Frequently Asked Questions

  • Urgency, location, budget and if Medicaid will be needed in the future and pertinent health info such as diabetic, mental illness, dementia, elopement or combativeness.

  • Within the business day

  • I strive to find placements as quickly as possible, within a week to 2 weeks, but sooner if urgent. The availability of openings varies all of the time. Sometimes we are quite lucky to have openings in the area you are seeking, and other times homes are full.

    The key to making the move happen as quickly as possible is for me to get an RN to do the long-term care nursing assessment. This step is essential in placing a client and is required for all adult family homes in Washington State.

    While it is preferred to have an outside nurse do the assessment, in a pinch I can do this for my clients.

  • My placement services are free of charge to you as the adult family homes pay a referral fee to me for the placement. The nursing assessment, which I will facilitate getting done, generally runs $400-$600 and is paid directly to the nurse performing the assessment.

    If you are not ready for placement services and just need to talk through some ideas, I offer 30 minutes of consultation time at no charge. If additional consultation is needed, my rate is $150/hour.

  • I prefer adult family homes because the care is much more personalized than in any other setting. They have the time to tend to details that other settings simply do not have time for. Typically homes are licensed for 6 and some now can be licensed for 8 residents and most of the homes I recommend have 2 staff persons available in the day and some offer awake staff at night depending upon the client’s needs.

    Doctors or Nurse Practitioners come to the home to see the clients; they do not need to go out to see a doctor in most cases. Often Podiatrists, dental hygienists, and hair stylists will come to the home to care for the clients. It is more personal and very often, the adult family home staff becomes a part of your extended family.

    Home Health and Hospice are also available to come into the adult family home. It can be extremely exhausting for an elder with health issues to get into/out of a car and travel out to appointments, not to mention exhausting for the client’s family member.

  • Each home is different and unique. I encourage my clients to visit at least 3 homes with current openings and talk with the providers. I will accompany you and ask important questions and encourage you to ask questions as well.

    Usually you will come away with a feeling such as ‘Yes, this is a home I can feel comfortable leaving my loved one in,’ or ‘No, this home just does not feel like the right fit.’ We also look at any deficiencies found by DSHS who inspect the homes. If those deficiencies have not been corrected, we need to look further.

  • I have a strong customer service background and will do my very best to find the right home for your loved one. I take this work very seriously and have experienced having to place parents in care. Unlike a lot of other placement advisors, I am an RN and have worked with the geriatric population for 30 years.

    The last 13 years have been spent working in many adult family homes as a Nurse Delegator and Assessor. I know the providers and staff very well and know how well they perform their duties of caring for those in the home.

  • If the ideal home is full you can get on a waitlist for the next available room, but it depends upon the urgency of the move. If you have the freedom of time (for example you are caring for your loved one at home and looking to place him/her in the near future), this may work out beautifully.

    If the move is more urgent - for example, the client is in a skilled nursing facility or the hospital and you have been notified your medicare benefits are ending - the move may need to happen quickly and getting on a waitlist is not practical.

    If you can afford to pay privately, your loved one may stay in the nursing home or hospital longer, but this is extremely expensive. One thing I will do when the ideal home is full is ask if anyone is on Hospice care or seems to be near the end of life. Homes fill very quickly, so when you do find a home you feel good about, it is important to put a deposit down to hold the room.