According to The National Elder Abuse Incidence Study (1998) family members were identified as the perpetrator in 9 out of 10 substantiated cases of elder abuse and or neglect. http://www.aoa.gov/eldfam/Elder_Rights/Elder_Abuse/ABuseReport_Full.pdf

Further, this comprehensive study reports that 10% of all cases of elder abuse and or neglect were perpetrated by staff within a health or elder care service such as; home care, assisted living, nursing homes, or outside contractor such as a handyman service, maid, etc.

In other words, for every one poorly operated elder care service exposed through the press, there are 9 businesses that are excelling. Health and elder care related businesses are faced with the challenges of overcoming the bad press of their competitors. And this is where an independent third party validation becomes critical.

Organizations seeking to earn the public’s trust need to do more than engage in trustworthy behavior—they must have their actions verified by third-party sources that are themselves credible, according to preliminary findings released today by the Conference Board of Canada, an independent non-partisan organization. (http://www.conferenceboard.ca/who.htm)

The baby boomers and the senior citizen population are not all that different from Canada’s population to the United States. In fact, the US may actually have a more cynical and questioning consumer given the type of press that normally makes the news, such as a recent story published in the Ladies Home Journal titled, ‘It Broke My Heart That I Couldn't Protect My Mom': The Truth About Nursing Homes’ (http://lifestyle.msn.com/FamilyandParenting/RaisingKids/ArticleLHJ.aspx?cp-documentid=670382)

“Public cynicism is such that organizations cannot simply claim trustworthiness by mere words or deeds. In light of recent scandals, anything organizations say or do is viewed suspiciously by the public. More than ever, the public requires independent sources of information on the trustworthiness of organizations,” said Prem Benimadhu, Vice-President, Organizational Performance.

The third party technique has been defined by one PR executive as, "put your words in someone else's mouth." PR firms have been known to put their words in the mouths of journalists by hiring reporters to write stories which favor their clients, or by funding tendentious university research which they then publicize as "proof" of their client's position.

The savvy consumer of health and elder care services readily reads between the lines of ‘paid endorsements’ by key spokespeople or from ‘experts’ representing the internal interests of a particular industry.

Health and elder care associations offer accreditation for a fee and some do require the business to reach specific operating criteria. But for the most part, these types of accreditations do not include any reassurances to the consumer through third-party validation. In fact, most industry specific certifications include disclaimers removing any and all potential claims against the accrediting body.

Senior Approved Services is an independent consumer-driven survey service providing the opportunity for any qualified business that serves the senior citizen population a method to provide a comprehensive overview of the history of quality care provided by said business, through third party validation.


Senior Approved Services is not influenced by government, by the typical strings attached to receiving grant monies, and is not guided by any specific health or elder care industry-specific body of influence. It serves to inform the consumer whether or not a service is trustworthy based on the consumer-driven survey results.

Third party validation is a valuable service and a method that quickly separates a Certified Senior Approved Service from one that is not. Offering a potential client the toll free number to speak with a live community liaison for a report on overall quality prior to contracting with the business results in a much higher closing ratio.

Michael Griffin, President of Advanced Laser Solutions, recently wrote, Everyone at Advanced Laser Solutions just wanted to thank you for your continued support over the last couple of years. Our documented survey through Senior Approved Services has done wonders verifying our success.”