Senior Living Advisors of Austin

09/10/2025

Eight years ago, we didn’t open our doors to build a business. We opened them because families were getting lost.

Lost in systems.
Lost in sales funnels.
Lost in the blur between care and capacity—between “what we offer” and “what they need”.

We saw too many people treated like transactions, like “prospects”. And we said, not here. Not on our watch.

We knew what it felt like to sit at the table with a daughter who says, “I don’t even know where to start.” She didn’t need a sales pitch. She needed presence. Someone to walk with. Someone to tell the truth.

So we built an elder care consulting practice grounded in a few non-negotiables:
– We will always do what’s right by the client, regardless of financial reward.
– The family is the hero. We are simply the guide.
– Every client has the right to make the decisions that are right for them.

That’s the kind of work we still do today. Not just logistics. Not just referral work. But stewardship.

This week I heard Patrick Lencioni speak about “business as a ministry”, and I thought—Yes. That’s what this is.

Because when you see it as ministry:
You slow down.
You listen longer.
You don’t rush people toward the “right” answer—you help them find their own “right” way.

To our fellow agents and care professionals: Every time you serve with integrity, every time you protect the dignity of choice, you’re building legacy—not just outcomes.

Let’s keep going.
Let’s keep choosing heart.
Let’s keep showing up like it matters—
because it always has. And always will.

09/09/2025

Last week in Austin, we opened Day 2 of Dementia Skills 2025 with a simple recap of Day 1.

One participant raised her hand. She shared that later that night, lying in her hotel bed, she caught herself thinking:

“This could be what it feels like to move into senior living for the very first time. What would I want to make this space feel more familiar and friendly? What do I need in my space and what surfaces all come into play to make it feel more like home?”

That stopped the room. Because that’s what happens when learning shifts from notes on a page to perspective in real life. It’s the moment when knowledge becomes skill—when it changes how you see the world, even in the quiet of a hotel room.

This is why we created Dementia Skills 2025.
It’s why we gather.
It’s why hands-on learning matters.

And now, the momentum moves forward to Salt Lake City—September 23rd is your turn. Three educators. Three frameworks. Three full days of skills training.

Seats are still open. We can’t wait to see what insights you’ll take home, long after the training day ends.

http://DementiaSkills.com

Karen Straw MA CCC-SLP

09/01/2025

I walk in on a Monday…

… and am reminded that eight years ago, when I opened my first office, I didn’t buy a desk. I brought in a dining room table.

It wasn’t polished or grand. But around that table, families poured out their fears, team members found belonging, and decisions that shaped lives were made with hands grasped around coffee cups between us. That table carried more than laptops and paperwork. It carried people.

This year, when I moved my office back home, I still carried that vision with me. We built a conference room around — what else, a kitchen table. And once again, the same thing happened: families gathered, neighbors joined, our community circled up. The table has a way of pulling us together.

Leonard Sweet, in From Tablet to Table, calls the table “the most sacred item of furniture in every home.” A place where stories are shared, identities formed, faith passed on, and grace experienced.

In our senior living communities, we often say, “we’re like family.” But what if it’s also a collaboration, of sorts. A shared table where residents, families, and team members all bring something of themselves—and find they are stronger together than apart.

That’s the vision behind our new education brand Collaborators in Care: not one person carrying the weight, but all of us gathered around the same table, learning, listening, and creating a community worth belonging to.

Because maybe community doesn’t start with a slogan. Maybe it starts with a chair pulled up, an open seat, and the courage to linger.

👉 Where have your most meaningful table moments happened—at home, at work, or in community?

08/27/2025

As a Senior Living Advisor, I guide a lot of families through senior living communities, and the most common question…

“What’s your staffing ratio?”

It’s the question almost every family asks. And it makes sense—numbers feel solid in the middle of so much unknown.

