By Steve Moran
While I get why senior living communities charge a community fee at move-in … actually, I am not sure I do get it, except that they are a way to improve margins. They always feel exactly like hotel resort fees — something that creates no real value but is unavoidable.
I recently paid a community fee and have talked to others who have moved family members into senior living, and we all find the fees annoying and like a bit of a rip-off.
Simple Brilliance
Two weeks ago, my guest on Foresight TV was Elizabeth Wright, founder of The Moments memory care community in Minnesota. I asked her to describe the things that make her community special. The list was long, but one little thing jumped out to me as huge.
When a resident moves in, they have their own moving van and work crew. That team goes to the resident’s home, and the resident, or more likely the family, walks through the home and picks the things that are to be moved into the resident’s room. The moving team does the rest of the work. Packing it up, moving it, setting it up in the new unit in a layout that is similar to what they had at home.
My Own Experience
As I write this, I am in the process of moving my stepfather, Gary, from memory care to assisted living. We have been buying furniture, assembling things, figuring out layouts, and it is taking days of time and hours of effort. It is necessary and frustrating.
It Would Be So Simple
If my community fee had been $1,000 more and they told me that part of what it included was sending a team to get all his stuff and move it into his new apartment, I would have been so much happier about paying that community fee, even though it was $1,000 more. I would have felt like I got something for it, and it would have reduced so much stress.
It’s All About the Experience
We talk a lot about how getting senior living right is about creating great resident experiences, and this is a very real truth. But we need to be talking a lot more about how important it is to create amazing family experiences, something that seems to get little attention.
Unless a lot of pre move services are offered, this is nothing more than a way to gouge new residents. I have never done this with my facilities, but to each their own. To me this is like the car dealer who charges for prep, special wax, etc., just another, not so hidden fee.
Facilitating the move in of a resident, if done with efficiency and compassion is a lengthy and involved process. It typically involves the time and expertise of multiple individuals within the community. Our move in process often begins 3-4 weeks before the resident physically moves into their suite. We have a three page document bullet pointing each step and every document required. And, as we advance technologically, we incur greater costs, for example August Health, Docusign, Eldermark. We have costs associated with nearly every phase of the move in. Then, keep in mind that families choosing to use a paid aggregator unwittingly drive the cost of senior living as we are now forking over 100% of first month rent for this move in.
Im in my 20th year of senior living. I used to be on the same page with Ed. But, as the process has changed and become incredibly complex and demanding Ive seen that downplaying this fred or waiving it is conveying a message that my teams’ time is not valuable, their expertise not worthy. Maybe the name should be changed to better represent the complexity of the process and tasks. When we are asked what the CF is “for” we do our communities a disservice if we are not completely transparent about the professional team behind that transition and what it requires to make it happen successfully.
Jamie I really like this a lot and I suspect your residents are glad, in a relative sense to pay the fee because they understand they are getting value.
I agree that it simply feels like a way to extract dollars from families. Perhaps we have gotten used to this happening since so many companies are doing this. Even Southwest Airlines where bags fly free has gotten into the act with early check-in and A List upcharges.
They do generate money but do not make people love the company.