Frequently Asked Questions About Senior Placement

What is Benchmark Senior Solutions?

Benchmark is A FREE senior housing advisory service for seniors and their loved ones. It is led and owned by Whitney Crawley, who has an extensive healthcare background and has personally worked in most of the assisted living settings in the Richmond area. Whitney will be able to educate you on each community’s ability to accommodate you or your loved one, bringing you unbiased guidance while reducing time and stress.

What is senior placement?

Senior placement or senior living advisors, like Benchmark Senior Solutions, is a free service available to seniors and their loved ones to help find a senior living community that best meets their needs.

When should I consider senior placement for my loved one?

If you notice a decline in their ability to complete activities of daily living (i.e., bathing, dressing, eating, and taking medications correctly), cognitive changes, or the inability to maintain their home, it's critical to reach out to a senior living advisor as soon as possible. 

Here at Benchmark, it's never too early to explore senior living options in Central Virginia. Ideally, the best time to consider senior living is before your loved one needs it.

How do I choose the right senior placement option for my loved one?

There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to senior living communities, so the right community for your loved one depends on their unique needs, such as current care needs, budget, location, etc. Working with Benchmark Senior Solutions means creating a personalized plan to meet the needs of your loved one.

What types of senior placement options are available?

Senior living options in Central Virginia include continuing care retirement communities (CCRC), independent living (IL), assisted living (ALF), memory care (MC), skilled nursing (SNF), and long-term care facilities (LTC).

What services are included in senior placement?

Working with seniors and/or their families, we meet to evaluate your specific needs to determine the right setting. From there, we coordinate and attend tours and work as a liaison to help decide on the ideal community. 

Our services also include a network of healthcare providers to help in the process. From suggesting moving companies to exploring options to pay for assisted living, our goal is to be a resource for seniors.

How much does senior placement cost?

Benchmarks advisory services are always free of charge to all seniors and their families, whether the senior moves to a senior living community or decides to “age in place.” Benchmark receives a referral fee, as an industry standard, from the facility after a move-in has taken place.

What are the benefits of senior placement?

There are around 100 communities in the Richmond area alone, so knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Using a senior placement service like Benchmark takes the stress out of finding the right place for your loved one. Since our advisors are local to Central Virginia, you can feel confident we continually visit a majority of these places to ensure your senior has the best options to meet their needs.

How do I know if my loved one is eligible for senior placement?

When you meet with us, we can help determine what type of living community is right for your senior. Each senior living option will do its own assessment to make sure your loved one is eligible for their community. 

However, as we said above, the best time to explore options for your loved one is before they need it.

What qualifications do senior placement providers have?

Our senior advisors at Benchmark have 35+ years of clinical and operational experience in senior living around Central Virginia. In addition, our advisors are also licensed healthcare professionals. 

How do I prepare my loved one for senior placement?

Moving into a new place and losing a sense of independence can significantly impact your loved one. They may feel stressed, anxious, angry, or even resentful. Therefore, it's important to talk with them early on, before any major decisions are made so they can be involved. 

We can also make recommendations of experts in senior healthcare, like a social worker, geriatric care manager, or elder law attorney, to help guide you and your senior through the process.

Why choose Benchmark Senior Solutions instead of a national referral company?

Benchmark Senior Solutions is owned and operated by a Richmond local with a healthcare background who has personally worked in all of these local settings. She knows first-hand what these communities have to offer, and she will be your personal guide, accompanying your loved one to each retirement community. You can call a 1-800 company, but their knowledge and experience are limited.

How can Benchmark Senior Solutions provide its services to you at no cost?

Benchmark has contracts set up with almost all communities in the Richmond metro, Charlottesville, and Virginia Beach region, giving families the options they need. If we do not have a contract with the community that interests you, that is perfectly fine. We simply want to provide an unbiased service to meet your needs.

What is the Veteran’s Aid and Attendance benefit?

Millions of veterans are entitled to this pension benefit, and it will help with the costs of senior care. Veterans who served active duty for 90 consecutive days, including at least one day during a time of war, may be eligible. Service in combat zones is not a requirement, and widowed spouses who have not remarried are also eligible. Meeting basic veteran pension requirements is also required. If you are a veteran, it is worth taking the time to apply at Veteranaid.org. Applying could mean anywhere from $779-$3,072 extra monthly income for retirement living.

What is long-term care insurance?

Long-term care (LTC) insurance is designed to cover long-term personal and custodial care in various settings including your home, a community organization or a facility. It’s important to check with your agent or broker who sold your family the policy to understand what coverage you have. Many people are surprised to find out that their policy pays daily or monthly stipends to assist with senior living care.

Are assisted living communities paid by insurance or Medicare?

Typically, assisted living is paid for by private funds. Long-term care insurances and veterans benefits can offer assistance in some cases.

If I would like someone from Benchmark Senior Solutions to come and speak to my group, who should I contact?

It would be a joy for our team to meet with those interested in learning more about dementia care, or about the various senior living options in the Greater Richmond Area, Charlottesville, or Williamsburg. If you would like someone from our team to come and speak to your business, church group, neighborhood association, club, etc., please don’t hesitate to reach out and send us a message about your upcoming event or group.

Why use a senior living consultant such as Benchmark?

There are around 100 communities in the Richmond area alone, so knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Using a senior placement service like Benchmark takes the stress out of finding the right place for your loved one. Since our advisors are local to Central Virginia, you can feel confident we continually visit a majority of these places to ensure your senior has the best options to meet their needs.