Appropriate Senior Care Placement Requires Transparency

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Monika Gärtner

In order to provide seniors and their families with appropriate senior care options, Care Service Options, prefers in most situations to personally visit the senior needing care placement. This personal assessment is in my view an important step to assure that the senior is transferred to a setting that can truly meet the needs of the whole person and not just limited to their physical care needs. Therefore, yes, we do ask if at all possible that our visits be accompanied by a family member, friend, or another health care professional for the following reasons:

Transparency of the part of health care professionals is extremely important, especially when visiting seniors. Generally if the person who has requested the visit is is available (the family member, friend, or other professional) they are able to provide that transparent legitimacy that is so important today.

Many seniors are initially skeptical and frightened by strangers – and rightfully so – by people who knock on their door and want to be let into their home or apartment. The introduction by a family member/friend or health care professional can ease a seniors mind.

Even though most of the time the family member, friend or health care professional has spoken to the senior prior to our visit – the same question is always asked – who are you? Why are you here? Pretty standard questions, which tells me that the person is still engaged or depending on the tone of voice and eye contact – either frightened, very suspicious, or confused.

Of course – we’d like to be introduced and the reason given why we are visiting.

Seniors often find it comforting and reassuring to have that family member or friend present to help answer answer the assessment questions and even more importantly to help make sure their loved ones questions and concerns are answered or addressed.

An appropriate senior care placement is critical to the well-being of any senior.  Getting it right the first time around is extremely important since moving seniors around numerous times is not only traumatic, but also can be life-threatening in many cases due to the added stress.   The dignity and value of the senior must always be paramount in the mind of all those involved with the life and care of any human being.  Transparency on our part is only the first step.

 

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Our Seniors Deserve Functional Families & Care Placement Professionals

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Norm Rice


Dysfunctionalism, whether it be within our families, or within our communities, dramatically affects the quality of life of our seniors.  Seniors deserve better behavior from us.  It is time for a change!

You’ve heard the stories, or perhaps you’ve been part of a story.  Mom and Dad seem to be doing just fine doing their own shopping, getting their meals, living life.  Without warning it happens – the fall, the car accident, the broken hip, the report of confusion from the neighbors, the sudden trip to the hospital.  It’s become painfully obvious that it’s time for a change of pace and environment.  Now what?

Throughout Oregon, and especially throughout our Portland metro area, thousands of senior care options and services scramble for your attention – In Home Care, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living, Residential Care, Rehab Centers (Nursing Homes), as well as the neighbor next door, or the friend at church who suddenly has all your answers.   Of course, doesn’t it seem that every family member suddenly has more love of mom or dad than you could possible conjure up?

Warning:  Work Together – Dysfunctionalism Leads to Inappropriate Decisions & Placement.

With that being said, suddenly you (and perhaps other family members as well) discover the list of Referral & Placement Agencies willing to assist you – for free.  Perhaps you were even handed a list by the hospital social worker.  Dozens seem to suddenly be only a phone call, or key-stroke away – all shouting the mantra in a growing pitch “Don’t make this important decision alone.”

Be Cautious:  Choose One (1) Agency – Be Selective – Be Honest – Work Together As A Family 

Why the warnings?  Recently in the State of Washington, a new law regarding Referral Placement Agencies (Washington HB1494) was enacted and will go into effect January 1, 2012.   As in Oregon, many Washingtonians discovered that these commissioned-based placement agencies were pretty free to do whatever they felt they needed to do in order to stay financially alive  There has been no oversight, no rules or regulations, no education or training requirements from the State.

The Internet seems to have also encouraged the explosion of online companies that scream at you to simply log in and give them your contact information before you receive any help – all so they can promptly outsource  your information via fax or a phone call to every facility in their database – irregardless if it is appropriate to your situation or not.  (Be wary of online placement companies that require you to log-in).  By flooding the local market with their calls and faxes, they feel they have “protected” themselves for some other agency getting your name and numbers to the facilities before they do.  Perhaps due to our stressed economy, many unemployed & former marketing or facility operators have felt it opportune to supplement their income by opening up a new placement “service”, resulting in their leaning on you for their survival -(Click here to read the story the Seattle Times carried last December).  Unfortunately, the senior and you become part of a placement game played out among competing agencies.  In many cases, especially with the large “nationwide” agencies, their representatives may have never even set foot in the facility they are referring you to.  Appropriate matching seems to have gone out the window in favor of making a quick placement.  Today Oregon has left Placement & Referral Agencies totally un-regulated.  You may even find some placement agencies online that refer to themselves as “state certified”, however, there is no such thing - there is no state-sanctioned certification at this time.

