Jennifer Williams says the best part of her job is bringing peace to clients.

“My absolute favorite part is when I have a family say, ‘I wish I would have known about you two months ago’ or ‘I don't know what we (would have done) without you.’ There’s such a fulfillment when they see the value that we bring,” says Williams. “We’ve calmed the chaos. It just brings so much joy.”

Williams owns SimpliAge LLC, a Spokane-based company that advises seniors and their families for free as they navigate senior living options, she says.

SimpliAge employees meet with seniors and families to "do some discovery," determining what services they’re looking for and assessing care needs. Next, advisers provide options and resources, Williams says.

“We just walk the family through that journey with them,” she says.

During the discovery process, SimpliAge advisers look at family dynamics, budgeting, health care, and other related topics, she says. 

“Discovery is so important because you’re pinpointing all the areas that they may not have thought of,” says Williams.

All services provided through SimpliAge are free to clients, says Williams. Payment comes from the company’s partners — the different facilities seniors are placed into — via referral fees.

Established in 2020, SimpliAge covers Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and, more recently, Central Washington. The company consists of seven employees, all of whom work remotely.

SimpliAge employees meet seniors wherever they’re at, including their homes, hospitals, or other locations.

Sometimes, seniors and their families may be experiencing a crisis when they reach out to SimpliAge. In those situations, SimpliAge advisers need to move quickly, says Williams.

“We’re available seven days a week to service those families,” she says. “There are some families that have seniors end up in the emergency room, and the families don’t know what to do. We’re being called for those things, so we take those very sensitively.”

Williams says she chose to form SimpliAge because she recognized a need for such a resource.

She has worked in senior living for about 18 years, including at a couple different communities, she says. Although she loved the work, it felt limited.

“It was either the community that I was working in was a place for (seniors) or not. I would send them away with no other resources, no other help,” says Williams. “I loved creating a team that was so resourceful that no matter the situation of this senior, we were going to be able to guide them,” says Williams.

One SimpliAge client is Jonathan Bentz, who met Williams several years ago and worked with her to first get his brother-in-law situated, then his wife, and then, later, himself.

"My working with her has always been the most congenial, happy, caring, loving, warm experience," says Bentz. "She’s exceedingly well-versed and knowledgeable in the area of adult care, senior adult care."

Williams and Bentz met years ago when Williams worked for Broadway Court Estates, a retirement community in Spokane Valley. Bentz placed his brother-in-law at the facility, he says.

“She was so warm, so caring, and so welcoming that it was absolutely the perfect fit. He spent many years there before Jennifer and I had to move him again,” says Bentz.

They moved his brother-in-law to Moran Vista, a senior living community on Spokane's South Hill, which Bentz says was also the “perfect placement.”

Later, Bentz worked with Williams to move his wife into Candlelight Home, an adult family home. Bentz’s wife spent a year there and had a “great experience,” he says.

This past summer, Bentz needed “a place to collapse” for a while, and Williams helped get him into Candlelight Home for two months. Now, he’s staying at Riverside Senior Living, in Spokane, a placement also chosen with Williams’ help.

“She always went way above and beyond what you might expect, certainly what I expected. She was there for every step,” including moving in and out, he says.

For those interested in using SimpliAge’s services, Williams recommends checking out the organization's website, at simpliage.com. 

Looking forward, Williams says that the business continues to grow.

“I’m happy that we are growing. If we’re throughout Washington, if we’re through other states, then that’s where we’re going to go. We’re going to go where the need is, and if they’re calling us and needing us, then that’s where we’re going to go,” says Williams.

According to its website, SimpliAge provides guidance for all levels of senior care, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, adult family homes, skilled nursing and rehabilitation, respite care, and hospice-enabled communities.

Williams says SimpliAge only partners with organizations that are licensed and in compliance.

The company also provides referrals for estate attorneys, cleaning and moving companies, estate sale and downsizing professionals, in-home care companies, financial and benefits guidance, and more.