EP# 143 - Senior Living Expertise and Community Spirit with Bruce Rosenblatt
May 06, 2024Season 1Episode 143
"Cabo" Jim Schaller
Navigating the labyrinth of senior housing can be daunting, but fear not, as we join forces with Bruce Rosenblatt, a seasoned navigator with over three decades of experience in the senior living industry. Throughout our conversation, Bruce reveals the art of matching individuals and their families with the ideal senior housing solution that aligns perfectly with their unique needs, preferences, and financial circumstances. His stories from both his executive days overseeing facilities and his current role as an advisor will illuminate the realities of senior housing, dispelling prevalent myths, such as the assumption that government programs will foot the bill.
As we wrap up today's episode, we celebrate the community spirit that thrives in Estero, with Bruce shining as an exemplary figure not only in his profession but also as a beloved neighbor. With a heartfelt nod to his contributions, we extend an invitation to you, our listeners, to engage directly by nominating your favorite local businesses to be featured, helping us to spotlight the unsung heroes and the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit that enriches our lives daily.
Senior Housing Solutions Bruce Rosenblatt 28518 Azzili Way Bonita Springs, FL 34135 (239) 595-0207 Bruce@seniorhousingsolutions.net WEBSITE
Navigating the labyrinth of senior housing can be daunting, but fear not, as we join forces with Bruce Rosenblatt, a seasoned navigator with over three decades of experience in the senior living industry. Throughout our conversation, Bruce reveals the art of matching individuals and their families with the ideal senior housing solution that aligns perfectly with their unique needs, preferences, and financial circumstances. His stories from both his executive days overseeing facilities and his current role as an advisor will illuminate the realities of senior housing, dispelling prevalent myths, such as the assumption that government programs will foot the bill.
As we wrap up today's episode, we celebrate the community spirit that thrives in Estero, with Bruce shining as an exemplary figure not only in his profession but also as a beloved neighbor. With a heartfelt nod to his contributions, we extend an invitation to you, our listeners, to engage directly by nominating your favorite local businesses to be featured, helping us to spotlight the unsung heroes and the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit that enriches our lives daily.
Senior Housing Solutions Bruce Rosenblatt 28518 Azzili Way Bonita Springs, FL 34135 (239) 595-0207 Bruce@seniorhousingsolutions.net WEBSITE
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Cabo Jim.
Speaker 2:
Schaller. Welcome Good Neighbors to episode number 143 of the Good Neighbor Podcast, estero. Today we have Good Neighbor Bruce Rosenblatt from Senior Housing Solutions. Bruce, welcome, thank you. Cabo. Yeah, may I call you that? Yes, absolutely, my good friends call me that and I'll consider you Cabo. May I call you that? Yes, absolutely, my good friends call me that and I'll consider you a good friend.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for being on the show today.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, excited to learn a little bit more about what you do. So let's not delay, let's jump right in. How about sharing a little bit about what you do over at Senior Housing Solutions?
Speaker 3:
So I am called the matchmaker of senior housing and I am the foremost authority of senior housing in the area. I am a senior housing advisor and I help people navigate through sort of a complicated decision of choosing the right senior housing facility that meets their needs, their preferences, their budget, their location, and so that's, in essence, what I do, and so, as the matchmaker, I'm able to, you know, understand all that and match people up with the right different community.
Speaker 2:
That is awesome. So let's back up a little bit. How did you get involved and how did you become the matchmaker?
Speaker 3:
So it's a long story but I'll keep it short. So I've been involved in senior housing for over 30 years and I've held executive positions for some of the leading senior living companies and I've overseen 75 different senior living communities in 14 different states. And I was flying across the country. I was overseeing a property in Tucson, and so I was leaving Bonita to Tucson.