It is time for an Oregon change!  This time, Washington has given us an outstanding model to follow.

Yes – get help with your placement decisions .. But …

  • Choose One (1) locally-based professional agency.
  • Would they meet the quality & ethical standards set by Washington HB1494?
  • Consider seriously & inquire how long they have been in operation in the local area.
  • How often do they visit the facilities they provide you?
  • What is their screening process?
  • What goes into the selection of options they provide you?
  • What kind of follow-up takes place afterwards?
  • Are they a LOCAL Agency or part of a large francise?
  • Do they have ownership of care facilities (Yes there are some that also own their own adult family homes or residential care facilities – is this not a conflict of interest?)

Change for the benefit of our seniors requires at times that we look forward and work together as families, friends and as a State community.  Guidelines, even laws, sometimes need to be enacted so that you know we take seriously the commitment we make to seniors to provide a quality care system when they need it the most.

Seniors deserve the best from us – let’s get to work Oregon!

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Is Being On Twitter or Facebook or Being Found By Google Enough?

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Norm Rice

When you entrust a business you find either in the phonebook, or on the internet, with assisting you with the complexity of senior care, do you expect  and assume them to be a licensed business?  Adult Care Homes, Assisted Living Communities,  Retirement Homes, and Home Health Agencies all must have a valid current business license in order to operate in Oregon.   Those that help you through the maze of senior care options also ought to be a licensed and tax-paying businesses.

In short .. check out any senior placement service or agency that you find on the internet, Facebook or Twitter,  and find out if they are a licensed to operate as a business.  The Oregon Secretary of State – Corporation Division has an excellent registry and easy website to verify licensure.  (State of Oregon Corporation Division)

As people struggle in our economy, there are those that decide to re-invent themselves, and start a new business.  We applaud their willingness to serve within the senior care community, however, business ownership requires adhering to standard ethical business practices – and the start is usually getting a federal tax ID number, as well as a business license.

During the past two weeks, we have discovered some Oregon placement agencies that do not hold business licenses and yet cleverly and actively market via websites, and the social media – even using a marketing service (PR Newswire) to announce with their internet arrival.  Our issue is not with their websites or their use of creative internet marketing, but with their not following established licensing requirements.  Our question is quite simply, if they cannot follow state & federal guidelines, will you be able to count on them to expect and require care providers to honor and respect their licensing requirement – established for the safety and well-being of seniors?

Being on found by Google is not enough when we are entrusted with providing recommendations to you regarding the life and well-being of seniors.  There are values, standards and experience that matter and make a difference.

What are your expectations?  Is Facebook or Google placement enough?

 

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Care Service Options, A local Senior Placement Agency Seeks Opinions

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Monika Gärtner

Over 24 years ago, we at Care Service Options established our local senior care placement agency based on principles and ethics that we envisioned would endure the test of time.   Having come from a strong ministerial background as well as a strong community-based Oregonian upbringing, coupled with a high-tech employee-based Tektronix type philosophy, we worked hard to provide seniors and their families with a senior care placement service that would help match seniors with quality and appropriate senior care providers.  We looked for caring-spirited and responsive team-focused employees, while demanding the same from ourselves.  We were, and are, teamplayers with local medical and community-based senior related professionals.

In 1986, Senior Care in Oregon was developing as a model for the rest of the nation.  Assisted Living as a concept was beginning to take shape with small locally-owned companies;  options for senior care began to include care in family environments and homes referred to as Adult Foster Care;  placement agencies, such as Care Service Options, were few in number and locally owned.  Within the senior care community, there was a genuine spirit of working together within the local community to help enrich the life of seniors needing quality care. 

Although today the Senior Care landscape has changed, your opinion and your spirit still matter and can help chart the course for the next generation.  As we have seen in political events throughout the world when people decide that their voice needs to be heard, they can and do affect the outcome.  As large national Assisted Living corporations continue to expand, as the term “Adult Foster Care” has evolved to now focus more on large private rooms with private baths, rather than family-oriented enviroments,  and as new nationally francised-based senior placement agencies seem to burst upon the local scene almost monthly, it is imperative that your voice be heard.   In the weeks and months ahead, we will be seeking to hear your concerns and your hopes.  In a series of blogs we will address various areas of senior care.

