Tour de Aged Care – Getting a foot in the door

PART 1

Some tours are harder to book in than others. A tour around the White House in the USA’s capital may take some organising and vetting of personal details, whereas, perhaps even more exclusive, a tour around your granddaughter’s new play-house is strictly an invite only affair. However, there are some tours that are proving to be trickier than even these. Being able to tour aged care facilities, to help inform the significantly important decision of where would be the best fit, has had many families utterly flummoxed.

What should seemingly be a straightforward process of contacting the intake department of an aged care residence has become anything but for some. A manageable back and forth, with timely communication and a tour slot booked in can become an exercise in finding grappling hooks to overcome a stonewall or if families hear back, a deluge of paperwork, stress and confusion, in an already fraught and draining time for potential residents and family alike.

Speaking to Jayne Maini of MyCarePath we heard that families and seniors can run into a myriad of difficulties when trying to navigate aged care, particularly when it comes to the early processes of contacting centres, booking in tours and the surprising number of steps in-between. 

It is important to note that many families find themselves looking into aged care options on the back foot and without experience or knowledge of the system. Loved ones may have unexpectedly taken a fall and are now in hospital. Maini shares that over the decades of working in the industry she has seen that most families face the significant learning curve of trying to comprehend all the moving parts of a system that can be opaque. And it’s not just families that are learning in a complex system such as aged care, it’s social workers, it’s nurses, it’s admin staff that may have different understandings of next steps. She shares that clients are incredibly grateful to hear and know they are not alone in trying to sort through what can be a tangled, tiring and frustrating process. 

The need for awareness and care with how inquiries for information and tours are handled by centre staff is paramount. From the executive level to across multiple internal departments, understanding how families are even arriving at reaching out to centres can mean the difference between a great placement and losing leads, Maini shares. 

To start to understand the situation of families it’s helpful to look at other large life decisions. Most people don’t buy a home in a week but many families of loved ones unexpectedly in hospital are being expected to find, process and get their loved ones into care within 5-7 days. Aged care can eventuate to a financial commitment of millions, yet the break-neck speed at which seniors and their loved ones are called to navigate this process is understandably proving to be a huge stressor.  

Maini describes inquiring about the potential for a client to be booked into a tour for a centre in Victoria. Prior to being booked into a tour, the client and their family was handed a 45 page document that had to be processed before the tour would be booked in. At this point Maini shares that she will always provide alternative centres that are willing to be more flexible with their paperwork demands. It is a critical point that decides whether a family will proceed or not, and should be an indicator to centres that in providing easier routes to getting a foot in the door for a tour can be a significant differentiator.

For an already overwhelmed and stressed senior and their family, a stack of paperwork is a significant obstacle. The paperwork requirements to be able to literally get through the door of centres for a tour has seemingly been increasing for many. 

There is an opportunity for centres to assess what paperwork is absolutely necessary and at what time. Jayne Maini describes taking calls from distressed family members who feel panicked, stressed and frightening alone in this process. Her approach over the last 18 years of providing aged care consulting services has to always be alongside. And that being alongside has at times been going through pages and pages of paperwork, to help families and seniors take inching steps closer to being able to start to know if a centre could be the right fit or not. 

Maini has seen it all, 40 – 50 pages of paperwork before a tour will be booked in, from detailed medical history, financial information, pharmacy preferences, much has been demanded to be provided. Meal plan choices for every meal of the week and a mandatory requirement of end-of-life directives. For a family on the back-foot, this is a lot, Maini relays. For some, their loved one is not in a position to make a decision about end-of-life care, and so having this as a blocker to getting a tour is stymying and leaves families marooned.

With the uptick in paperwork collection, there are growing concerns surrounding privacy. Potential residents, family members and industry professionals are asking if too much if being collected too soon.

Families and advocates are voicing alarm surrounding the amount of personal and sensitive information being collected prior to an older person even being accepted as a resident—or has had an opportunity to tour the home. 

Not only is this overwhelming, it raises critical questions about privacy, data handling, and consent. With rising awareness around digital and paper-based information security, aged care providers must consider how much information is being asked too early in the process—and whether the collection aligns with best practice and privacy legislation.

In navigating what can change, many who are working alongside families and loved ones in this process see that flexibility is key. Ahead of changes to aged care legislation, it may be the time for execs and admin staff at centres to ask themselves, what is absolutely necessary before a resident has a tour. Maini has sat with family members who are exasperated, asking if making loved ones with dementia sit down and go through paperwork such as a breakfast juice choice, “do you prefer apple or orange with breakfast?” is absolutely necessary when they could be in the throes of trying to figure out how to get powers of attorney granted through VCAT.

Maini has seen good results for providers, and all the humans involved, for centres to respond quickly. It’s good business to answer questions, even if its to say there are no beds. She describes the smoothness of working with centres where the staff are ‘on it’, where at one time they won’t have space but due to the ease of communication and rapport, she’ll always reach out again to see about a great fit.

Being able to give loved ones the opportunity to have a tour smoothly, without startling paperwork amounts, and having their questions answered early on means knowing with more surety about a good fit. This is beneficial to seniors needing care, their families and staff at the centres all-round.

While some paperwork and information is critical, there is a conversation to be had from all levels of aged care provision, from executives to the marketing department and admissions staff, about balance. There is the opportunity to be as balanced as possible for seniors and their loved ones, who are stretched thin by the rapid change in their lives and demands on their energy and time. 

What’s good for placing seniors in the right centre Maini reflects, clear and timely communication, flexibility about when paperwork can be brought in, help with questions, can mean the right fit quickly. It means happier residents and families, and potentially staff as well.

Getting seniors and families in for a tour, without being distressed trying to get a call back, without 40-50 pages of paperwork will likely mean there is less stress for all. This can allow an increased ability to take in the merits of a centre, to take in the multiple provision offerings present and personnel personalities, opening the opportunity to know it will be a great fit for a loved one. 

Reimagining the Tour Experience: A strategic customer experience (CX) opportunity

For providers looking to elevate customer experience, the tour phase is more than a formality- it’s a defining first impression. And yet, in many instances, the process is falling short. It’s not just the paperwork-it’s the attitude. Families report encountering tour booking coordinators whose tone or approach borders on “you should be so lucky.” That’s not the message any provider wants to send, especially to people already navigating a stressful and emotional decision. Especially when marketing teams go to all lengths to bring in new potential residents only to be greeted with a sub-par experience at the door.

It’s time to ask: When did it become so complicated just to get through the door? If someone has an ACAS/ACAT approval, surely that should be sufficient to book a tour. Instead, families are often asked to complete dozens of pages of paperwork-including medication charts and direct debit forms-and even sign documents before a tour is confirmed. This overcomplicated and cumbersome process creates friction that can erode trust before a relationship even begins.

Some providers have streamlined this experience well-and they stand out for it. However, for the majority, there is a real opportunity to rethink this critical stage. From re-training frontline coordinators, to simplifying booking requirements, to embedding empathy in early-stage customer touchpoints-these are strategic changes that could result in higher conversion, better-fit placements, and stronger brand reputation.

Ultimately, this is about more than process. It’s about respecting families’ time, emotional bandwidth, and right to make informed choices without unnecessary hurdles. That’s not just good customer experience. That’s good leadership.

The need is now for centre staff of all levels to understand and pivot to how families and their loved ones are impacted in the early stages of their aged care journey. How people are treated from initial inquiry and subsequent paperwork demands prior to a tour, has an impact. Owning these customer touch points well means excellent placements where resident, family and personnel staff align. This is good humanity, leadership and business. 

Click HERE for the second article of our two-part series