Speaker 3:
I did it for three years and throughout all this time, people would call me and they would say, bruce, you know, what do you know about this place, and you know thinking about this place for my parents, what do you know? And so I, you know kind of you know kind of stuck in the back of my mind that you know there's, there's a need, and so I was stuck in Houston, I was laid over in Houston and I, you know, I was burnt out. I'm never home, I never see my wife, never, you know, know, and this is, traveling is very difficult. So, uh, 2008, I formed my company and, and this is all that I do, and so I'm able to use my, my expertise and my experience to help guide people and I'm a, I'm a resource for people, um, and so I, you know, it's really what I do. And then you know, throughout all this time I have developed strategic partnerships with a number of key business associates in the area, so I can pretty much help people every step of the way through this transition.
Speaker 2:
That is great and very much needed nowadays. So you kind of touched on a little bit. Let's go a little bit deeper. Opening a business is never easy. Doing it yourself is never easy. Have there been any challenges or obstacles that you can look back at now and say, you know what I'm better because I went through that? Or you know, I'm glad I went through that?
Speaker 3:
So, I think, you know, being an entrepreneur, there's always, you know, there's always the roller coaster of good times and tough times, and so, you know, I think that's just part of being an entrepreneur and, you know, I enjoy knowing that it's my company and I'm the one, you know, providing the service. But I think the, you know, the biggest challenge happened during the pandemic and you, you know, during the COVID times, where people, you know, were isolated at home and they didn't know what to do. And you know, I was getting a lot of calls from, from family members and they were saying they want mom and dad to be closer to where they live up north. And so I I listened to that and I spent a lot of time and energy and I formed a network, because people were calling and saying is there a Bruce in Boston, is there a Bruce in Colorado, is there a Bruce in Miami or wherever? And so I spent a lot of time and energy and I formed a network of people who do what I do throughout the country.
Speaker 3:
And so you know, it's just a great way. You know, not only was it a great service for people to, you know, to help them find an advisor who has boots on the ground, knowledge, but also for us as advisors, to network with one another and to sort of commiserate with one another and strategize with one another. And so that that was, um, you know, sort of the, the silver lining that that occurred out of all that. And, you know, I still, you know, even today I have this, this network of you know advisors throughout the country, and we still, you know, talk to one another and, um, you share, share, referrals which is great, and that that is great, because you're sharing ideas, sharing resources, and that's what it's about.
Speaker 2:
That's how you learn, that's how you grow. So are there any myths or maybe misconceptions surrounding what you do that maybe we could pair up for a little bit?
Speaker 3:
well, you know, it's interesting asking that because even this morning I got a call from a daughter looking for her mom and the mom's on.
Speaker 3:
You know, know doesn't have a lot of money, low income and you know she thinks you know the government's going to take care of me and I'm going to go Medicaid and you know, help me find a Medicaid facility and the government's not going to take care of you. And so it's a huge misconception that people can rely on Medicare or Medicaid to pay for senior housing. So that's a big one and I probably again, I got called this morning. I'll probably have more calls today.
Speaker 3:
You know, I think that you know a lot of people wait for a crisis to happen and you know they're living in their home, they don't want to move. They, you know they're happy and they, you know they think they can just wait and wait and wait, and then something does happen and then they're in a crisis mode and it makes it that much more difficult. And and so you know, I, I tell people you need to plan ahead. I have a little catchphrase that I say it's better to be five years too early rather than five minutes too late. And there are many places that have medical criteria that people are gonna have to pass and a lot of people don't realize that, and so they think that they're just gonna wait and then, magically, there's gonna be a beautiful apartment with their name on it, and it just doesn't work that way.
Speaker 3:
It's a process and there's some due diligence and you may have to go on a waiting list and there's a medical acceptance and and if you wait for a crisis to happen and your medical, your, your health to change, moving is not easy and if you're moving in a crisis mode, it is not not the right idea, so that that's a huge misconception that that occurs. And so I try to tell people, you know, educate people about the need to plan ahead. You know and you know I get a lot of calls from children, adult children and say and say my parents weren't ready or they weren't ready and now they are. Help me find a place for them. And I think it's much better for the parent to be involved in that decision rather than the kids flying down here from Minnesota or wherever to find a place for mom versus that individual finding a place where they want to live.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely. It's that planning and, as we call it, preventative maintenance Before it becomes an issue. You want to make sure you're solving some of that or addressing it. So you mentioned you traveled around quite a bit. Are you from Southwest Florida originally?