In Part 1 of this blog series, let’s start first with you expectations of a Senior Care Placement Agency.

Last week we received a call from a new senior care placement national franchise soon coming to the Portland area, but headquartered in Arizona.   The franchise owner requested our help with a senior placement issue since their new franchize purchaser was not quite set up yet to start business and was not yet familiar with the senior care options available in the local area needed.  (Yes, their is a difference between “Assisted Living” & “Adult Foster Care” in Oregon)  This agency had been discovered and contacted online by a family seeking help.  A family member filled out a short online form which was forward to the out-of-state agency.  Although we respect this budding agency’s insight in reaching out to our local company with a desire to utilitize our knowledge and experience, their call also raised some important questions we now ask of you. 

What are your expectations of those you turn to for help when you or a family member need senior care?  What are your expectations of a Senior Care Consultant?  Do you expect that their recommendations will be made from their personal visitation and experienced-based knowledge of the care setting and care providers?  Is it important to you that they have met the care provider in an Adult Care Home?

Does it matter to  you the years of experience of the senior care consultant or their background?   Online certification as a “Senior Advisor” comes easily and may indicate the person’s desire to move into a new career path, but does their wealth of time and years of actual service representing seniors and their families matter to you?    Is their past experience as a marketing representive in a care facility, or their experience as a nursing assistant in a nursing home hold as much value to you as their reputation and years of responsiveness within the local senior medical community of doctors and social workers?

Many of the nationally-based franchised Senior Placement Agencies ask you to first provide your information online.  They then either forward that information to a local representative or they blanketly forward or fax your information to what they consider appropriate care settings.  The marketing department of the faxed facility is then requested to  contact you.  In those situations you can then expect numerous calls from facility marketing staff hoping to convince you of the quality of care they provide.   These calls can be persistent and frequent, even after you’ve chosen another facility or care environment.   Is this approach really helpful to you? 

Would it be more helpful to you to be able to personally talk with, (either via phone, in a coffee shop, in your home, or at the hospital or care facility) the senior care consultant?  What are your views regarding the desire and willingness of a consultant to  meet the senior needing placement?  Do you feel this personal visit can be helpful in making a more appropriate placement?  Is it important to you that the senior consultant you speak with has you and the senior’s best interest in mind ( not a facility’s)?  Are they to be representing you, or the facility?

Besides the above questions, there is also the question for some about the value of utilizing a locally-owned and operated placement consultant.  Does local ownership and committment matter or hold value to you?   Some contend that locally owned agencies are able to more easily work cooperatively and build trusting relationships with local social workers, hospital discharge planners, doctors, and other senior health care professionals.  This locally focused health care team approach may result in more appropriate senior care placement for the senior.  Does this local health care team approach hold value for you?

Senior Care in Oregon became a model and responded well to the needs of seniors and their families because of it’s dedicated and senior-focused and caring people.  As together we advance ahead, your voice is critical.   When you are faced with the tough decisions of quality care for your mom or dad, or a loved one, you need more than ever to be able to trust and depend on those you call upon for help.   Together we can continue to develop senior care models that are effective, helpful, caring and responsive to seniors. 

Make your opinion known.  If you email us, your opinions will be shared only if you give us permission to share your insights.   Appropriate opinions are also encouraged  in the “leave a comment” section below.

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Your Smile is Repaid a Thousand Times

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Monika Gärtner

That smile on your face can light up a senior’s life, especially someone with Alzheimer’s. What amazes me every time while visiting my best long-time friend is her radiant smile and the twinkle she still has in her eyes. Does she remember who I am? Most of the time I would say “not likely” until after a while when she starts to probe if I still work many hours and do I still carry that phone every place I go? I keep on telling her who I am and she says: “I don’t remember you, but I remember your face.” They are playing a song – she clearly sings along when it comes to the French words “que sera, sera” , I speak to her in German and she answers back in German, grammar and pronunciation correct, yet her mother tongue is English. She was a language teacher and did some extensive travels.

She had been sitting in a sunny spot. I asked her if I could wheel her on a concrete path through the garden area – she agreed. When ever we hit the shady areas she rubbed the sleeves of her sweater and said: “brrrr – cold”, the minute she was in full sun she reached out her hands – palms up and with a big smile said: “hmmm – nice and warm”. It’s back to basic recognition. It’s reminiscent of layers that can be peeled back – and sometimes it is amazing how her real person emerges gloriously out of those layers of confusion and un-recognition.

