A senior living community sales director can play an important role in fall prevention by using their leadership position and communication skills to drive awareness and collaboration among staff, residents, and families. Here are ways they can contribute:

1. Educating Families and Prospective Residents

• Highlighting Safety Features: During tours and meetings, emphasize the community’s safety measures, such as handrails, non-slip flooring, and well-lit areas, as key selling points.

• Fall Prevention Programs: Introduce families and prospective residents to the community's fall prevention program(s). Spend time explaining the community's proactive approach, which can build trust and confidence.

• Providing Informational Materials: Share brochures or newsletters on fall prevention strategies that showcase the community’s commitment to residents' safety.

2. Collaborating with Other Departments

• Working with Care Staff: Partner with care teams to ensure they know a resident’s specific fall risks and encourage cross-department communication to address potential hazards promptly.

• Involving the Activities Team: Work closely with the activities director to promote balance and strength-building exercises in residents' daily routines.

• Partnering with Maintenance: Regularly review the condition of physical spaces, such as stairways, ramps, and flooring, and advocate for quick repairs or upgrades to remove potential fall hazards.

• Work with Dining: ensuring that dining areas are safe, accessible, and supportive of residents' mobility needs. This can include collaborating to arrange furniture in a way that minimizes trip hazards, ensuring adequate lighting, and promoting proper hydration and nutrition to support muscle strength and balance. Additionally, dining staff can be trained to assist residents who may need help standing, walking, or using mobility aids, 

3. Fall Prevention Events

• Host Educational Workshops: Organize fall prevention seminars with healthcare professionals to educate staff, residents, and families on best practices for reducing fall risks.

• Incorporating into Marketing Materials: Promote fall prevention workshops or programs in external marketing efforts to position the community as a proactive and safety-focused environment.

4. Engaging Residents and Families

• Family Communication: Send out regular communications to families about the importance of fall prevention and how they can contribute, such as encouraging proper footwear or promoting in-room safety for loved ones. Does your community have great fall stats to share via social media and your newsletter? Highlight those statistics — and the people in the community who help support those amazing fall stats. 

• Resident Feedback: Encourage residents to share their mobility concerns and falls. Their feedback can drive changes in both the physical environment and care practices.

5. Promoting Physical Health Initiatives

• Fitness Classes: Advocate for more fall-prevention-oriented fitness programs, such as tai chi or yoga, which improve balance and strength.

• Activity Boxes: Incorporate balance-focused activities into your ‘activity tour boxes’ to promote fall prevention even during unscheduled tours.

By integrating these practices, a sales director can demonstrate leadership in safety while enhancing the community's overall appeal to families and residents. Reducing falls can significantly improve residents' well-being and help support a high-census community.

We are excited to share with you our new Partner Portal.  We have spent time researching the best ways we can support seniors and our partners and are making shifts to serve our partners better. This new Portal is designed to give you access to more capabilities and the ability to make more changes. You will see some new changes but don’t worry, you will have access to your favorite Portal features, like reviews.

We have compiled videos walking you through how to use some of the new features, and where you can find some of the features you already use. We have also included answers to some questions you may have.

Partner Portal Training Videos

Resetting Your Portal Password

How to Update Amenities

How to Update Referral Status

How to Report a Move-In

How to Update Costs

How to Add or Remove Photos

How to Add, Update or Remove FAQs

How to Send a Request Review Email

How to Set Up an Internal or External Promotion

How to Update Your Description

How to Respond to Reviews

How to Use the Reporting Dashboard

Frequently Asked Question

What features need to be moderated?

Currently, promotions, photos, descriptions, unique features, and frequently asked questions are moderated. These changes will take some time to appear on your profile after submitting the request via the Portal.

How to update users?

Please email partnersuccess@caring.com to add, update, or remove user access.

If you have any additional questions or need help accessing the new Portal, email partnersuccess@caring.com. If you have any review-related questions, please email reviews@caring.com.

**Update October 21, 2024

As we enter a season when turnover seems to increase in many key roles within our communities, one position that often flies under the radar is the Community Transportation Director – yes, the driver. While every role within a senior living community is important, the driver holds unique value for both community culture and external marketing, yet remains one of the most underutilized resources. They are true Occupancy Drivers. 

Consider this: No other role spends as much consistent, direct time with residents. A resident who goes to medical appointments twice a week and takes a weekly shopping trip could easily spend over three hours with their driver each week. That’s three hours of relationship-building, learning about residents' needs, and generating excitement about the community. Ensuring regular communication with your driver, whether through weekly meetings or inviting them to staff meetings, is essential for fostering a thriving community culture and promoting growth.

Drivers should be well-informed about the community’s activities, new residents, and special events like birthday parties. Directors can also gain valuable insights by riding along with drivers, observing the community’s pulse firsthand: who’s happy, who might need more support, and who may be experiencing changes in care needs. Drivers are often the first to notice subtle shifts, such as a resident’s mood following a doctor’s appointment or a change in their health status.

What’s the culture of your transportation services? Is it engaging, safe, and personalized? Offering a concierge-like experience can elevate the community’s reputation. Fun activities like Carpool Karaoke or Car Bingo can bring joy to both residents and staff, and outings — even simple ones like a trip to Sonic for Memory Care residents — make a meaningful difference in residents' lives.

Beyond internal benefits, drivers are one of the community’s best external marketing assets. With community sales directors increasingly tied to on-site responsibilities (hopefully due to an influx of tours from referral partners like Caring), drivers frequently visit key medical and referral sources. Equipping drivers with business cards, ensuring they have strong connections with front office staff at medical facilities, and training them to gather necessary paperwork can help foster valuable relationships. The extra care shown by accompanying residents into appointments is often noticed and appreciated by referral sources, reinforcing the positive reputation of your community.

To maximize the potential of this role, it's critical not to treat hiring a driver as a simple box-checking exercise. Look for candidates with the same care and diligence you use when selecting sales or activities directors. After all, our community vans are mobile micro-communities, and they reflect the larger culture and brand experience we strive to create.