Koelsch Communities Part 4, with Aaron Koelsch

*The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.

The following is a podcast from a qualified senior care provider, hurt, on the answers for elders radio show. And Welcome back everyone to the answers for elders radio network. And we are here with CEO of heelch communities, Mr Aaron Kelch, and it’s been an amazing hour are and I am so impressed and thrilled to have you on our show and we’ve truly enjoyed spending the time with you. And and I think one of the things that you know, you’ve touched on the values that you know who you are, how you started, you know your name being on the door, and yet there’s this element of Niche in the industry that you have and I and I really want to zero in and this last segment of if I’m, you know, either looking for myself because I want to downsize, if I’m looking because I think I might need some start to need some help, maybe I’ve got some issues with mobility or things like that, or if I’Mur son or daughter or granddaughter or anything like that and concerned about a senior loved one, you know, how do I even begin this journey of, you know, if it’s not cookie cutter, but it kind of is. So I I guess that’s my question. Yeah, absolut really. Well, if we start with where Calchu is located, I’ll just I’ll mention that we have the privilege of operating in eight different states in this great country. We Love America first of all and we’re just so grateful to call ourselves Americans. We think that America is the greatest country ever. With our bumps, with our bruises, for sure, we but we will accept all of our history and just so glad to do it. And I will tell you, I’m not sure any other country that you can do quite what we’ve done or others have done in terms of success in this in this country we are we celebrate people success, no matter what industry they’re in, and so we’re grateful call ourselves American. So we are in Washington state, which we consider our home state. We’re in California. Where in Idaho? We are in Colorado, we are in Arizona, we are in Texas and who did I miss? Gregain? Know, nothing in Oregon, nothing in our or Illinois, that’s right, okay, Illinois, and nothing in organ that by design. We have looked. We’ve kind of brought it a little bit but just never found what we felt was the right opportunity. We like staying up and down the I five quarter. We tend to Susan build our community in what I refer to as clusters. For example, up in the Seattle area, you know Kirkland, Bellevue, Edmonds, even if you go down as far as as Palla, those are easy to get to. We do that for one specific or two specific reasons. Operational efficiency. If we need help back and forth in an emergency or flood, we can bring people or whatever over for help and very short and so we like the efficiencies of building close to one another. And it’s the Camaraderie of communities that you know that you can rely on, you know of resources or you know knowledge or just connection. I think we agree with that entirely. And so that is true of all of our communities. If you happen to look at map at our communities, we tend to build in clusters, for in Chicago, for in Dallas Fort Worth. There is a couple notable exceptions to that. We have one in Idaho, we have one in Colorado, but that is unusual for us. Most of our commuters are built in Clusters California, Central California and down the ninety nine corridors where we’re at, with one in southern California. So we like building close proximity to each other and I don’t know that that is necessarily unique and might be at look at other companies, but that’s the way we choose to do it so that those are the states we’re in and we’re real proud to do so. And I’ve forgive me your next question. I was just talking about, you know, just how do you weave in if I’m a I’m a looking for potential, you know, making that next step. How do I determine what’s the right fit for me? And it’s so it’s another way. Senior living is kind of unique because it has what we call independent assisted living and then we have memory care and then we have what’s called skilled nursing and then there’s things that, you know, people don’t understand if they’re buy in programs different types of things. You guys have an established value system on how you operate your communities and I’d like you to kind of share a little bit about that. Well, to the personal looking Susan Allsto, I’ll start there. I have a personal philosophy and that is I have a board of directors in my own life for various subjects. I have a two guys that I consider my spiritual mentors for, for example, I go to those guys if I’ve got questions and I tend to only go to this guy’s if I have an autobody issue. I know who I’m going to go to. This guy over your banks, over here. I would find someone, even if that is a paid source, if you’re looking someone that you feel like you can trust, and you talked about trust susans. I couldn’t agree more, and use them to as a go to during your search, even if that’s someone you know and you trust that happens to be working for an existing provider. If they’re your friend and their quality, they will guide you, no matter what community you eventually will they want what’s best for you. That’s what’s amazing about this industry and you know, I will say that, yes, obviously every senior living community wants to be, quote unquote, successful, but even more importantly, they want residence to be happy, and it only takes one bad apple to spread the bunch. So they’re not going to push anybody to move into a community that doesn’t fit for them, and I think. I think that’s true. Sure’s I I find that true. By and large. Yeah, they will get you to the place that is right for you, regardless if it’s where they work or not. So that’s where I would do. I find someone that you trust, that you can go to and use them as your sounding board to go through as if you were talking about how to repair your car, even though you’re not mechanic, you will find someone who trust safe. Is this true or is this not? So? That’d be my recommendation. Find One person that you trust and bring them along your journey and they will go with you. I most people will right. In terms of what might