Hidden Gems: Meet Daniel Sagal of Total Senior

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Sagal.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
We all go through experiences in life that change our trajectory. My big change was emotional and challenging, but at only 25, it gave me the opportunity to do something special. My grandmother had a fall, broke her hip and was in the hospital. Two hip surgeries in three days and a Doctor’s order to spend the next three months in a Skilled Nursing Facility was just the beginning of this journey. Imagine being nearly 90 years old, not speaking a word of English, being removed from your home, and taken away from your husband of over 60 years. That wasn’t all. After only a week, signs of Dementia started to show and it was clear what was happening… my grandmother’s health was spiraling and she was that much closer to death. After months of daily visits to translate during physical therapy and occupational therapy, she made just enough progress to go home. Not to her home though, to A HOME. She needed an assisted living where she can have 24/7 supervision and be helped with all of her activities of daily living. Unfortunately, she still didn’t speak English and her financial resources were very limited. What I quickly learned was that there is no financial incentive for others to care for my grandmother. No one wanted to help us.

After only a few days and what felt like a few hundred phone calls followed by a few dozen tours of homes, I found the right care home for my grandmother. This is when Total Senior became an idea and quickly turned into a reality. My new mission was to help families find care resources, including assisted living, memory care, residential care homes, caregiver agencies and even nursing facilities that match the needs of their loved ones. A place that can provide the necessary care, not bankrupt the entire family, and be close enough that children and grandchildren could visit regularly. I was 25 and highly motivated.

After nearly nine years in business, Total Senior continues to grow. We are now a team of four senior care advisors working with hundreds of families every year, contracting with over 1,000 care facilities and providers throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Our reputation means everything to us and we stick to our motto… Compassion. Integrity. Family First.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It’s no secret that healthcare is corrupt. It’s also no secret that there are limited resources for those that offer little in return. My efforts in marketing didn’t go very far when it came to working with healthcare providers, hospitals or nursing facilities to assist with discharge planning of their patients. Providing high-quality, ethical service wasn’t what they were looking for. In fact, many wouldn’t even meet with me to find out how I do things differently than my competitors.

Thankfully, I eventually found a few authentic and caring professionals that gave me a chance. I’ve learned that there are some really incredible people in healthcare that truly do care and realized it’s my job to be the gatekeeper to the seniors. I learned how to identify the caring professionals from the less ethical ones.

Additionally, I turned to other marketing efforts and found a new path to making Total Senior known, non-profits. I didn’t simply donate to non-profits, instead I gave time, effort, energy, expertise and anything else I could to help others. I volunteered everywhere I could and got directly in touch with the people that needed me. I delivered meals to their homes, went grocery shopping for them, and found medical professionals to visit them. I even physically moved them and their belongings when needed. Doing the right thing comes full circle, or as I like to say, I deposit into the Karma bank!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Total Senior specializes in senior care consulting. We are advocates, educators and problem solvers. Senior care is the ultimate you don’t know what you don’t know. There’s no manual on how to find the right care. Our job is to not only help families find the right care for their loved ones but to make sure they know what questions to ask and what complementary services may be available. For example, in addition to relocating to a non-medical assisted living, their loved one may be eligible for mobile physical therapy and occupational therapy so they can continue to exercise and develop strength. This type of support leads to more independence. Running a senior living referral agency was never just about senior living, it’s about making sure our seniors are safe. We treat every family as our own and give them the same resources we would call for our own loved ones.

A few key differentiators between us and our competitors include our commitment to research and setting business aside for the greater good of our clients. We pre-screen and personally visit every community we work with, no blind referrals. Our services are free to the families we represent and we’re compensated by the care providers, but we keep our fees low enough that everyone is willing to work with us. Many others want to be paid a full commission and refuse to accept anything less. We are flexible as finding the right fit for each senior is more important than making a few extra bucks.

I don’t like to use the term one stop shop, but we should certainly be the first phone call a family makes when they are debating care options for their loved one. We are your home for senior care and we will help you find the resources you need.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
These might be the most generic answers, but I love the weather and hate the traffic. I love the outdoors and the ability to golf or hike nearly 350 days a year. I don’t like that it might take forever to get to the golf course or hiking trail!

Pricing:

• Free Services

Contact Info:

• Email: daniel@totalsenior.com
• Website: www.TotalSenior.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/totalsenior/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TotalSenior/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TotalSenior/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/TotalSenior
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/total-senior-tarzana-6