CarePatrol’s urgent mission: Find the best beds for seniors who are not in a hospital

By Becky Bongiovanni, Certified Senior Advisor and Brand President of CarePatrol

Not long ago, nobody had even heard of COVID-19. Today, however, it is a global reality and a mandate for businesses to serve in ways we never could have imagined.

That’s certainly what we’re experiencing across our CarePatrol franchise network. Because one audience that cannot and should not shelter in place is a senior in a hospital who could be somewhere else.

More precisely, as our country’s hospitals and health care facilities fight to free up beds for COVID-19 patients, these same places are trying to quickly and responsibly discharge some of their most vulnerable patients — seniors — who could be cared for in another environment. Similarly, senior living communities are taking added precautionary measures to ensure the safety and well being of their residents. This has resulted in reduced availability of options for older adults who can no longer remain at home.

CarePatrol senior care advisors have the most up-to-date information on communities that are accepting residents. There are even some that are taking care of seniors and others with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic or exhibit only mild symptoms.

As the nation’s largest senior placement franchise, we moved quickly to introduce virtual consultations with families, offering online tours of senior communities. Keeping older adults safe is our top priority, now more than ever. Our franchisees have done an incredible job working with our network of over 32,000 senior living communities across the nation in a very new way in order to support families making important and quick decisions.

And for families hesitant to move a loved one into a community during the pandemic, CarePatrol franchisees are also working closely with ComForCare franchisees, a sister company, across the country to arrange for in-home care as an alternative.

The incredibly powerful side effect to all of this is our growing ability to help hospitals free up beds and personnel in a critical time.

While we continue our mission to support seniors in the very best way, it is our added desire to support healthcare workers who are the heroes on the front lines of this very deadly virus. If we do our very best, and I see it happening every day across our franchise network, we can positively impact more than just our traditional client base. We can, in fact, potentially help COVID-19 patients also get the attention they need in the facilities that can serve them.