It was a moment that completely solidified for me the reason that I’m in this business of helping seniors with their real estate needs. And man, did it ever make my day!
When I picked up the phone, the voice on the other end was that of one of my older clients. And he needed help.
As a businessman, he had bought and sold many properties over the years, but now his health was failing. With no family in the area, he had come to the conclusion that he needed to consider making a move to an assisted living facility. But, he admitted to me, he was completely overwhelmed with where to start and what to do.
He noted that he had searched
for a book or a videotape or anything that would lay out the steps for a
late-in-life move in some sort of cohesive fashion, but he had found
none. His declining health made it difficult to formulate a plan on his
own, and what he really needed was a friend and a professional.
He remembered that the two of us had spoken previously about my work in
the seniors real estate field and he finally worked up the nerve to
approach me for assistance.
What I Learned
His
hesitance was an important reminder for me about how important the work
is that you and I do. On top of that, it helped me remember how
difficult it may be for any senior to pick up the phone and admit to
another human being that they need help. None of us like to think that
we can get to the point where a situation is too much for us to handle
but – guess what – it happens.
We spent some time discussing the options available to him and developing a basic idea of how we should approach his move. He
told me how fortunate he was to have met me and the relief he felt in
knowing that he now had a trusted adviser to answer his questions and
empower him to make a plan and put it into action.
That made my day in a big way!
As Certified Senior Housing Professionals,
we are trained to give more and move beyond the services offered by a
typical real estate agent. We are on a mission to make a difference in
the lives of senior adults and their caregiver families. Each and every
one of us gets to enjoy a worthwhile, potentially lucrative career, and –
at the same time – help people who really, really need it. How cool is
that!
Sure, I’m helping him, but that gentleman will never know how much he has made me smile.
If
you’re a real estate agent, senior move manager, or other
senior-focused professional who’d like to receive the sort of training
that will enable you to make a difference in the lives of seniors,
boomers, and their adult children, contact us for more information on earning your designation as a Certified Senior Housing Professional (CSHP) from the Seniors Real Estate Institute.