Speaker 3:
So I am a native Floridian. So I was born and raised over in Fort Lauderdale on the East Coast. I went to Florida State and so I am a native Floridian I sort of did the reverse snowbird. So I moved from Florida, I moved to New York, Then I moved to DC and then I had an opportunity to come back to Naples and I've lived here for, you know, 30, 32 years.
Speaker 2:
Wow, yes, it's hard to find people like yourself. I know right, absolutely so outside of work. I know what you do is demanding and takes up a lot of your time, but what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Speaker 3:
So thanks for asking. So I'm an active tennis player, so I play tennis often and, as a native Floridian, I've been playing tennis pretty much my entire life, and so I've been playing tennis. I'm a boater, like I said. We went boating yesterday and the water was gorgeous. So I'm a boater yesterday and the water was gorgeous. So I'm a boater. And the fun thing I also do is I'm a certified barbecue judge and so I go around the state of Florida and I judge barbecue, and it's totally unrelated to anything else, but I enjoy barbecue. I enjoy barbecuing myself, and so I I'm a certified judge, and so I it's. I've had some good barbecue, I've had some bad barbecue, but that's that's.
Speaker 3:
That's my story and I I have two dogs that you know I care a lot about, and my wife and so Very nice Barbecue.
Speaker 2:
we can't go wrong with that. We can't Well sometimes you can. Right, exactly Right, and you find them Absolutely so. What is one thing that you wish our listeners knew about? What you do that maybe they're not aware of?
Speaker 3:
So I would say you know you don't want to wait for a crisis to happen. You know I think I said that earlier you don't want to wait for a crisis to force you into a decision. It's a very complicated decision. You know, on many different levels, and you know I think people need to reach out to an expert. You know someone who's been doing this for a long time to tap into my knowledge.
Speaker 3:
You know it's just you can't, you don't want to do it alone, and you know it's just too complicated. And you know you don't want to do it alone and you know it's just too complicated. And you know you don't want to trust what you read on the internet. You know it, just you. You gotta, you gotta use. You know someone who has boots on the ground, knowledge, who understands this industry, and you know it's it's just too. You know it's a big decision and you're you're talking about a move that you know, and you're talking about a move that you know it may be one of your last moves you're ever going to make. And so why not tap into the knowledge of someone who's been doing this, who understands different communities, who stays current with all of them, instead of just, you know walking into a community. You know without representation.
Speaker 2:
Yep, and it's not just affecting the person that's getting the care, but the people that are actually surrounding and the caretakers per se. Correct, so? So how would our listeners go about contacting you if they had questions, if they wanted to learn more?
Speaker 3:
contacting you if they had questions, if they wanted to learn more. So you could call me at 239-595-0207. My website is wwwseniorhousingsolutions. net, which is plural, dot net, seniorhousingsolutionsnet. You can email me at bruce at seniorhousingsolutions. net. So you know, and I do a lot of presentations around town, so I you know you might see me speaking. I'm a presenter with FGCU. I do a lot of speaking engagements at different clubs and organizations, so you just might, you might run into me at one of those. But feel free to call me or text me and I would say you can send me a bat signal, but I'm not sure if I see that, but you can try.
Speaker 2:
The sun kind of gets in the way down here, doesn't it?
Speaker 3:
Right, and I just want to add that, if you go to my website, I've developed a comparison guide which is a very helpful tool that people can use when they go visit the different communities, and so there's a link when you go to my website to download this comparison guide, and it's a great tool to use, because it does get confusing to compare, you know, apples to apples, and so I would encourage your listeners to go to that.
Speaker 2:
Absolutely, Bruce. It's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being such a good neighbor and I hope to see you out in the community soon.
Speaker 3:
Sounds good Cabo.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, Estero. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpestero. com. That's gnpesteroco That's gnpasterocom. Or call 239-296-2621.