Santa Barbara cheat sheet
The 25 questions
What families asked on the tour in 2005, and what a family has to ask now. Take it with you. Print it. Hand it to the person doing the tour and watch how they answer.
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On the tour in 2005
What we ask in 2026
1
2005Do you have a salon or barber on site?
2026What is your rate increase history, and how much notice do you give before one?
2
2005How many activities are on the calendar each week?
2026If my mother runs out of money in year four, what happens? Do you discharge her?
3
2005Is there scheduled transportation to church and the market?
2026Is there a level of care fee, and what exactly triggers the jump?
4
2005What is the monthly rent?
2026What is included in that number, and what gets billed separately?
5
2005Is there a pool or an exercise room?
2026Can you accommodate dementia, and at what point do you ask a family to leave?
6
2005Is there a private dining room for family dinners?
2026Who is on the floor overnight, and what is the staffing after 10pm?
7
2005How big are the apartments?
2026How many caregivers called out last month, and who covered those shifts?
8
2005Do you run a bus for outings?
2026What is your staff turnover, and how long has the administrator been in the building?
9
2005Can we see the activity calendar for last month?
2026Can we see your last three licensing inspection reports, unedited?
10
2005Is housekeeping included weekly?
2026What happens the first time she falls? Who calls 911, and who calls me?
11
2005Is there a beauty shop on the property?
2026What is your discharge policy when someone needs a higher level of care?
12
2005Is cable television included?
2026Is the deposit refundable, and what eats it?
13
2005What is the deposit to hold a room?
2026Under what conditions can you raise the rate in the middle of a year?
14
2005Is there a waiting list, and how long is it?
2026What do you charge for medication management, and is it per medication?
15
2005Do you have a fitness center?
2026Can you handle a two person transfer? If not, who can, and where do we go?
16
2005Are meals restaurant style?
2026What do you do when a resident stops eating?
17
2005Do you host a happy hour?
2026What is your hospice policy, and do you allow it in house?
18
2005Is there a garden or a walking path?
2026What is the plan the night a resident wanders out the door?
19
2005Can residents keep a car?
2026Do you accept Medi Cal after a spend down, or are you private pay only?
20
2005What is your staff to resident ratio?
2026Is that ratio the licensing minimum or your practice, and does it hold on weekends?
21
2005Do you have Wi Fi in the rooms?
2026Who actually answers the phone at 8pm on a Sunday?
22
2005What happens on weekends, activity wise?
2026Can we do a two week respite stay before signing anything?
23
2005Do you have a library and a card room?
2026What did you do the last time a resident was hospitalized? Who held the bed?
24
2005Is there a patio residents can use?
2026What is the real all in number in year three, care and fees together?
25
2005What makes your community special?
2026When was the last time you told a family no, and why?
The four that decide the next ten years
- Rate increases. Ask for the last five years in writing. A rate that climbs 8 percent a year doubles in nine.
- Running out of money. Ask what happens at year four, and get the discharge policy in writing before you sign.
- Dementia. Ask whether they can keep her as she changes, and where she goes if they cannot.
- Caregiver availability. Ask who worked the overnight shift last Saturday, and what happened when two people called out.
Local context, September 2026: 48 Santa Barbara communities surveyed, starting rates from $2,000 to $11,750 a month, typical starting rate around $7,000. 21 reported an opening.
Move fast on the care. Move slow on everything that touches the house. Next Best Home, Santa Barbara.