What amazes me the most when I walk into a Memory Care unit is how social each individual lady still is. Each person wants to be recognized as a living, breathing human being who wants to interact and touch and be touched. I see more genuine smiles radiating warmth toward a friendly visitor within a group of seniors sitting in a circle to listen to music, than the rest of the world is willing to give. The masks of daily living have come down – and you get what you see.

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Reflections of a Senior Placement Consultant

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Monika Gärtner

Why do not more families let us help them – help themselves?Monika Gärtner of Care Service Options, Inc.

It’s mostly baby boomers and on up in age, children of seniors who are now responsible to look after their mom’s and dad’s who have lived a much longer life span than the previous generation. Many of these daughters and sons are very active. They are decision makers and very much in charge of their own lives. They do their research on the internet before they go out to buy a new car, buy some golf clubs or a new TV. They are in the know. They compare pricing and warranty and then make an educated choice to fit their life style and pocket book. That’s the American way and should be applauded – when purchasing a product.

Has the time arrived where mom or dad now need your help and input to keep them safe and well cared for? Often times we realize that past family dynamics play a big role to make this highly emotional decision.

You go on the internet and do your research – and it’s a great place to start. You can learn all about the different kinds of care communities, home-health and in-home care.  You will find sites provided by local senior care professionals as well as sites covering many different states throughout our country.  All of them can be quite helpful – as a start.

Now,  which one would be ideal for mom and dad and which one can they afford?  Those are  normal general questions. The approach often taken is very similar to making vacation reservations. Do we look into a resort, a hotel or a bed and breakfast in a specific area and how much can we afford?   However, remember, we are not sending mom or dad on a vacation.  We are entrusting their life to someone else’s care.  It is about their quality of life, not our vacation.

You have no idea how often I have heard the following statement after people have looked at several large or small care communities: “What a place! I wouldn’t mind staying there for a couple of weeks myself!”

Let’s get real – placement for seniors is not a vacation spot – however much the retirement industry would like to portrait it this way. Instead – it’s hopefully each senior’s continuance of a quality life experience, whatever that means to each and every individual senior.

Now let me get of my soap box and get down and dirty.

First put yourself into your senior’s place. What would you like to see happen when your time comes? That’s one way to get a good perspective and it’s also a teaching tool for you how you want to address this issue down the road with your children. They might make that decision for you! No matter how old your kids are, your decisions and  how you deal with their grandma’s and grandpa’s care needs will give them the idea how you want to treated when your time comes – and it will.

All criteria regarding a senior’s care, needs to be considered carefully and then acted upon.

Many questions can only be answered by the individual senior, if that senior is totally alert. If that is not the case – then the family member emotionally closest to the senior – or a close friend of the senior will be able to answer question that are vital not only for daily care needs but also for the senior’s emotional needs.

A well thought-out and well-executed decision will bring continued live enrichment to the senior and peace of mind to the senior’s family and friends.   Getting help from a local professional senior consultant is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of your maturity and wisdom in recognizing the value of experienced professionals.

A couple pointers to keep in mind:

  • Call or email your local Senior Advocate to find out what’s availably today for your parent’s care, what’s appropriate for his/her care needs and how much it will cost?
  • Deal only with a local senior care consultant agency who is willing to meet with you in person, knows your area well, understands local issues, screens and monitors all adult care communities, i.e. Assisted Living, Residential Care, including Alzheimer’s and Adult Family Care Homes as well as In-home care companies and who does not have ownership in a care facility or in-home care company. That will guarantee you carefully researched, affordable – appropriate options for your individual senior’s care and emotional needs. You will not have lost a dime – this service is FREE to the seniors and the family. Yes, they are paid by the facility you choose, but they never forget they represent you and the senior and not the facility – much like a Realtor who represents you as a buyer.   They will not simply give you a list of every facility out there (even though almost all will pay a placement fee).  A professional agency will only give you those that they are comfortable putting their name behind and are truly appropriate for the care of your mom or dad.  You make the ultimate decision and they are only able to continue to operate and provide quality service (in other words get paid) if they have given you settings that meet your needs and criteria. Personally, I must be comfortable in entrusting a family member or personal friend to that facility or care setting before I will even think of giving it to someone else.   Putting my name behind a recommendation is never done lightly, but only after carefully looking  at the long-term history and care-giving personalities of a care-provider or facility.   Entrusting the seniors quality  of life to someone else is a serious matter to me.

