Kelly O’Connor remembers the first time she came face-to-face with the senior care industry. Her grandmother needed Kelly’s help to find a safe and loving place to live with the level of care she needed– not a typical task for a 27 year old. It was up to Kelly to navigate an industry she knew nothing about so she could make the best decision possible for a woman she loved so dearly.
After a successful career in public relations working among celebrities in Los Angeles, Kelly felt the tug to return to senior care to help fix some of the problems she faced years ago while helping her grandmother. Today Kelly is a senior living expert who has been working as a placement agent in Denver, Colorado for the last five years. This self-proclaimed Lifestyle Advocate works hand in hand with families, helping THEM navigate big life care decisions for their loved ones. And, when Kelly isn’t matchmaking families with senior care, she is a Colorado Senior Lobbyist helping to shape legislation regarding retirement age issues.
In this episode of Off Your Rocker, host Valissa Smith takes a close up look at the purpose and value of placement agents like Kelly who is really an educator. She has built her latest career to help others just like her, becoming that person she longed for when she was just 23 making one of the biggest decisions of her life for her grandmother. We talk about how to determine which placement agents are legitimate and which ones are not, and she offers important examples and great advice to senior living communities when it comes to helping families transition their loved ones into a community successfully. And yes, we even get Kelly to spill the beans on a celebrity story from Hollywood!
