What Our Clients Are Saying…

"I’ve been very fortunate to have had both of my parents for as long as I have. They just celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary this past April and in their mid-nineties have lived in the home they’ve shared together for many years. Sadly, my father passed away in June. Following his death, it became clear that my mother could no longer stay at home alone. My mother is suffering with progressive dementia and needs 24/7 care. Anyone who’s been in this situation knows how overwhelming it can be. My primary care doctor suggested a case manager who referred me to Deborah Bakalich at Senior Care Lifestyles, LLC. What an amazing provision and what an amazing woman. From the very start Deborah understood my situation. She listened to me and communicated to me with empathy, professionalism, and a caring attitude. She responded quickly and miraculously she was able to place my mother in her new assisted living residence in just one day! I am grateful for her valuable insight and truly appreciate the advice she’s given me. With Debora’s help we took what seemed to be an impossible situation and turned it into a new home for my mother. I would highly recommend Deborah to anyone in need of senior advice and solutions. Thanks again Deborah."   Jim R

Our family was one of Deborah's very first clients, when she found the specifics we needed for my parents (initial independant living, but including Assisted Living and long term care - when neeeded). She was so specific and thorough in her questions that it saved everyone a lot of time, met our budget boundaries, and lifted my parents spirits. She also has relationships with so many Senior living facilities and has obviously worked hard to understand each facility's protocols, that the process (which can be inimidating) became much easier. We were also grateful for her kindness and warmth throughout. Now, we immediately called her two months ago to use her a second time. Deborah's speed reacting to us through the Holiday Season(!) could not have been faster. We were able to upgrade for more specific/changing needs for my Mom to a different Senior Living/Assited Care facilty, and Deborah once again saved us so much time (we moved our Mom within 5 weeks with a moving company that Deborah recommended!), and gave her usual sage advice on facilities, again, matching the patient's needs, budget, and geopgraphic requirements. For solving complex, emotional, and urgent (or not) Senior Care ... there's literally no professional better that Deborah Bakalich.

Deborah was instrumental in helping my family find an assisted living community for my mother during a time of crisis for our family. Mom's decline happened so quickly and we were not prepared. We needed legal power of attorney documents drawn up quickly, understanding her assets and available funds for her care costs plus her eligibility for VA benefits which we had no idea about. Deborah guided us through EVERYTHING! Her knowledge and expertise brought a calm to the process that we so needed. Step by step she explained what was involved, provided service specialists in other fields to reach out to, and within one week Mom was settled into an affordable assisted living community getting the care she needed and the family could go back to a new normal. We are so grateful to have services and caring professionals out there to help seniors in need. We would highly recommend Senior Care Lifestyles to any family in need of direction and help.

Was referred to Deborah by a close friend who had used her to help place her own mother. I can say without hesitation it was a great recommendation. Deb was very responsive & listened closely to what our needs were. I knew that my mom would be hard to place as her needs were increasing rapidly. Deb was very helpful in explaining & helping our family understand this complicated process. The nuances of the various levels of care are something I certainly wasn't familiar with. Her familiarity with the facilities available saved us all a ton of time filtering through the various places both suitable & available. Even after a few failures she persevered & was able to find a suitable location for my mother. The entire process was much more difficult than you might think & I highly recommend Deborah as an invaluable asset to utilize!

Deborah was instrumental in helping my family find an assisted living community for my mother during a time of crisis for our family. Moms decline happened so quickly and we were not prepared. We needed legal power of attorney documents drawn up quickly, understanding her assets and available funds for her care costs plus her eligibility for VA benefits which we had no idea about. Deborah guided us through EVERYTHING! Her knowledge and expertise brought a calm to the process that we so needed. Step by step she explained what was involved, provided service specialists in other fields to reach out to, and within one week Mom was settled into an affordable assisted living community getting the care she needed, and the family could go back to what is now our new normal. We are so grateful to have services and caring professionals out there to help seniors in need. We would highly recommend Senior Care Lifestyles to any family in need of direction and help.

I recently had a complex, time-sensitive need to place my parents in assisted living. My parents had differing need levels and it was a challenge to find a place that could meet both of their needs and allow them to stay together. Teresa, our placement specialist, was so caring, helpful, and supportive. When we had a few setbacks with finding care, she was relentless in making phone calls to find a placement that would work for them. It was a stressful situation that I could not imagine navigating on my own. I was so thankful to have found Senior Care Lifestyles and have their expertise, especially of the local area.