Remember a bad placement costs the family as much, and often more, than an appropriate placement.  And also please note:  Every move is traumatic for a senior.  We’ve got to do it right the first time around.  I will address this issue in my next blog… with some real life examples.

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Senior MatchMakers Alive & Active In Portland

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Norm Rice

When you have a question or need immediate help regarding the care of a senior family member or friend, where do you turn?  A locally-owned & operated senior health care agency  has been providing free consultations and placement assistance to seniors and their families since 1987.

Hospitals, Social Workers, Doctors & Health Care Providers have repeatedly entrusted seniors to the professional advice and help of  Care Service Options. This local placement agency carefully screens Adult Foster Care Homes, Assisted Living Facilities and Alzheimer’s & Memory Care Residences throughout the entire Portland metro area.

Appropriate senior care placement is never a matter of simply providing you a list of places.  Monika of Care Service Options stresses that it is imperative to the health and well-being that seniors be placed in settings that match appropriately not only their care needs, but their personality and history.  She often refers to herself and her employees as “Senior Matchmakers.”

Care Service Options

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Is Oregon’s Assisted Living & In-Home Care Partnership pushing seniors into the pit of Medicaid?

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Norm Rice

Over the last couple years a disturbing financial scenario has been playing itself out in Assisted Living communities, with the help of their apparent partnership with In-Home Care companies. This scenario is exemplified by a situation related to us recently.

Grandma Ivy loved her new home , XYZ Assisted Living, in the neighborhood area she had lived for many years.  Her studio apartment was large enough for her favorite belongings from the two-story home she had to sell two years ago.  Friends from the area would visit – she enjoyed the bus trips and many other community activities she was unable to enjoy while living alone.  Suddenly all this changed with a stroke, resulting in a 3 day hospital stay, and then off to a Rehabilitation center.  She was pleased to learn that she had made enough progress to return to her now favorite home – even though she now would need additional help because of the paralysis on her left side.  ”Aging in Place” in Oregon Assisted Living communites is a great concept, established back in the early 90′s.  Grandma Ivy was thankful for Oregon’s leadership.

Two weeks later, the financial reality of her return to XYZ Assisted Living hits home.  In addition to the $3,450 monthly cost, the facility added another $1,975.00 for the additional care now needed to help bring Ivy down to the dining room, the help with dressing, bathing, room checks every two hours and additional hygiene care.  The total bill was now $5,425 per month.  Okay, understandable because of all the extra staff labor costs, and yes, still financially manageable.

Along with the bill came though another bomb-shell, almost as tough to swallow as the sudden stroke.  Grandma had become a fall risk because of the stroke.  Her care plan now required that she have someone in her room throughout her waking day both as a companion and to help make sure she remained safe.  We were informed that some of the residents had very much enjoyed the companionship and services of the ABC In-Home Care company. (Later it was learned that ABC In-Home care also shared the same corporate ownership as XYZ Assisted Living).  Their service would enable Grandma to not only stay within her favorite home, but also enable her to be escorted to even more of the activities within the facility, so that she would not need to spend quite so much time alone in her room.  The cost for this outside service would only be $20.00 per hour.  To keep her really safe, the service would need to provide someone for her for at least 8 hours a day.  Total cost for this additional care – $160.00 per day or approximately $4800 per month.  Wow.  With a little negotiation with the facility on service charges that could be reduced because of over-lapping services provided by the in-home care company, now the total monthly bill would run  Grandma a whopping  $8,000 per month.  The difficult choice now had to be faced – let grandma spend down to a level where she would qualify for us taxpayers to help pay for her care (Medicaid), or help her funds last longer by moving her to a less costly Level 3 Adult Family Home.  (The average cost for her care in the AFC home would save Grandma more than $4,000 per month)

Oregon has been a leader in providing seniors appropriate options for care at reasonable rates. Many years ago our state led a nationwide example of establishing the Adult Foster Care, or Adult Family Home program as an alternative to costly nursing home care.  This was soon followed by the assisted living model providing even more options while providing socialization opportunities not often available in the smaller Adult Foster Care program.  The richness of these options also helped keep seniors off the taxpayer funded Medicaid system as well as saving the state tax-payer millions of dollars.

Is that rich system now being undermined by the more recent partnership and marketing ploy of the Assisted Living & In-Home care business associations.   Is this new partnership really worth the cost to seniors and their families financially?  Does this collaboration  undermine the Oregon spirit of fiscal responsibility, as well as the spirit of senior care Oregon’s leadership developed?

