The call kit

The call, in order

Ninety seconds each. The order matters: openings first, because a full home makes every other answer academic.

Opening

Hello — I’m looking for care for my mother and I found [the home’s name] in the state’s licensing record. Do you have two minutes?

Situation

Here’s where we are, briefly: [what she needs help with, whether she walks, and when you need this to happen].

Openings

Do you have an opening now — and if not, what does your waiting list look like?

Price

What is the all-in monthly rate for someone at this level of care, and what would push it higher?

Care level

Have you cared for someone like this before? What did that look like day to day?

Overnight

Who is here overnight, and are they awake?

Closing

Could I come and see it — ideally around dinner time?

Whether there is room

• “How many residents live there now, and is a bed open?”

Ask whether they have an opening now — and if not, what their waiting list actually looks like.

Ask every home

• “What is the all-in monthly rate for someone at this level of care, and what would push it higher?”
• “Do you have an opening now — and if not, what does your waiting list look like?”
• “Who is here overnight, and are they awake?”
• “What would make you tell a family you can’t take their parent?”
• “When was your last state visit, and what did they ask you to change?”
• “Can I come back at dinner time, unannounced?”
• “Who gives out the medications here, what training have they had, and what happens when a dose is missed?”

Not on file — and how to close it

The state does not collect these, so no site can honestly show them. Each one below is a question with a known answer — you just have to ask it.

• “What is the all-in monthly rate for someone at this level of care, and what would push it higher?”Monthly price — No California home files its rates with the state, so no public record holds a real price. The figures printed on aggregator sites are city-wide templates — the same number appears on dozens of different homes.
• “Do you have an opening right now? If not, when do you expect one?”Openings today — Nobody publishes live vacancies — not the state, not us, not any directory. It changes daily and is known only inside the home.
• “Do you keep a waiting list, how long is it, and does it cost anything to be on it?”Waiting list — Waiting lists are the home’s own record and are not reported anywhere.
• “Which languages do your caregivers speak, and would someone on every shift be able to talk with my mother?”Languages spoken by staff — The state does not record which languages a home’s caregivers speak, and we refuse to guess it from a home’s name.
• “Who cooks, and can I see this week’s menu? Can you handle her usual diet?”Food and meals — Menus and cooking are not part of any licensing record.
• “How do residents get to services, and does anyone visit from the community?”Faith and community life — Religious practice and community life are not recorded by the state, and we do not infer them from anything.
• “How many caregivers are on at 7am, at dinner, and overnight?”Staff-to-resident ratio — California sets minimum staffing by licence, but no per-home ratio is published — and the number that matters is at 3am, not at noon.
• “Is someone awake all night, or asleep on site?”Awake overnight staff — Whether the overnight caregiver stays awake is not in the state record. Homes that do it usually say so proudly.
• “Is a private room available, what does it cost, and what is the shared-room rate?”Private or shared room — Room configuration is not part of the licensing record, and it is often the single biggest driver of what you will pay.
• “Is there a move-in or community fee, and is it refundable if it doesn’t work out?”Move-in or community fee — One-time fees are set by each home and appear in no public file.
• “Do you take a two-week trial stay, and at what rate?”Short stays and respite — Whether a home takes short-term or trial stays is its own policy, not a licensed category.
• “Could she bring her cat?”Pets — Pet policies are the home’s own and are not filed with the state.

Documents California entitles you to ask for

These are not favours — each one rests on the state’s own rules, cited beside it. Asking for them is normal, and how a home reacts to being asked is itself an answer.

• “Could you send me a blank copy of your admission agreement to read at home?”California requires licensed homes to make a blank copy of the admission agreement available on request — before anyone commits to anything. (Health & Safety Code §1569.881)
• “Can you show me your rate increases for the past three years?”California requires a licensed home to disclose, on request, its average annual rate increases over the past three years. (Health & Safety Code §1569.658(c))
• “Does the agreement include the ombudsman’s and the licensing office’s contact information?”California requires every admission agreement to carry the contact information for the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman and the state licensing office. (Health & Safety Code §1569.885)
• “I’d like time to read the agreement — I understand it doesn’t have to be signed on a tour.”California’s rules allow the admission agreement to be completed in the days after admission — up to seven — so nobody has to sign anything at a tour. (22 CCR §87507)

Only a visit can tell you

The things families later say mattered most are in none of these records. Here is what to look for when you walk in.

• How staff speak to residents who can’t answer backWatch one caregiver with one resident who is confused or silent. Everything you need to know is in that thirty seconds.
• What the house smells like at 4pmNot the entry — the hallway by the bedrooms, late in the day.
• What the residents look likeDressed, shaved, hair done, out of bed? Or parked in front of a television in the same clothes as the last visit?
• DinnerAsk to come at a mealtime. Look at whether anyone is helping the people who need help eating.
• Who is actually in charge todayAsk when the administrator is on site, and whether the person showing you around works here or is a salesperson.
• Turnover you can feelAsk a caregiver — not the manager — how long they have worked there, and how long the person before them stayed.
• Whether your parent would be comfortableThe room, the noise, the light, the walk to the bathroom at night. Sit in the chair they would sit in.

En español

This site is in English for now. These four questions are the ones worth having in hand — print them and ask them exactly as written.

• “¿Hay alguien en el personal que hable español?”Does anyone on your staff speak Spanish?
• “¿Tienen un cupo disponible ahora mismo?”Do you have an opening right now?
• “¿Cuál es la tarifa mensual total?”What is the all-in monthly rate?
• “¿Podría visitarlos a la hora de la cena?”Could I visit at dinner time?

Long-Term Care Ombudsman

A free, independent advocate for residents of care homes, run through the California Department of Aging, with staff and volunteers who visit homes regularly in every county. They take complaints in confidence and they are not part of the licensing agency. They are also the best-informed person in your county about a specific home.

https://aging.ca.gov/programs_and_services/long-term_care_ombudsman/