Well, Debbie was a good fit from the beginning in my quest to find appropriate and dignified care for my 83 year old male neighbor. Debbie has a wonderful bank of resources, personal knowledge and experience be able to provide a client such as my neighbor very unique and personal care. Her initial questions and interview provided her the specifics and range of needs my neighbor required in an assisted living facility. Debbie had immediate answers, suggestions and direction. My neighbor is now newly placed in a welcoming and bright facility where his needs will be surely met respectfully. I am ever so grateful. If you are struggling alone in placing a loved one in a retirement, assisted living , memory care or other care facility I highly recommend contacting Debbie. She'll take the lead and be by your side throughout the process - and beyond.

Deborah was an amazing help during a very stressful and distressing time in my life. She was able to use her calm confidence and expertise to find the perfect location for my mother. Not only was she there for me each time I contacted her, she was able to keep me focused so that she could properly determine our needs. Additionally Deborah has followed-up to make sure things had progressed smoothly and to answer the numerous questions that kept popping up in my mind. Finding assisted living for my mother is something I should have undertaken years ago, but this is something most people put off until an emergency situation forces the issue. Having Deborah there for me during this emergency was the one good thing in our life during this stressful time. Her knowledge, empathy and kindness are priceless.

Deborah Bakalich was an invaluable help — she was fast, professional, and just got things done!  As an overseas family member, I was faced with trying to provide care and assistance to my stepfather without being on the ground due to COVID travel restrictions. Deborah coordinated power-of-attorney and healthcare documents and was a go-between with the nursing care facility, social worker, lawyers, and assisted living providers. She helped me find an assisted living placement at short notice. Through her wide network of different businesses, she connected me with a downsizing company and realtor to sell the home and facilitated everything from a car sale to getting a new computer for my stepfather. This whole process would have been nearly impossible without Deborah’s help, and I am very grateful for her expertise and suggestions. This kind of situation can feel overwhelming, and Deborah is calm, pragmatic, and knows the ropes in terms of senior advocacy. THANK YOU DEBORAH for guiding me through this process!

Working with Deborah Bakalich was an answer to prayer. Finding the right assisted living home for my 87 year old mother was a daunting endeavor. Deborah’s knowledge and experience was valuable in securing placement at a wonderful ALF. Her personal assistance, attending my visits to homes was unexpected and comforting. I would recommend Senior Care Lifestyles to anyone in need of placing a loved one in assisted living care.

My sister and I were frantically trying to find placement for our mother after a stay in sub-acute rehab. We were very frustrated with our options. I was given Deborah’s card and decided to give her a call. She was able to find our mother a perfect situation with everything we were looking for. We couldn’t be happier with our Mom’s new home. She listened to what we wanted and found us the ideal placement in a day! We are so thankful that we found Deborah. She was a lifesaver!

Thanks again for all your help.

Erin

My Father-In-Law developed worsening symptoms of dementia last year. By October, we had observed such a notable decline that we weren’t sure whether he would be able to continue living independently. His wife had passed away the year before and he was now living alone. I was on medical leave so I told my husband that I would begin the process of looking for a placement. I had seen advertisements for a nationally based placement service on tv and decided to call. I spoke with someone who asked a lot of personal questions about my father-in-law’s health, income, level of independence etc. and was subsequently sent a list of about 5-6 referrals by e-mail. We either called or were called by a representative from each facility to make an appointment to tour the facility. We toured three and discussed services and costs with the others. We came away from the experience overwhelmed and second guessing our decision to place our loved one was the best option at this time. Each facility had their strengths and weaknesses but all the facilities were out of my father-in-law’s price range. We concluded that he would run out of money in the not so distant future and would then end up in a nursing home. We were hoping to find a comfortable permanent placement that would see him through all stages of his illness. Rather than returning to the national placement service for more referrals, I decided to contact Deborah Bakalich to see if she could help us in our search. Deborah is a committed senior care representative; knowledgeable about community resources, in-home services, disease progression and a strong advocate for the senior and family. She escorted us to several smaller assisted living facilities in the community. All were home-based but licensed for all stages of care. She was able to share pros and cons of each based upon experiences of those whom she had placed. There are so many considerations and it is a comfort to have someone like Deborah by your side to help you navigate the process of finding appropriate senior care and placement. I unreservedly endorse Deborah’s services and only wish I had contacted her sooner to assist us with our need.

We all slept so much better last night. Such a relief to have made the placement decision. And we don’t feel like we compromised; we truly feel good about the choice.

When families are struggling with placement decisions for an elderly loved one, experiencing the stress and strain of caregiving, Deborah provides such an important service. She worked hard for our family and achieved a successful outcome. Deborah listens to your concerns and needs, then gets to work. She is very responsive, professional, and supportive. She is there for you with her knowledgeable network of contacts in the field. I can highly recommend Deborah’s expertise.