Your Thoughts?

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Senior Visitor Program Established – Portland’s Answer to Senior Advocacy

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Norm Rice

Care Service Options, Inc,  serving seniors and their families since 1987 in the Portland metro area,  has begun a friendly senior visitor program, a lower cost alternative to traditional home health.

How many seniors in our community live isolated lives depending upon neighbors, friends or family members to help out with many of the daily tasks we carry out each day?  Today’s economic conditions continue to take their toll on seniors.  They, or often their families, decide that there is no other alternative for them but to remain in their homes, regardless of the social and often physical advantages that a retirement or assisted living community may provide.  Families of seniors at the same time struggle with juggling daily work and life demands.  The need to check in on mom or dad is often problematic due to challenges of distance as well as time.

Since Care Service Options owners, Monika & Norm often spend time either screening and pre-viewing care faciliities, meeting with seniors and their famlies to assess care needs, or meeting with social workers to assist with after hospital care arrangments, it became obvious that they could assist both seniors and their families with the establishment of a comprehensive  senior visitor program.   The complaint often heard expressed is that home health costs are getting prohibitive and require a minimum of up to even 4 hours even if all that is needed is someone to check on mom or dad and make sure they have what they need for the rest of the week.  Are they eating well?  Is the heat on?  Are safety measures in place?  The senior also needs to be able depend on a famliar face each week without wondering who is checking on them now or knocking on their door.  Often the responsible family members have relocated at quite a distance from mom or dad making them dependent t on what mom or dad want to tell them, or sporadic reports from doctors, social workers, or near by friends.   Thanksgiving, Christmas or other family gatherings often result in real surprises for distant family members.  So .. the solution?

Each week, or as pre-arranged, Monika or Norm’s visit will provide trusted eyes and ears for the senior and their family.  Has there been a change in the senior’s general well-being since last week?  Do medical or personal care appointments need to made?  Is there enough food in the refrigerator and cupboards?  Perhaps arrangements for Meals on Wheels need to be made.   Utilizing their 30 plus years of working with seniors and their families, in ministerial and senior service roles, Norm and Monika then present a weekly written report to concerned family members and friends accompanied by copies of any and all grocery or home necessities receipts.  Immediate contact for both the senior and their family is also always available.  ”We are on emergency call for the senior and their family 7 days a week.” They stress that they are not an In-Home care company, care provider, or transport company.  Their Senior Visitor service  provides the necessary eyes, ears, and support that seniors and their families need.  At the heart of the program is their dedication to continuing to provide a low cost, yet quality senior advocacy program. Complete details on this program can be found on the Care Service Options website or by clicking here.

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Wanted: Senior Respect & Courtesy – A Return to Sensible Formality

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Monika Gärtner

Have you noticed how we are becoming quite comfortable in calling other people by their first name – no matter their age, their heritage, or whether we know them or not? We seem to wish to err on the side of being casual and comfortable rather than show any sign of formality. Others who were brought up to show respect and courtesy to our elders see them grinch when it happens, but often they either don’t have the courage or are embarrassed to speak up. Most people today quickly assume a first name basis with people they hardly know and more children call adults by their first name.

Put yourself in a senior’s place – most of their lives they have been addressed as Mrs/Miss/Mr. by strangers and even acquaintances.

  • Over the last 10 to 15 years all of a sudden Mr. Smith (75) became simply Bill – without Mr. Smith’s permission.
  • Miss Hanson now has become – just Mary. No one ever inquires if that’s ok with her.

There is something wrong with this picture!

The receptionist at the doctor’s office doesn’t know Mary Hanson (83) from Molly Gibbs, but feels entitled to drop her last name, the way you would for a kindergartner and just calls out M-a-r-y! How condescending is that?

Bill Smith stops at a car dealership to look for a new pick-up truck. He introduces himself to the sales person as Bill Smith and immediately the come-back is: “Bill we just got the deal for you”. Again, he doesn’t know Bill from Adam. That sales person just down-sized Bill. The prospective buyer has become just another “Bill”, who hopefully can be talked into that purchase.

Just picture it – in the doctor’s office: “Ms Hansen or Mary Hanson we are ready for you”. If the sales person had to call his customer Mr. Smith – the language used would make Bill Smith the “valued customer” not just another guy looking to buy a new car.

We all know the old saying: “familiarity breeds contempt”. We get what we ask for.

Monika Gartner
Care Service Options, Inc.
503-246-8604
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