Understanding the differences between retirement, nursing and adult day homes and assisted living facilities can be challenging.

It’s easy for seniors — and their families — to become overwhelmed by all the “providers” vying for their business, said Karen Sousley of Living Well Senior Home Placement.

“There is so much information that they need to know, but they do not know where to turn,” she said.

Sousley and her business partner Jeanne Spiegelberg of Vancouver, Washington, saw a way to help.

They launched Living Well Senior Home Placement two years ago.

Advisors from the company meet with seniors and family members in their own home, assess their care needs, housing preferences and financial resources.

“We see if they’re eligible for veterans benefits or other significant benefits,” Sousley said

Living Well advisors then will help seniors and their families compare the types of communities, locations and prices that meet their needs and then take them for a visit.

“If they can’t drive, we take them to the facilities to tour them,” Sousley said.

Cost can be an issue and the process of due diligence and research can be confusing and time consuming for families, Sousley said.

Making an informed decision for such an important life choice takes “insider” knowledge that most families do not have, she said.

This is Living Well Senior Home Placement’s niche.

Sousley said her advisors have a heart for seniors.

Sousley has a decade of experience in the field and advisor Sam Miller, the newest addition to the team serving the Tri-City area, has worked as a case manager for four years. All told, the company employs seven senior advisors who work as independent contractors.

“We’re providing a level of care. We’re doing the pre-screening when we sit down with them. We bring people to facilities who are potentially a good fit. We’ve already assessed it. We are simplifying the search from 10 to maybe two or three,” said Miller, who said the process saves seniors “a ton of time.”

The service is free to seniors.

Living Well receives a commission from the facilities if the senior chooses to move in.

But Sousley said there’s no pressure for the seniors to sign up. They can take nine days or nine weeks to decide what’s best for them.

“We get them pointed in the right direction. We might never refer them anywhere but we can show them resources available,” Miller said.

Sousley said she doesn’t want her clients to make decisions under duress.

The company recently toured more than a dozen facilities in the Tri-Cities and has plans to visit more as it establishes itself in the area.

“We’re not going to be placing them in place we don’t feel good about,” Sousley said.

The senior living facilities don’t get access to the seniors’ information unless the senior wants to provide either.

Sousley said the company has had its eye on the Tri-City market from the beginning.

The service is similar in concept to the nationwide placement company, A Place For Mom.

The difference between Living Well and A Place for Mom, according to Sousley, is that her company offers boots on the ground and isn’t a call center-based program.

“We go to their home. We spend two to three hours at their home,” she said.

They also help seniors determine their long-term care plans, which can be difficult conversations for families.

For example, one facility might be cheaper because it doesn’t provide certain services, but seniors must decide whether they plan to move again later for additional care.

“We try to figure it out from the get go,” Sousley said.

Sometimes they connect seniors to financial advisors or Veterans Administration assistance programs to help them create a budget for their assisted living expenses.

Miller said understanding all the complicated services offered at the various facilities can be “overwhelming for us in the industry.”

Sousley said the company has plans to expand into the Spokane market.

“There’s such a need for this. It’s just evolving,” Sousley said.

To learn more about Living Well’s services, call 509-969-2380 or visit LivingWellSenior.com.