[soCAguy]

“There are several avenues you can pursue:
a) “A Must”: tour the facilities: one a scheduled visit, the other impromptu
b) Call an ombudsman and request access to reports on the facility that interests you. For example, in California, the community care licensing division with the Department of Social Services maintains a public report for each facility. In California, you would make an appointment with the licensing division, asking in advance to pull reports for the facilities of interest. Your requested reports, called Inspection Reports, are pulled and you are allowed to review and see if complaints have been filed. These are very beneficial since they are an unbiased narrative, instead of the “talking heads” at the facility.
c) Referral agencies: they are analogous to a real estate agent who tries to pair you to your dream home. In this case, the referral agency will pair you to an assisted living community that provides the level of care you need (or may need in the future). The agency typically is under contract with a facility and charges the assisted living community for placement.”