Memory Care / Assisted Living / Independent Living Shops

November 30, 2021 01:24AM

I have never done these shops before but am interested. Any tips, please? TIA

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

November 30, 2021 02:38AM

You will learn much from other shoppers. I am pleased with what I have so far for potential upcoming shops.

- extensive and memorized backstory for each person for whom I am visiting each property
- each fictitious person is unique but eligible
- prepared pep talks for me to remember that these shops might be lengthy and boring
- familiar with jargon/glossary of relevant conditions, likely activities, etc.

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)

November 30, 2021 04:50AM

Shop-et-all is correct, having your backstory memorized is a priority. If you are not familiar with the different types of long term care I suggest reviewing them before the phone call to set your appointment. I've found having my backstory written out helps me not stumble through the story and I have notes for the in-person interview.
The questionairres on these shops are very long and detailed. At the in person meeting I tell the employee I'll be taking notes for my mom so I can let her know about the facility features and requirements.
My very first one of these shops the emloyee I was supposed to meet with failed to show up and I had driven an hour to the location. Another employee conducted my tour and I had to repeat the whole story for her, my notes saved me.

November 30, 2021 09:03AM

walesmaven does a lot of these, so hopefully she will see your thread.

I did one a few years ago. I took a lot of pictures. Most were not needed, but I wanted to have too many than not enough.

There were many, many sections of narrative. Ask the scheduler if you can preview the report.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2021 12:55AM by HonnyBrown.

November 30, 2021 12:26PM

By all means, study the report before the shop! When preparing a back story about the loved one for whom I am looking, I always used the background and interests of a good friend or relative. This makes it much easier to answer questions about their interests, talents, food preference, personal history, etc.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

November 30, 2021 01:29PM

As others have touched on aspects of the shop, I will address the money side. According to my log, I have completed 41 such assignments since the first in 2007. I am guessing the average visit at one hour, an hour for the report and 1/2 hour for the prep + contact. Add in the drive time and you could easily have three hours on such a job. The pay, then, must be an amount that is profitable. I start at $60, then add for a recorded call, web contact, a target, recorded visit and a round trip of over 40 miles. To date, my highest fees were $150, each when all of the aforementioned were involved. My fees are not always acceptable; that's business.

The above would not apply if you work to fill your time or to assist MSCs in being more profitable.

November 30, 2021 06:17PM

I have done so many of these i have a complete backstory…my model is a combination of my grandmother and my mother. I have a no good (fake) brother who fight me at every turn, needs to see everything in writing, and will ultimately either take mom into his house or want to pay for additional hime based care before considering anything else.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

December 01, 2021 01:20AM

Have done a lot of these back in the day and the key is to have the backstory down cold. I used my mom and even our old phone numbers when I was a kid. The closer it is to your family the easier it is to recall even though, fortunately, my mom never needed that type of care. The memory care visit was rough. I was talking to the manager and a patient came in wearing a U of Michigan shirt, just wandering, wandering aimlessly...never forgot that.

December 01, 2021 12:00PM

Thank you, everybody! Lots of good advice!

December 01, 2021 03:23PM

In my experience, the dedication and care exhibited by the staff in memory care was awe inspiring. That said, it may not be for everyone.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

December 03, 2021 06:25AM

Beware that the salesperson may google your name or your parents name after they get off the phone with you. If they find an obituary for your parent from three years ago, you're outed.

Use fake names.

December 03, 2021 12:04PM

Yes, aliases are needed !!

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

December 06, 2021 01:27AM

For these shops, you really have to immerse yourself in your role just as an actor would in a movie. Use real people from your family and change the details as necessary to fit the shop. Change names of course. These shops are anything but boring if you really immerse yourself in your role, but they are time-consuming. Reports are long and tedious. I have done half a dozen of them, but my fee needs to start at $100 and would be video.

December 07, 2021 12:59AM

I completed a lot of these over the years. Some I have liked more than others. Unlike others, I did not need much of a back story nor did I need any education given my previous employment. What I did learn is to talk as little as possible. Let them do all of the talking, it makes the visit go smoother. I do not like the ones which require you to take part in the meal, that makes the visit longer. I found sticking as closer to my scenario was easiest to remember. Having a sibling I had to discuss things with made it easy to ask for materials and price charts.

Evaluating and mailing packages since 1994. I am an undercover connoisseur of customer service, a master of disguise in the aisles, and a sworn enemy of subpar experiences. I blend in, observe, and report—because excellence should never be a mystery.

December 11, 2021 09:26PM

I did these, until I had a 60-something year old woman clutch at my jacket and cry, “Get me out of here! Please, help me, Miss!” as I walked by her. It was absolutely heartrending and terrifying; she had a large woman “minder” who roughly grabbed her and made her sit back down.

The Sales Director who was touring me was very upset that I’d seen this. She tried to explain that residents had an “adjustment period” - but that 60-ish woman looked genuinely terrified. I had many questions, let’s just say. And I stopped doing these kinds of shops that very day.

December 11, 2021 10:45PM

I have done these shops, but I was my mother's caregiver for 7 years. She passed away in 2013. I just use her for my example.

December 12, 2021 12:43AM

@ColoKate63: How frustrating. You are not privy to the explanation behind the behavior. Is this person fighting their fate, being unable to reside elsewhere? Is the person trying to cause trouble where none exists? (We have an elderly relative who has done this for years. They were very convincing-- at first. Then, we learned to find out the facts. As a site visitor, you will not be told the facts.)

My garden in England is full of eating-out places, for heat waves, warm September evenings, or lunch on a chilly Christmas morning. (Mary Quant)

December 12, 2021 10:33PM

I just filed my first report. It was for an Assisted Living community. There was a pre-visit call. The call itself + the report: about an hour. The drive (one way) took over an hour. Onsite visit: 2 hours. Post-visit work (organizing my notes and photos and filing the report): about 3 hours. I am literally nauseous from writing the report.

I prepared and the tour itself was actually pleasant even though there was a lot to remember. I would gladly have my mother or myself live there.

Will I do another shop like this again? I don't know. The fee plus bonus are high enough to still make this profitable, but there are much easier shops that, together, would give me the same profit but with much lesser work.

I dread writing my next report, also due today. It was for a Memory Care facility. I did not enjoy one resident shouting at the employee and me and telling us to die. Well, first she shouted at us to shut up and then followed us to tell us to die. I also did not enjoy listening to the employee say unkind things about that resident.

December 12, 2021 10:52PM

Bee, I know you are aware of what I will be typing and that is to not accept such work unless your price is met. These facilities rack in considerable sums of money and I am guessing paying the MSCs a healthy portion. In the future, Bee needs a buzzing share.

December 12, 2021 11:04PM

Thanks, Bob. I am aware but I thought I would at least try some of these shops to find out whether I would be interested in doing more of them. My mistake was taking so many. The more I do them, the more efficient I will become. If I decide to do more, I will surely try to shop locations much closer to home.

December 13, 2021 12:19AM

I did one of these just before Covid hit. I remember walking down a hallway with the administrator. They said, "In this section some of the Seniors have had the flu. We don't have to go in there, is you don't want to" I turned around and said, "Let's go back" I wasn't going in there.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Memory Care / Assisted Living / Independent Living Shops

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine