doctor, attorney, financial or other professional if you need assistance with matters that fall into their area of expertise.
D. Once you and your family or you and your facility have signed up with A Place For Mom, they can charge the facility if you place your family member there, even if your referral and decision was from another source.
Scenario: You have signed up with A Place For Mom. You receive an email from A Place For Mom for a potential placement for your father. The facility referred does not have any openings at this time, so you look elsewhere placing your father in an alternate facility. A year or two goes by, and you hear from your neighbor that your proposed facility now has an opening. You contact the facility, your father is placed. Because of the initial email, your chosen facility is charged $4000 (the cost of the first month of care)for an email referral that did not result in placement at the time, OVER 2 YEARS OLD!! According to an account representative from A Place For Mom, there is no time limit, so if this scenario happens, it can happen in 10 years as easily as 2 years.
*By the way, the scenario is based on a true story.*
The moral to this story? Be careful when considering "Free Referral Service" for your loved ones. You AND your loved ones will get what you pay for.
Terms of Service for A Place For Mom can be found at http://www.aplaceformom.com/terms-of-use/
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Um... every placement/referral agency is like this. Every one. The fees, the rules...everything. The 2-years scenario above is VERY rare, but it does happen. And BECAUSE it does happen, that's why referral agencies have stipulations like this. It is still a business.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the valuable information. http://my-home-care.com lets businesses post their information for free and get publicity. Nice blog
ReplyDeleteCheck out myelderadvocate.com
ReplyDeleteJimmy, if you research the law, you will likely find that anyone soliciting a prospective tenants lease, for compensation, is practicing real estate without a license. The Bureau of Real Estate is finally getting wise to this massive growth of money grubbing scams. If these people are so ethical, why do they lie and say their services are "free." They are not free. They are paid by the facility the referral agent contracts with. So, who is actually protecting the rights of the elderly client? No one.
ReplyDeleteI initially tried to use them, and was immediately flooded with annoying calls at all hours of the morning and late into the night from a Place for Mom. Conidering the extreme amount of stress you go through when a relative is diagnosed with dementia and their Care is slammed in your lap
ReplyDeleteI didnt need to be hounded by practical used car salesman. I told them off, and told them to stop calling me /remove me from their list. They stopped, I had no idea how important that step was, in severing any relationship with a Place for Mom. I can recall with all certainty, that the minute I requested information online, I was called within 30 seconds, and so ot began. their behavior is very predatory. I'm thinking of changing places for my loved one, & I know I can just start with the county guide for seniors which shows almost every senior program and housing in the area.
The person I contacted initially on the phone was more than helpful, as was the lady who called me back. The surly Nevadan who they connected me to did not want to be bothered. To a place for mom, do not connect people to Treavor Loggin (not sure of the spelling) in Nevada.
ReplyDeleteI was delighted that within 10 sec of giving my phone #, I received a call! I noted caring and concern, and was transferred to someone who knew my area. She then, listened, commiserated and gave helpful, timely advice: contact the primary care dr, you can find the # on her meds, ask for an order for home heathcare, while her husband was in for bypass surgery. So grateful!
ReplyDeleteA Place For Mom is nothing more than heavy advertising bundled with boiler room commission sales reps pressured to close. APFM performs no due diligence or quality review of providers before, during or after placement. It is not "free!" Your first month payment to a provider is their fee. APFM is nothing more than a bulletin board directory used by service providers to generate leads. Nothing more. Rather, there is something more... Harassment by high pressure boiler room commission sales reps. APFM could be selling penny stocks, commodities, options, aluminum siding or extended warranties...same model. Generate leads! Sure business is business just realize You are the mark!
ReplyDeleteI live in Tucson Arizona and I own a small local placement service agency for seniors and their families. I help folks by vetting every community before we visit and I also visit with families or seniors so I can help them to get the answers they want and to advocate to be sure that all that is promised in the sales arena is in the lease agreement before they sign. If you are reading this and need help, try first with local placement service agencies that know your market and will work with you. A Place For Mom is so large that it is difficult for them to assist you personally.
ReplyDeleteCecil, I live in your area. What is the name of your business? Would like to find contact information. Thanks.
DeleteEric
ReplyDeleteMost families/Seniors looking for safe resources for themselves or loved ones don't realize the tactics that are used by APFM when initially visiting their site and others like them. They do not personally meet with the family/senior, finding out their personal, medical and financial needs and/or limitations before sending their name and contact info out to dozens of communities without concern to their well being. They do not tour every community, checking all state Care & Violations histories of each and create a detailed data base of amenities and cost associated. They are also not personally taking their clients on the community tours and walking them through each step in the process, continually listening to the families and their needs, apprehension and concerns.
I also have a Senior Placement agency operating in Norther New Jersey, however our emphasize is on the personal needs and well being of each individual, while always remaining within the comforts of their financial abilities. We do not ever walk away from individuals needing Medicaid or other needed services that present no gain to ourselves.
Presenting families with the safest care options, looking at people as individuals and giving the same care options that you would be happy to give to family or receive yourself is our mission.
Hello. We are looking for safe, affordable (low income/low cost), well-maintained accommodation for two senior females living in south- SF Bay Area (peninsula). One receives ssi-type gov't benefits and the other receives none (low cost-"self-pay" type-client).If any of you good folks could offer your valuable input regarding potential resources that may be able to meet this request- we certainly appreciate you.
