Senior parents and other ageing loved ones often require specialized medical care. The necessity for specialized care has become increasingly crucial to families everywhere as our population becomes older. However, achieving and sustaining optimal health and wellness for older people is more than just a medical issue. Hence, effective geriatric services have become a crucial necessity.
Effective geriatric care necessitates collaboration between health providers and caretakers. Both work together to manage their elders’ health concerns and provide a safe, positive environment for them.
To cater to this need, senior care companies were established. One promising name in that list is North Star Senior Advisors which is highly experienced in assisting families for senior living.
North Star was selected for the 2020 Best of Orlando Award in the Assisted Living Facility category by the Orlando Award Program, as well as listed at number 46 on Feedspot’s Top 100 Senior Care Blogs list for Blogs, Websites and Influencers in 2021.
In the following interview, Ignacio Quinones, the President of North Star Senior Advisors, shares the journey of the company, its mission, and how the company is assisting senior citizens to provide a guided path for senior living.
Please brief our audience about North Star Senior Advisors, its mission, and the key aspects of its stronghold within the senior care services niche.
Established in 2014, our mission is to offer free support and guidance through your transition into senior living. We’ll explain the process, provide an overview of senior living communities, and accompany you on tours to ensure that you find that perfect new home in Lake, Seminole, Orange, Osceola, and Volusia Counties. We never charge a fee to families and are paid by the assisted living or memory care community that you choose. We recently expanded our niche and now offer Care Management services, helping you through the aging process.
Tell us more about North Star’s services that give you a distinct edge to stand out from the competition?
We provide a guided path to senior living by narrowing down options based on budget, location, level of care, and more. What makes us unique to this industry is that not only do we have 30+ years of combined healthcare/senior living experience, but all staff members are also certified dementia practitioners to assist those with Dementia/Alzheimer’s.
Also, we have a nurse on duty to perform accurate assessments for proper placement. We are also veteran owned and have bi-lingual staff upon request. Our team is local to the Central Florida area, and we have personally toured all communities and checked to ensure they are free of abuse and negligence before guiding our seniors and families there.
What is your opinion on the effects of the current pandemic on the healthcare sector, and what challenges did North Star Senior Advisors face during the initial phase of the pandemic?
The current pandemic has affected us all in some form with the healthcare sector being affected the most. What we have seen at the beginning of the pandemic was that most individuals were hesitant to place their loved ones in senior living communities, understandably.
All communities were also forced to go on lock down. So, visitors were no longer allowed inside, and current residents were asked not to leave unless there was a medical emergency. But once their return, they had to be quarantined for 14 days. This not only impacted our business but also how we operate.
Normally, we meet with families for a consult and then schedule and accompany families on tours of senior living communities, but all of this came to a halt. Fortunately, we were still able to guide families throughout all of the pandemic as we conducted virtual consults and tours. When the governor announced that they were planning to open again, we were grateful to be able to provide in-person visits again.
With continuous technological development in the healthcare space, what is your prediction about the future of the senior care services market?
Senior Living communities will have fully integrated technology by including Telehealth services for providers in order to conduct clinical appointments to residents in senior living communities. In addition, virtual assistant devices will be added to senior living apartments, so residents can enjoy the benefits of voice controlled artificial intelligence assistance also known as ‘Smart Homes’.
As an established leader, what would be your advice to the budding entrepreneurs and enthusiasts aspiring to venture into the senior care services niche?
One would definitely have to have a passion for working with the geriatric population. Ideally, their product or service needs to satisfy a large demand. I would also build a large synergistic network within the healthcare sector they are choosing to work within and always find ways to give back to the community.
How do you envision scaling North Star Senior Advisors’ operations and offerings in 2022?
We want to continue to approve upon our core business within senior placement and grow our new care management services going into 2022
About the Leader
Ignacio Quinones started his military career as an Infantry soldier in Washington DC, ‘The Old Guard’ where he participated in various key decorated ceremonies, funerals, and parades for the US armed forces. He then began his career as an Army Nurse at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he cared for wounded soldiers post 9/11.
As a nurse and veteran-owned and operated firm, Ignacio continues to use his nursing license when assessing seniors to help locate senior living options that can accommodate their level of care, allowing for a proper placement.
Assisted Living communities possess different license types where some can only accommodate certain needs. Having a nursing background provides seniors and families with accurate information so they can make the best, informed decision regarding their senior living needs.