But here’s what a ratio won’t tell you:
💡It won’t tell you who notices when your mom looks tired and needs to be offered a walk back to her room for rest.
💡It won’t tell you who pulls up a chair when your dad is restless in the middle of the night and needs someone to listen.
💡It won’t tell you who takes the time to make a resident laugh—even if it’s the same joke they’ve told every day that week.

Because care isn’t just about how many people are scheduled. It’s about who those people are, how they’re trained, and the heart they bring into the community.

So maybe the better question isn’t “What’s the staffing ratio?” Maybe it’s “Who’s showing up for my person, and how will they see them?”

That’s the question worth asking.

If you could ask just one question to know your loved one would be cared for—what would it be?

08/25/2025

I walk in on a Monday morning…

… and I can’t stop thinking about a podcast I listened to last week about velocity.

Velocity isn’t just about speed. It’s speed with direction. Moving fast, yes—but toward something clear and purposeful.

That definition came back to me on a recent visit with a daughter, as we toured communities for her mom, and our focus — dementia supportive communities.

At one stop, the staff were working hard, but the energy felt scattered. The pace was frantic, conversations centered on “behaviors,” and needs were met reactively. It was fast, but not forward.

At the next community, the difference was striking. The pace was still quick—this work never slows down—but there was an ease to it. Staff anticipated each other, responded calmly, and met resident needs with confidence. It wasn’t just fast. It was fast with direction, purpose, and clarity. That was velocity.

And the daughter noticed the difference right away.

When you imagine visiting a community, what would give you peace of mind that your loved one’s needs will be met with ease and care?

08/22/2025

08/21/2025

We’ve been talking a lot about Dementia Skills 2025. … And honestly… it’s not because we love filling seats.

Because no one leaves this training the same way they walked in. And that’s the whole point.

We’ve seen the moments when someone finally gets the “why” behind a “behavior”. When a lightbulb goes off for a caregiver who’s been running on empty. When a leader tells us, “I’ve been in senior living for 20 years — and I’ve never had training like this.”

That’s why we’re shouting it from the rooftops.

Not because it’s an event.
Because it’s a reset.

If you’ve been thinking about coming to Austin — this is your moment.

It’s the last chance to get in on what’s going to be a powerful 3 days of skill-building, connection, and practical tools you’ll use the second you walk back into your community.

We’d love to see you there!

👇 Drop a comment if you’re joining us — or tag someone who needs to be in that room.

➡️ Register now -

Unlock the Future of Skills DevelopmentDementia SKILLS 2025 ConferenceSpecialized Knowledge In Learning Leading StrategiesBuilding a Complete Dementia Care Skillset: Understanding, Interacting, and Engaging register now Contact us masterclass ScheduleIntegrated Dementia Care Training: Where NCCDP®,...

08/20/2025

I got a call yesterday from a colleague in another city.

She was helping a family find a “professional like me” in my area and had been doing her own research—digging through websites, reading reviews, combing through LinkedIn, trying to get a feel for who she could trust to hand off. And she said something that stuck with me:

“I landed on yours because it felt different. Genuine. Like you actually care.”

She didn’t say we had the best branding or the flashiest credentials. She said we felt human.

And it made me pause a bit.

Because in this work—whether we’re a senior living advisor, care manager, or community partner—it’s easy to focus so much on what we ‘do’ that we forget what people ‘feel’ when they come across us. Before they ever call. Before we ever meet.

There’s this moment—very quiet, private, and unspoken—when a family is scanning the noise, hoping something feels like the right next step.

And that part… they don’t always talk about. But it matters.

So I’ve been thinking about how I show up—online, in conversation, in the quiet moments in between. Not just what I say, but what I signal to others, both in person and online.

Does it feel steady and real? Would I trust me in the middle of a hard decision?

Because people can tell. And I think we owe it to them to make sure what we’re putting out there actually matches who we are.

Question - what draws families, clients to you? Why do they decide to pick up the phone and start a conversation? Have you ever asked?

08/18/2025

I walk in on a Monday…

…and they’re already filling out the behavior log.

