What we do
Senior care cost guidance
What care costs on the South Coast right now, what the quoted rate leaves out, and what the monthly number looks like over three years rather than one.
The quoted rate is the floor, not the price
A community advertises a starting rate for its base level of care. Medication management, two person transfers, incontinence support and one to one care are priced on top of that, and those tiers are where a budget breaks. Ask for the base rate, the published care tiers and the entry fee together, in writing, before you compare two communities.
Home care runs the other way. It is quoted by the hour, so the monthly figure depends entirely on how many hours a week the person actually needs. Forty four hours a week is the planning assumption most families use, and it is a starting point rather than a promise about what a doctor will order.
Two models, two prices, and a gap that does not track quality
A large campus and a six bed residential home on a converted residential street can be licensed for the same level of care and differ by thousands of dollars a month. The small home usually costs more, because staffing ratios are higher and there are no economies of scale to spread across a hundred residents.
Tour one of each before deciding anything. The difference is obvious within ten minutes of walking in, and no brochure or rate sheet conveys it.
Plan on three years, not one
Most families plan for the first month and get surprised by the third year. Care needs typically increase, and the tiers add up rather than replace each other, so an estimate that holds the care level fixed looks accurate in month one and low by month twelve.
Work the number at today's rate, then again at the next care level, then once more with an annual increase. If the plan only survives the first column, it is not a plan yet.
What this includes
- Local rates for home care, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing
- The care tiers and entry fees that sit on top of a quoted rate
- A three year view of the monthly number, not just month one
Where to go next
Talk it through with someone local
A short conversation is usually enough to work out which of these applies to your situation, and what to do first.