Brenda Dever-Armstrong is the CEO and owner of The Next Horizon Senior Military Locator/Resource/Advocate. The Next Horizon helps seniors and military 55 years and over in locating housing, senior communities, medical care, financial, legal, realtors, movers or whatever the need may be, now or in the near future.
The Next Horizon is located in San Antonio, Texas, but Brenda covers all of Texas and she even works out of state occasionally. She knows all of the rules and regulations when working with Medicare and Medicaid, so she can help with those programs in other states. Brenda also continues her education and keeps up with the latest technologies and insurance regulations.
Brenda has been in the senior industry for 22 years and has run her company now for 14 years. She has a degree in Business Management Marketing and has had immense experience in this industry.
“I first started in Medical Marketing, where I worked with physicians and hospitals,” Brenda said. “I was later offered a job in working with Alzheimer’s patients. Then, I traveled around teaching staff on how to work with behavioral types of Dementia and Alzheimer’s. From there, I ended up being the director of an independent assisted living community. I later decided to open up my own company.”
Brenda said she started up her company because she felt the need to assist families who were needing extra help when searching for a senior living community. She said she wanted to be the one to do all of the leg work for seniors and their families, such as researching communities and doing the homework for them.
“I am a lifetime service for whatever my clients need,” Brenda said. “My company, The Next Horizon, is what I call a one stop shop for seniors, children with aging parents and caregivers. I’m the go-to person and my services last a lifetime. I do all of the research and the background work.”
Brenda said that more than half of her seniors are retired military, and being a military spouse of 29 years, military families can relate to each other – knowing the military lifestyle, putting military family at ease.
“I’m a military spouse and I actually oversaw the military for public affairs,” Brenda said. “I was an independent contractor, so I have worked with all branches of the military more than 30 years. So working with the military, we have this saying; we understand what it’s like to move around and be ready on a minute’s notice.”
The Next Horizon’s services cover the following: Help finding Apartment Living, Home Health/Caregiver Services, Professional Services and Referrals, VA Resources, One Stop – Resources Available, Proactive Military Advocates and Aids and Attendance Benefits.
For military personnel, Brenda said there is an Aid and Attendance program, which can be very misunderstood because many military retirees don’t understand how the program can help them offset some of their medical expenses. The Next Horizon has a Certified VA Aids and Attendance Benefits Counselor to help with any questions you may have.
It is a good idea for all senior living professionals to also make sure that residents don’t have this problem when it comes to the Aid and Attendance program. Make sure you have someone your residents can talk to, like how The Next Horizon has a Certified VA Aids and Attendance Benefits Counselor to help with any questions that any of their clients may have. Brenda is familiar with many communities and services, since she is a referral agent, so she can help potential clients with VA and other funding.
The Next Horizon strives to take the tension off of the senior and his or her family members. They do a full evaluation, get to know the individual and his or her family and are a lifetime service. Brenda goes on all of the tours of each community before recommending. She refers the best caregivers, home health agencies, specialty doctors, realtors, senior mover specialists, as well as helps families with financial and/or legal advice. Brenda also refers the best resources in those areas.