“She was agitated again yesterday around 4 o’clock,” the med tech says. “Didn’t want dinner. Tried to hit me when I helped her stand up.”

I pause. What happened before that?

“She didn’t nap,” someone adds.
“She hadn’t eaten much.”
“She paced for nearly an hour.”
“Her daughter came earlier and it went okay, but…” (their voice trails off).

And I think: We forget that people living with dementia can’t always reset the way we do.

At the end of a long day, we can say, “I’m exhausted.” We can grab a snack, take a walk, shut a door, phone a friend. We know how to refill our tank.

But when your brain is running on empty, and you don’t have the words… Or the flexibility… Or the control over your environment…

You don’t get that luxury.

What looks like a “behavior” might actually be a meltdown of unmet needs. What looks like “aggression” might just be too much and not enough, all at the same time.

This is where a dementia-informed community can make a difference. We ask different questions. We help families see the patterns. And we don’t correct the person — we comfort them.

Because it’s not about managing someone. It’s about supporting someone. It’s about building a relationship and understanding deeper.

👉 Have you ever seen a “behavior” that made more sense when you really looked at the “before”? … used your telescope, not your microscope?

08/14/2025

This is it — our final reminder before early bird pricing for Dementia Skills 2025 ends — for ALL of our locations.

We know we’ve talked about it a lot, and we are so excited to bring this training to you and your team!

✔️Dates are locked
✔️Trainers are ready
✔️Name tags are printing
✔️Workbooks are stacked

… because, we know how much this training can change the way you see, connect with, and care for people living with dementia.

Three days of hands—on, skill—building you can use the very next day. In fact, we’ve even seen participants hop right into a shift and begin using it. Really!

Register now for the city of your choice — Austin • Salt Lake City • Denver

If you’ve been meaning to register… don’t let this pass you by. Seriously. The work you do matters and so do the skills you bring to it.

📅 Early bird pricing ends tomorrow.
🔗 DementiaSkills.com

Unlock the Future of Skills DevelopmentDementia SKILLS 2025 ConferenceSpecialized Knowledge In Learning Leading StrategiesBuilding a Complete Dementia Care Skillset: Understanding, Interacting, and Engaging register now Contact us masterclass ScheduleIntegrated Dementia Care Training: Where NCCDP®,...

08/13/2025

Some call it “follow-up.”
I call it finishing the work we started.

Yesterday, over coffee, an Executive Director told me: “I love seeing your follow-up after someone moves in — so many referral agents just drop and run.”

I smiled, but I couldn’t help thinking… isn’t that the most important part?

When a family trusts me to guide them through one of the biggest, most emotional decisions of their lives, that trust doesn’t expire at the front door.

Follow-through matters — It’s making sure the transition is smooth; it’s confirming that the promises made in the sales process are the reality in daily life; it’s catching small struggles before they grow; it’s being there when the honeymoon period wears off and real life settles in.

Placement is a transaction.
Follow-through is a partnership.

Executive Directors — imagine if every referral partner stayed connected after the move-in. What would change for your residents, your families, and your team?

08/12/2025

As we count down the final three weeks to Dementia Skills 2025 in Austin, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; and Denver, CO — we’re excited to introduce our host locations, and we’re starting with Ledgestone Senior Living in beautiful Dripping Springs, TX.

Just minutes from Austin, Ledgestone offers peaceful country living—pet-friendly cottages, welcoming porches, and restaurant-style dining that feels like home.

But what truly sets them apart is their people. Not only are they opening their doors to host our September 3–5 event, they’re sending their own team to learn right alongside other professionals—sharpening skills, strengthening relationships, and deepening their commitment to those they serve.

We’re honored to partner with a community that creates not just a place to live, but a place to thrive.



👏 We love seeing communities that don’t just provide care, but actively invest in the growth of their teams.

Who else is sending their staff to hands-on training this year? Tag a community or leader who makes learning a priority.