Thank you Deborah for your assistance with quickly finding an assisted living home for my Aunt. Your professionalism, knowledge and responsiveness to our needs and urgency was comforting as we were in unknown territory, but when you said "I have this and its going to be alright"...I knew immediately we were in good hands. I also appreciate you meeting with my aunt on her move day from rehab to her new assisted living home as I was not able to take off work. You went to the rehab, made sure her items were packed up, got the discharge papers from the social worker, made arrangements for transportation for her in her wheelchair to her new home and stay and visited with her to make sure she was settled in. We are so grateful and my Aunt is happy in her new home and the transition was smooth just as you said it would be. Thank you again Deborah!

I was given Deborah's name by a good friend in the home healthcare field. From the very first time I spoke to Deborah, I knew that she was going to assist me in finding the very best care for Mom. All the questions she ask I now know were so she could prepare a list of suitable places to meet all of Moms needs and also our family wishes. Deborah came to my house and that day she called several places to set up appointments for visits, we even went to one that afternoon. She sent me a list of things that I would need when the placement was decided and I was told by the placement associate that I was so organized! I quickly stated that Deborah told me all the documents that I would need. Deborah is extremely professional and is an advocate for the client she represents, while at the same time very caring during an extremely difficult decision making process. I would highly recommend Deborah Bakalich and Senior Care Lifestyles.Thank you again.

“I want to share what a wonderful experience I had working with Ms. Bakalich, and what an enormous help she was to me as I attempted to figure out what was the best living situation for my Mom, who was developing dementia and was very lonely home alone all day.

Ms. Bakalich is a very warm, open, kind person who is very easy to talk to. She took the time to get a detailed picture of my Mom’s entire situation, and also came to meet my Mom and talk with her.

She took me on tours of 7 different assisted living facilities, each of which was carefully chosen for its quality of service, desired geographical proximity, and the fact that they offered specialized dementia care for when that becomes necessary. They ran a gamut of prices because I was still trying to figure out the best way to handle my Mom’s resources to accomplish this transition. I don’t know if it is typical to tour so many, but I was having trouble making up my mind, and Ms. Bakalich was very patient with me. Seeing for myself what different price points gets you in terms of extra amenities, etc, was extremely helpful.

Above all, I valued the fact that Ms. Bakalich was so familiar with all of the facilities in the area and knew which ones offered high quality care at all price levels. Because that is what is most important.

All along this process Ms. Bakalich was readily available to me to answer all my questions.  It was clear as we went to each facility that she was known, respected and liked at each one, and we also often ran into residents and their family members that recognized her and were delighted to see her.

I can’t recommend her services highly enough.  Once we selected the perfect place for my Mom, she was able to recommend an excellent mover and any other services I needed.

She made a difficult process much easier and I will always be grateful to her. And the best testimonial of all is my Mom—she absolutely loves where she lives now, even more than I could have hoped.”

“Deb, thank you very much for meeting my brother, sister and I regarding our moms future care.  You came to us on your personal time and for no charge. Your advice and referrals to needed resources was invaluable.  Mom is being transferred today!  I am not sure this would have not been possible if not for your care and effort to assist us.  I really cannot thank you enough!  Please enjoy these goodies as a token of our gratitude!”

“My mother is now 84 and has been living alone since my father passed away over six years ago. At first she was doing fine, but as she was aging, being alone was not healthy or safe for her, and very worrisome for her children. The social worker at mother’s doctor’s office, recommended Deborah Bakalich to aid our family in finding a place for mom.

When I first talked to Deborah she asked what the situation was and what type of place we were looking for. She also asked for a ball park number on the financials. She then took this information and came up with recommendations of places that would be the right fit. Deborah set up appointments at the facilities and went with us to make sure we asked all the pertinent questions. The second place we visited was exactly what mom needed; a retirement community with all of amenities for older people.

Mother now has her own apartment, surrounded daily by people and activities. She has now been there almost two weeks and is thriving. I have never seen my mother so happy. Had it not been for Deborah, our family would not have known of this retirement community and what it had to offer. We are very grateful how everything has worked out. I highly recommend that you contact Deborah should you have similar needs.”

“Searching for an assisted nursing home for an aging parent can be quite daunting. There are many facilities in the area. Deborah was quite helpful and professional in our search for an assisted living facility. She took time to present available facilities and discuss pros and cons of each. Her expertise helped us decide on a wonderful facility for my mother.  I would recommend Deborah to anyone.”

“I am so thankful to have met Deborah of Senior Care Lifestyles.  Such a wonderful, kind and helpful lady!  In only a short time after contacting her, I had appointments to visit  Assisted Living facilities!  My mom was placed and settled in a wonderful loving  environment within three days!  Deborah was with me each step of the way.  She was there to greet and meet my mom at her new home and I was so touched that she had a gift for her. My heart is full! Deborah has been a part of giving me peace that my mother is being loved and cared for!”