Local Advisors

Local senior-living advisors (sometimes called placement agencies or referral consultants) help families navigate the senior-care decision in their specific market. Most are paid by the communities they refer to, which is both their business model and their conflict of interest. Used well, a good advisor saves families weeks of research.

Used poorly, an advisor steers families toward the communities paying the highest commission. Our local-advisor coverage explains how the referral business works financially, what good advisors do well (tour-arranging, vetting, navigating specific medical or financial constraints), what to watch out for (high-pressure follow-up, pre-selected community lists, opacity about commissions), and how to interview an advisor before deciding whether to engage one.