Choosing a senior care or senior housing option can be a critical decision. The transfer shock from moving out of a family home into a care facility can play havoc with some senior's mental ability and this is made worse if the senior is entering a facility after a stroke, aneurysm or serious fall. That is why you some times need a referral service and sometimes you need unbiasedself-serve information to make your senior care decision. As you are searching for information about senior care options, it is important to know the source of the information. This site strive to deliver the most complete and accurate information available so you can make the best decision. We also offer user the option to work with several referral services. The forms and the bright green phone numbers are for referral services. Almost every senior care site on the web includes some kind of referral service so we wanted to give you that option here also.

Here is how some of the major information sources compare.

Your State Ombudsmen And Medicare

The absolute best source for reliable information is your state ombudsmen. They are paid by the state so their primary goal is to find good care for your family. They are not trying to make money on this process. They are totally independent and they are there just to serve you. You can find the number of your local ombudsmen on the state senior services page on this site (right menu bar). If you are searching for a nursing home, the Medicare.gov site has current information about the safety of all nursing homes across the country. The only downside of these sources are that they may not have associated information like photos, reviews, maps, costs and other facts that can help you make your decision. These resources are not available in all areas and most of the time, Ombudsmen are totally overloaded with too much work.

Assisted Senior Living (This site)

One of the major goals of this site is to be independent and unbiased. By using Google adsense and not paid inclusion into the directory, we remain independent while generating enough money to cover expenses. Our data source is the state government. This means we have 98% of the senior care options, not just the ones that have paid to be in the directory. Unfortunately, many state sites only include the most basic information (like an address) requiring users to cross-reference multiple sites to try to compare apple to apples. To save time, we have merged data from governmental sources with public data so you have all the information in one location.

Free Referral Services

When you are searching for senior care, you will find that there are many "free referral services" like the one listed on this web site. We started providing this resource because many caregivers need help making the decision even if the help is paid by the facilities or services. Referral services like the one on this site get paid for every new customer or they get paid on the revenue stream generated by a senior during their lifetime. Some think that this puts them in an awkward position. These services can help schedule tours and help you find options that you might not normally consider. We invite you use both our free referral service combined with our unbiased directory of every possible senior care options so that your get all the information you need to make the best decision.

Paid Inclusion Sites (WARNING )

"Paid inclusion" sites list only the facilities that are willing to pay to be in the directory. In many some areas, this can be less than 5% of the total options available for care. These directories often don't include critical options like non-profit institutions that may have special programs to help your family member. To see the difference, compare the number of options between Assisted Senior Living with a competitor like "That Other Site".

Which source would you want to use in selecting a care option for a loved one?

If you want the best for your family, you need the best source for your information. We hope you will agree that Assisted Senior Living is the most comprehensive and unbiasedsource of nationwide senior care options. Period.