Board and Care and Senior Placement in Torrance

Torrance is a city of houses. The city's own history describes the 1950s as the decade its population grew from some 20,000 to more than 100,000, as builders put up tracts of 200 to 500 single-family homes at a time. Those tracts still cover much of the city.

That housing stock is why so many of the small homes families see here look like any other house on the block. Board and care homes (small licensed homes that California calls RCFEs) are typically ordinary single-story houses on residential streets, with a small number of residents and caregivers on site. Larger assisted living and memory care communities need more land than a house lot, so expect to find them on or near the main roads. The Hawthorne Boulevard corridor alone runs six miles through the city.

The south end is different. Hollywood Riviera was laid out for its views, and Torrance has had a Hillside Overlay for hillside and coastal lots since 1977. If your mother uses a walker or a wheelchair, ask about steps, driveways and how level the lot is before you fall for an ocean view.

Hamssa's office is in the city, so most Torrance searches start close to home. She has worked in senior care for more than a decade, holds an RCFE Administrator Certificate, and knows many local homes and their owners.

1. 1

   A conversation

   You talk through your parent's care needs, health conditions, preferences, daily habits and monthly budget.

2. 2

   A short list

   Hamssa suggests a few homes that fit, whether that is board and care or a larger assisted living community.

3. 3

   Tours together

   She schedules the visits and goes with you, so you can compare what you saw on the drive home.

4. 4

   Terms

   She helps you talk terms with the home you choose.

5. 5

   After the move

   She checks in once your parent has settled.

Two large hospitals sit inside the city. Torrance Memorial Medical Center is a 588-bed nonprofit hospital. Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance is at 4101 Torrance Boulevard, the same boulevard as Hamssa's office.

If a case manager at either hospital has told you your dad cannot go home alone, the search often has to happen in days. Hamssa has worked with families in exactly that spot and has coordinated with case workers and social workers during discharge. She does not place people in skilled nursing facilities, which are a different kind of care with their own referral rules. Her hospital discharge placement page explains how the two differ.

Hamssa's placement help is free for families, and this page explains how that works. The home itself is a monthly cost that varies by home, room and level of care; in Hamssa's searches in Torrance, prices start at about $5,000 a month for a shared room. Our guide to board and care costs in California walks through what drives the price.

Hamssa refers families only to homes licensed by the State of California that she has toured herself, after checking each one’s licensing record for citations and complaints. You can check any home yourself: the California Department of Social Services licenses and monitors these homes and keeps a public facility search. Our guide shows how to check an RCFE license step by step.

Not every family is ready to move a parent this month. Torrance runs three senior centers, and its Focal Point on Aging line has trained volunteers who connect older adults, caregivers and families with local services. The city's transit system also offers Dial-A-Lift and Senior Ride for eligible residents.

When you are ready to look at homes, call, text or email Hamssa. Tell her where your parent is today and when a decision is needed, and she will tell you what a realistic search looks like.