The concept of Senior Living Specialists began with Paul’s own mother, Betty, and their journey with her Alzheimer’s disease. Paul and his family recognized the need for a proactive approach to caring for Betty. Their desire to keep her safe while supporting her abilities led to the decision to find a senior living community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to meet her care and lifestyle needs. These were unchartered waters for the Markowitz family. A busy work and personal life made the time required for the search very difficult.
Back row (left to right): Tim Powell, Mary Stewart, Matt Grider, Christy Byerly, Steve Markowitz
Front row (left to right): Kim Corcoran, Lisa Perkins, Paul Markowitz, Donna Elliott, Sarah Miller, Kris Klein
Not Pictured: Donna Diaz, Sandra Johnson, Susan Worthington
Where should they even begin? How did they know which community would best fulfill both her care and lifestyle needs? Faced with an overwhelming number of confusing options, the family struggled to figure out which level of care and which senior living community was the right fit for Betty.
Paul tried to search for a senior living expert to help the family make an informed decision, but had a difficult time finding one he and his family felt confident working with.
The limited resources available to Paul’s family at the time were either a national placement company without firsthand knowledge of the Dallas-Fort Worth senior care market, or were local professionals who charged cost-prohibitive hourly rates for their services. It seemed like every available solution actually added to the stress of trying to find the right care for their mother.
Creating a Team of Senior Living Advisors in North Texas
After Betty was safely settled in an assisted living community, Paul realized a free service was needed in Dallas-Fort Worth to assist families navigating the senior care maze. He was determined to create a team of passionate, knowledgeable advisors to advocate for families considering senior care options for a loved one.
In May of 2009, Senior Living Specialists assisted their first family. Since then, we have assisted over 10,000 families.
The team at Senior Living Specialists personally knows the care homes and facilities offering independent living, assisted living, dementia care/Alzheimer’s care, skilled nursing care, as well as home care agencies, throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We visit the care homes and facilities and understand the services and type of care they each provide. As Senior Living Specialists has continued to grow over the years, our expertise has expanded as our team has grown. We now have Licensed Social Workers on staff that have specialties in Gerontology which provide even greater insight to the level of care provided at each senior living option in Dallas. We also have Registered Nurses with direct knowledge of local rehabilitation facilities and the services provided.
We help families better understand the different types of senior care and living options, offer resources to assist with paying for care, provide tips for objectively evaluating senior living communities, and share important questions to ask when touring and considering residential care home, facility and in-home care options.
Our services are always free for seniors and their families. We are compensated by a one-time referral fee from the community or care home selected by the family, paid after their loved one has settled into their new “home”. This allows us to provide a cost-free service to families.
For information and guidance, please call us at 214-929-5055 . You can also email Paul@SeniorLivingSpecialists.com or complete our Contact Form.