ReplyDeleteI have never worked for A Place for Mom but your criticism is misguided. First of all, their services are free to the family. And they advertise the community to people who are interested in it. Its a win win for everyone. Why shouldn't they make a commission? Do YOU work for free?
ReplyDeleteSecond, their workers ARE professionals. They might not be doctors, nurses or social workers but they never claim to be doctors, nurses or social workers. The community often has their own staff of doctors, nurses and social workers to make the final evaluation before admitting a resident, to make sure they can provide the correct amount of care.
Third, it is not in A Place for Mom's interest to send people to a community that that person is unable to pay for. That person would end up being rejected by that community.
Fourth, what differnce does it make if a Place for Mom makes a commission from a two year old lead? Who is harmed by that? It might take some families that long to make a decision.
A Place for Mom professionals can help a family choose a community and they can keep them from choosing a community that is wrong for the family member. They can keep a family from exhausting themselves and wasting time looking at a community which would provide too much or too little care. They know things about a communitu that might not be on the website, like entrance fees, special sales, kinds of pets that are allowed, etc. Using a referral like a Place for Mom is a way to make a difficult decision easier.
How do you feel about them only showing buildings that they have a contract with? I believe that is unethical and wrong in everyway. If a family thinks about another facility they are swayed to use only communities that have a contract with them. Which is again WRONG in every aspect and should be illegal. They are looking out for their best interest and not the senior.
DeleteI know this is a reply to an old post... but MARY H. You are dead wrong. APFM solicited MY NUMBER AND LIED TO OTHER FACILITIES THAT I WAS LOOKING TO PLACE MY PARENT. Those facility managers were angry at APFM and THEY ARE THE ONES WHO TOLD ME TO AVOID THEM. These facilities were also in the process of severing ties with APFM scam services.
DeleteBEWARE of A Place for Mom. They use shady advertising techniques. We own a home health care agency and they have our name of their site as with a place for moms phone number. When I click on the call Agency number it calls a place for mom and they say they represent us. They do not and we had to take legal action to have our name removed from their site. Very shady company.
ReplyDeleteIf u still around could you please tell me how the legal action worked? I am an Assisted Living Home in the same situation. They wont remove my info from their websites
DeleteI'm on a waiting list for a place in Chaska, Mn but have NO way to contact this facility for questions about waiting and finding out if I'm close to getting an apartment. I'm on Medical Assistance.
ReplyDeleteYou will more than likely never get a call if you're on public assistance. I would suggest calling your local Dept of Aging and Adult services or 2-1-1 to ask for low income non licensed and social security facilities also known as adult group homes in my area.
DeleteThis is just the tip of the iceberg on what Replace and Repeal looks like for those on fixed incomes who voted to repeal "free" insurance.
I work for a small senior referral company in Southern California. We work with each client from start to finish, including joining them on all community visits. We don't simply spit out a database like A Place for Mom, but because of them, we lose out on many wonderful people who don't realize what they are getting into with A Place for Mom. They own your name once you fill out their form and if they contact us after that, no facility will work with us. We do our best to continue to advocate and guide these people but A Place for Mom makes it very difficult.
ReplyDeleteDue to a place for mom I am now living a nightmare, they are high pressured salespeople who make you feel as if they care at a time when you are so vulnerable they recommended three places all of which were awful the best I thought at the time was The Arbors on Jericho Turnpike Westbury NY. We had to pay 2 weeks to hold the room because Mom was not ready we moved her in on a Saturday, Sunday we went spent the day and took care of her. Monday after a tough day back at work rushed over at 3:30 to find my mother in a urine soaked bed from the night before using a nebulizer machine which means the nurse was in the room saw and smelt my poor mother and did nothing to clean her up and she had nothing to eat yet for the day! Upon me entering the room the nurse in charge and two aids and housekeeping entered the room apologizing making every excuse! She was showered dressed and fed in 20 minutes and bedding was changed What would of happened if I did not show up? They assured me this is not what this place is about it will never happen again. Against my better judgement I left her there cried all the way home to get a call not even 48 hours later that there was an accident and my mother was en route to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken arm and rib after speaking to my mother she said she upon standing she felt her leg giving and asked an aid for help but the aid was too busy texting on her phone and my mother fell so much for assisted living.
ReplyDeleteAs a former administrator of senior communities, I can attest to the fact that NO senior care placement agency - APFM or a local private agency can guarantee first rate quality care from their contracted facilities/service providers. They can assure they are licensed and good standing. Quality care can differ day by day, and hour by hour at facilities based on staff on hand, current administration, etc. The customer cannot relinquish their own responsibility of conducting due diligence when making decisions. Services such as these simply help the seeker drill down to facilities/service providers in their area that offer the services that match their needs. They do a very cursory needs assessment but this is what is needed to accomplish this match. I will say that reps from any placement agency should at the least have visited their client communities to develop a good working relationship - that is what creates satisfied customers all around and makes their teamsmanship more successful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing nice article about Physiotherapy clinic. here they mentioned the best tips to follow for self awakening adventure. It will be helps to people those who are looking for Elder Care Chennai.
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