make us unique, we do provide independent living, assisted living in memory care, because we build next to each other and we build in campus type settings. There are resources Galore. You know, for example, members of our staff up in your area, some of which have been a personal resource to me, your friend Terry, my friend Terry, example, she guided me to where get my knee operated on, and we just have one day. Harry’s been a dear friend of mine for a long time. He has been a wonderful resource to me on a personal level. I really appreciate her. So when you have groups of communities that are built together, the amounts of resources that are inside of those communities are helpful. I might be working with a resonant and their family over here, but they’ve got a question for me and I go I don’t know, but hold on, my friend Terry over here does let me get her on the phone. And so having those resources within close proximity is so helpful. And a an environment, a company environment, that preaches, promotes and demands that we are giving to one another and must find out what’s best for that resident regardless, and let’s put that resource into them and let’s get them what they need, and we do consistently. That it telch and we expect that. Yeah, and obviously too. I’m just asking you if someone, let’s say they move in a community in into independent living and then all of a sudden they start to need care, is there a way that they can just move into your assisted living easily? Is there any sort of benefit from starting and staying with Kelt? Yeah, they’re absolutely is a benefit financially, because that would be one of the first questions. So we do give a longevity discount of someone’s moving from one good immunity the next. We typically give a bit of a discount. It’s not nice. You don’t give the farm away. We get a lot of people pay, but we do recognized and appreciate the fact that someone’s been with US already. Oftentimes there is a thing called a community fee. People pay up front to help us with our costs of bringing people in and out of a community, and often times that is either waved or it is significantly discounted. Yeah, to make it easier for someone to get make a transfer from one to the next. It is in our self interest, let’s face it, to make it as easy as humanly possible right for that resident in family member to make a move from one couch community to the next, and we want to thank them for staying with us and for being loyal to us, and we need to show that in reverse well. And it’s also the continuity of care, I think. I think if you stay in one especially with hippolage, you’re not the staff is already going to know you, know what your needs are and how they can help you moving forward. So the make the bridge easier. It’s not like you have to go to this brand new place and all of a sudden say we don’t even know, but I don’t know, so where you’ve been. So there’s this element, especially with clusters that you could conceivably go into. For example, Kirkland perfect example. You have a wonderful assisted living community with Madison House, but right next door is Jefferson House. So it could mean the fact that you could start living at Madison House and Kirkland and then all of a sudden, if you have a loved one or someone that they have dementia and it’s got to a point you can actually just next door. We have people right now reserving at our Bell Harbor Community in understruction in in Belleview that are moving into our assisted living community because their spouse will live right next door at the end at Bell Harbor, which is our memory character, and the reason they is they can get across there in dry on a skybridge back and forth between the two communities. Perfect. That very reason is the reason they’re moving. Yeah, and when Does Bell Harbor Open? For those of us on that on the radio that we’re are interested because that’s a brand new community and Belleview and we were all honored to be there. We believe construction will end. It was just there yesterday, the end of September, and we have a licensing puerier, probably forty five or sixty days, so first of December probably in that neighborhood we’d be welcoming our first residence through the door. It’s so exciting because I was there, like I told you, I was there before you broke ground. It’s before you have your demolition party, and it was just really it’s such a great location. It’s perfect for families to get in and out. And to all of you, Aaron, I am so blessed that you have been on the show with us today and the share with us about Celt we would love to have you back and certainly love to get the message out to all of our listeners, not only here on on the radio, but also throughout our podcast network, of the amazing things that you do. So, Aaron, how do we reach you? Absolutely our General Home Office number is three hundred and sixty sirrow, eight hundred and sixty seven nine zero zero, and we will connect to wherever you would need to go. Our website is Colch COMMUNITIESCOM COLCH IS FELT KO L S C H Kelch Communitiescom well and we’re excited because to all of you, when you go on the website, make sure you you go to their story is on their celch store are and story of his family. I think that’s really important, and there’s also a map of all the different communities that you can find and certainly we’re excited to have you on and love your your just your dedication to your see are seniors, and also just a special thank you to all of the heroes that work for your company, especially during the time of this pandemic. It’s been amazing and they’ve gone above and beyond, and so thank you for that. Thank you, and thank you for having us. been a real pleasure. Well, it’s been great and to each and every one of you, think about number one. Keep safe. We’re just looking at winter time, but we’re also looking at that spring is going to be around the corner and just stay safe, wear masks and make sure you’re vaccinated, if you’ve got that booster shot yet. We’re all in. So thank you so much, Aaron, and take care and take care everyone and until next week, be good to each other. Answers for elders radio show with Suzanne Newman. 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