SEATTLE, Oct. 1, 2006 -- SNAPforSeniors, www.snapforseniors.com, a free online senior housing information source -- the only one that lists all housing providers in Washington state and shows vacancies -- launched today and announced an exclusive public/private partnership with Senior Services, the largest non-profit agency serving seniors in Washington state. “Teaming with SNAPforSeniors dramatically improves Senior Service’s ability to quickly and efficiently assist seniors and advocates with one of the most stressful and complicated decisions of a lifetime -- identifying the best elder housing option for oneself or a loved one,” said Senior Services Executive Director Denise Klein. “Their website offers the most comprehensive and objective senior housing listings while expertly guiding consumers through the decision-making process free of charge.”
Through the relationship, Senior Services will exclusively utilize SNAPforSeniors as its primary source to screen and identify housing options for clients. Darlene Anderton of Kent, Wash., experienced the crushing stress that comes with the sudden need to find senior housing for a loved one. Her mother took a fall that necessitated placement in an adult family home to ensure proper care. Anderton had no idea what to ask, where to go or who to talk to. “We opened the phone book and started going through the listings. It was hit or miss. Had SNAPforSeniors been available then, it would have given us the information we needed, the key questions to ask and a short list of the best available housing choices based on my mom’s situation,” said Anderton. "Mrs. Anderton’s situation is all too common today," said SNAPforSeniors President Eve M. Stern. "Our extensive database and proprietary technology not only helps seniors and their families find the right housing match, it helps facilities fill their beds more efficiently, allowing them to focus on care instead of marketing."
There is a real need for technology databases to provide better service and more comprehensive information, according to the National Association of State Units on Aging report, Vision 2010: Toward an Aging Information Resource System For the 21st Century. The report also strongly supports public/private partnerships, like the one between Senior Services and SNAPforSeniors, to improve placement services and compensate for stagnant funding. “Prior to SNAPforSeniors, locating quality assisted living facilities or adult family homes for patients in need was extremely challenging,” said Swedish Medical Center Director, Care Coordination, Dee Aust. “The SNAPforSeniors search engine is well-thought-out and allows one to search for specific patient requirements, such as a facility’s ability to serve dementia patients or welcome pets. Not only will this help the Swedish medical Center Staff, it will also help our patients and their families.” Dr. Gregory Schroedl, vice president of medical and chief quality officer at Northwest Hospital & Medical Center said, “A critical element in building an outstanding environment of care is exploring new services and technologies that help our patients and their families make thoughtful, informed decisions. SNAPforSeniors will be a very useful tool for our discharge planners and case managers to use in finding the suitable and immediately available housing options for patients who cannot return home to independent living.”
SNAPforSeniors website tools help consumers sort out required and desired considerations and become more informed about senior housing decisions. They no longer need to waste time calling and faxing countless facilities. SNAPforSeniors is the only online senior housing source that: lists all housing providers in Washington state--some 3,400 at present--not just those that pay for placement or advertising. indicates housing providers that have vacancies within a geographic area. has an exclusive public/private partnership with Senior Services and enjoys several other preferred relationships with Senior Information and Assistance agencies, local hospitals and non–profit organizations throughout the state such as the Alzheimer’s Association of Central and Western Washington and Pierce County Aging and Long Term Care.
SNAPforSeniors does not discriminate between private pay and Medicaid pay residents in identifying housing options.
About Senior Services Senior Services (http://www.seniorservices.org/) is the largest non-profit agency serving seniors in Washington state. It supports older adults in achieving positive aging and high quality of life. In 2005, its Senior Information and Assistance division received a Certificate of Accreditation from the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems, becoming the first agency in Washington state to become accredited in meeting national standards for professional service in providing information and assistance in aging. Last year, Senior Services alone received more than 8,000 housing related inquiries. For more information, call (206) 448-5757 or visit http://www.seniorservices.org/
About SNAPforSeniors SNAPforSeniors (www.snapforseniors.com) is a free online senior housing information source -- the only one that lists all housing providers in Washington state and shows vacancies. The online source lists the state’s estimated 3,400 housing providers and routinely updates its database with licensed facilities and independent living communities. SNAPforSeniors sophisticated software directly matches a senior’s specific lifestyle and care level needs with best-choice facilities. The free service is easy-to-use and available 24 hours a day. It safeguards users’ personal information and will not release it to anyone without the user’s permission. SNAP stands for Search New Available Places (SNAP).
Based in Seattle, Wash., SNAPforSeniors is led by CEO Derek Preston and President Eve M. Stern, RN, MS. For more information, email info@snapforseniors.com or call 1-888-SNAP4SR (762-7477).
Media contacts: Leigh Barer for SNAPforSeniors 206-527-4700; leigh@barercom.com or Danner Graves 206.720.1607; rdannergraves@comcast.net