About Shari Ross: Shari Ross is a senior living consultant, author, and aging and caregiving resource expert who has spent over a decade guiding families through the emotional and logistical complexities of elder care. A former corporate travel director and marketing executive, she brings both professional insight from senior living communities and a personal connection to dementia care through her own family experience. Shari is the author of Senior Living Made S.I.M.P.L.E.: A Real World Guide for Navigating Senior Care for Your Loved One, a practical and compassionate roadmap designed to replace confusion with clarity. Known for her warm, no-nonsense approach, she empowers caregivers with tools, checklists, and humor to navigate one of life’s toughest transitions.
In this episode, Brian and Shari Ross discuss:
- Navigating the emotional and logistical challenges of transitioning a loved one into senior living
- Understanding modern assisted living and memory care options
- Managing family dynamics and communication during caregiving decisions
- Using education and guided planning to reduce chaos and confusion in senior care transitions
Key Takeaways:
- Establishing a strong foundation of emotional, professional, and logistical support early in the senior care journey prevents exhaustion and confusion when urgent decisions arise.
- Following the SIMPLE framework—which emphasizes Support, Information, Mindset, Planning, Logistics, and Execution—gives families a structured roadmap that turns panic and guilt into confidence and organized action.
- The most effective way to approach resistant parents is through empathy and gradual, question-based conversations that allow them to feel respected, independent, and part of the decision-making process.
- Advances in senior living now allow residents to age in place with increasing levels of care—often including 24/7 nursing, therapy, and hospice—reducing the need for multiple disruptive moves.
"The journey doesn’t end just when they get to the community. There’s a lot, and it takes time for your loved one to settle in. And there are a lot of bumps along the way." — Shari Ross
Connect with Shari Ross:.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}
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