How it works
How Senior Placement Works
Senior placement means having a specialist help you find and compare licensed care homes, instead of searching alone. With Hamssa LLC it is six steps: a call, a conversation about your parent, a shortlist, tours together, help with the terms, and follow-up after the move. It is free for families.
Step by step
What happens, and what Hamssa needs from you
- 1
You call, text or write
Start wherever you are: a hospital corridor, your kitchen table, another state. Tell Hamssa what is happening and what prompted the search. You do not need paperwork or a diagnosis in hand to make the first call.
Your part
A few minutes and an honest description of the situation.
- 2
A conversation about your parent
Hamssa asks about care needs, health conditions, daily routine, personality and preferences, where family lives, and the monthly budget. The budget question matters: it decides which kinds of homes are realistic, and she would rather be direct about that than waste your time.
Your part
What your parent can and cannot do alone, any doctor’s input you have, and a budget range.
- 3
A shortlist of homes she has checked
From what she hears, Hamssa suggests a small number of homes that fit: perhaps a quiet board and care home, perhaps a larger assisted living community, sometimes one of each so you can feel the difference. She suggests only homes she has interviewed and toured herself, and before she does she reads each care home’s state licensing record for citations and complaints, what they were about and when. She refreshes that research every month.
Your part
Tell her what you like and do not like about each. It sharpens the list.
- 4
Tours, together
She schedules the visits and comes with you, every time. She gives you background on the owner and on how the home has cared for other residents, and helps you notice what matters: how staff speak to residents, how the home smells and sounds, what a room really includes, and which questions to ask the owner or director.
Your part
Bring your parent if they are able, and anyone else who shares the decision.
- 5
Choosing, terms and move-in
When you find the right home, Hamssa can negotiate the price with the administrator if the rate is close to your budget. Your family contracts directly with the home: the administrator of a board and care home, or the marketing director of an assisted living community, gives you the admission documents before move-in, including a medical assessment from your parent’s clinician and the admission agreement. Hamssa can tell you what to expect.
Your part
Read the admission agreement before signing. Ask about anything you do not understand.
- 6
Follow-up after the move
Hamssa checks in a couple of days after move-in and again a couple of weeks later. The first weeks in a new home are an adjustment for everyone, and it helps to have someone to call who knows both your family and the home. After that she stays available for resources, and if the home turns out not to be the right fit, she helps you find another.
Your part
Tell her if something is not working.
What it costs you
Hamssa’s placement help is free for families.
Hamssa is paid a referral fee by the care home your parent moves into, never by the family. The amount differs from home to home. If the home that best fits your parent pays her nothing, she still recommends it. Ask her about it on the first call: you are entitled to know how any placement agency is paid. How placement agencies are paid
“She guided us through the entire process — from discussing our monthly budget, contacting facilities, and scheduling appointments, to accompanying us on tours and negotiating with the owners.”
Good to know
What a placement specialist does not do
Hamssa does not provide care, and Hamssa LLC is not a care facility. Day-to-day care is the responsibility of the licensed home your family chooses. She does not give medical, legal or financial advice, and she does not process Medi-Cal, veterans’ or insurance benefits, though she can tell you which questions to take to the doctor, an elder law attorney or the county.
Under California law a placement agency may only refer families to licensed residential care facilities, or to housing that is exempt from licensing, and must not place someone in a home that cannot meet their needs (Health and Safety Code section 1569.47). You can check any home’s license yourself: see how to check an RCFE license.
A skilled nursing facility is a different, medically staffed setting. If your parent needs that level of care, the hospital discharge planner is the right first contact. See how the types of homes differ.
Questions about the process
How long does the whole process take?
It depends on your parent’s needs, how quickly the home’s paperwork can be completed, and which homes have an opening. Families planning ahead often take a few weeks to visit and decide. A discharge from a hospital or rehab stay can move much faster. Hamssa will tell you what is realistic for your situation.
What if we tour and do not like any of the homes?
Then Hamssa looks again. Your reactions on the first tours tell her a lot about what will suit your parent. You are never obliged to choose a home she suggests, and you can stop the search at any time.
Can I do this from out of state?
Many adult children do. Hamssa can talk with you by phone, text, WhatsApp or email, and with family members who are local. Ask her how tours can work when you cannot be there in person.
Does my parent have to be part of the conversation?
Whenever possible, yes. It is their home and their life. If your parent cannot take part because of illness or memory loss, Hamssa works with whoever is helping make the decision, and she will ask who has legal authority to sign for them.
No cost to families
Talk it through with Hamssa
Tell her what is happening and what your parent needs. She will explain the options near you, and you decide what happens next. There is no obligation.