Falls, or near-falls
One fall often means another is coming. A trip to the ER changes the conversation from "someday" to "now."
Los Angeles · Westside · South Bay
Mom or Dad needs more help than you can give them. What now?
I'm Frananda Allen, and Nest & Found is just me. I learn what your family is facing, shortlist the communities that truly fit the care level and the budget, and walk the tours with you.
- No cost to your family
- I tour with you
- I answer my own phone
Tell me what's going on
A few details and I'll call you back the same day. Nothing here commits you to anything.
Prefer to talk now? Call or text (424) 777-8258.
By sending this, you agree that I may call, text or email you about your request. You can ask me to stop at any time. What you share comes to me and no one else, and I never sell it. Privacy Policy
Is it time?
Most families wait too long because no single day makes the decision for them.
There is rarely one dramatic moment. It builds. These are the changes that usually mean it is time to at least look at options.
Medications missed
Pills left in the organizer, doubled doses, or prescriptions that never got refilled.
Confusion about time or place
Getting lost on a familiar drive, repeating questions, or losing track of the day.
Weight loss or spoiled food
An empty fridge, expired groceries, or meals that are only crackers and coffee.
The house is slipping
Unopened mail, unpaid bills, laundry piling up, or a home that is no longer being kept.
You are running on empty
Caregiver exhaustion is a real reason to move, not a selfish one. Your health matters here too.
Recognize three or more of these? It is worth a conversation, even if you decide the timing is not right yet. I will tell you honestly if I think you have more runway.
How it works
Three steps, and you are not alone for any of them.
Most families start by calling the numbers on a directory website and touring whatever answers. That is how you end up comparing six places that were never a fit to begin with.
STEP 01
We talk
Care needs, medications, mobility, memory, budget, and what part of town keeps family close. Usually twenty minutes on the phone.
STEP 02
I shortlist
You get two or three real options, with what they actually cost, what level of care they are licensed for, and who has an opening this month. I check every one against the state licensing record before it reaches your list.
STEP 03
We tour together
I meet you there, ask the questions families do not think to ask, and stay with you through the paperwork and the move-in.
What the first call sounds like
- What happened recently that made you start looking?
- What does a normal day look like right now?
- What are they still managing alone, and what has slipped?
- What medications are they on, and who keeps track of them?
- What can the family manage each month, and for how long?
- Who else needs to be part of this decision?
That is the whole first call. No pitch, no pressure to tour anything, and no obligation at the end of it.
Nothing is signed to begin. The first call is a conversation, not an intake appointment. If I think your family can wait, I will say so instead of booking tours.
Start with a callMeet your advisor
You will be working with me, not a call center.
The same person answers the phone, builds your shortlist, and shows up to the tour.
I have spent the last decade as a California real estate broker working with clients over 50. You see a great deal in that work. Health changes. A spouse passes. The house that was perfect twenty years ago becomes the place where someone falls. Families end up making a hard decision quickly, and usually for the first time.
Somewhere along the way, people started asking me questions that had nothing to do with selling a house. Which elder law attorney should we call? What happens with probate? Do you know anything about this assisted living place, and is it any good? I answered because they asked, and because after ten years in this community I knew who to call.
Becoming a senior living advisor is making official what I have been doing informally for years. The network is already built — the attorneys, the communities, the people who do this work well and the ones I would steer you away from. What is different now is that finding the right place gets my full attention, so your family lands somewhere safe, clean and genuinely loving, instead of wherever happened to have a bed open that week.
Frananda Allen Founder, Nest & Found Senior Living Advisors
How I am paid
"Free" always raises a question. Here is the answer.
You should know exactly where my money comes from before you take a single tour. You should not have to ask twice, and you should not have to find it in the fine print.
- What you pay
- Nothing. No consultation fee, no retainer, no charge at move-in.
- How I am paid
- The community pays a referral fee once your loved one moves in.
- What that means for you
- You can walk away at any time, and you should always ask me why a place is on your list.
Types of care
Matching the care level matters more than matching the brochure.
A beautiful building that cannot handle your father's medication schedule is the wrong building. Here is what I sort between.
Assisted living
Help with bathing, dressing, medication management and meals, with as much independence as your parent can still keep.
Most commonMemory care
Secured communities with staff trained for Alzheimer's and other dementias, built around routine, wandering safety and familiar cues.
SecuredResidential care homes
A licensed house with a handful of residents and a much higher staff-to-resident ratio. Rarely listed on the big directory sites.
Small settingIndependent living
For a parent who is still managing well but is isolated, eating poorly, or tired of maintaining a house alone.
Low care needsIn-home care
When staying home is still the right answer, I can point you to agencies I know, whether that is a few hours a day or around-the-clock support.
Stay at homeRespite & short stays
A few weeks of care after a hospital or rehab discharge, or to give a family caregiver a genuine break before burnout sets in.
TemporaryPaying for care
The money question is usually the one nobody wants to ask first.
Ask it first anyway. Knowing the budget is what makes a shortlist real instead of aspirational. Here is what usually pays for senior living.
Private pay
Savings, retirement income, and often the sale of a home. This covers most assisted living placements, at least at the start.
Long-term care insurance
If a policy exists, find it early. Benefits, elimination periods and the care levels covered vary enormously between policies.
VA Aid & Attendance
A monthly benefit for qualifying wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities. It is underused because most families never hear about it.
Medi-Cal
In California, Medi-Cal covers assisted living only through the Assisted Living Waiver, which has a waitlist and a limited number of participating communities. I will tell you upfront which ones do.
Medicare does not pay for long-term assisted living. It covers short-term skilled nursing after a qualifying hospital stay, which is a different thing and a common source of painful surprises.
Talk through the numbersWhere I work
I will not put a community on your list that I have not walked myself.
Brochures and directory listings are written to sell. I would rather meet the director, see the dining room at lunchtime, and read the state's inspection record before I ever hand you a name.
- Beverly Hills
- West Hollywood
- Santa Monica
- Inglewood
- South Bay
- Los Angeles
Common questions
What families ask on the first call.
How much does this cost me?
Nothing. I am paid a referral fee by the community after a move-in, which is the standard arrangement in senior placement. It does mean you should ask me directly why any particular community is on your shortlist, and I will tell you.
My dad is being discharged this week. Can you move that fast?
Yes. When a discharge is driving the timeline, placement can happen within a few days. The limit is almost never paperwork — it is which communities have an opening at the right care level this week. Call me the day you find out, and I will tell you straight which places can genuinely take a resident that fast, instead of sending you to tour ones that cannot.
How do I bring this up with my parent?
Start with the specific worry rather than the conclusion. "I'm scared about you falling again when nobody's here" lands very differently than "you need to move." Give them real choices wherever you can, include them in tours, and expect the conversation to take several rounds. I can help you plan the first one.
What is the difference between assisted living and memory care?
Assisted living supports daily tasks. Memory care adds a secured environment and staff trained specifically for dementia. Many families start in assisted living and move later, and some communities let a resident transition without changing buildings, which is worth knowing before you choose.
What does assisted living cost in our area?
Most families in my area should budget roughly $4,500 to $8,000 a month for assisted living. The South Bay and Inglewood sit toward the lower end; Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood toward the upper end, and luxury Westside communities can run well past $10,000. Memory care typically adds $1,500 to $3,000 a month on top. Pricing usually combines a base rent with a care level charge that rises as needs increase, so I will show you the full picture — including the community fees, medication charges and level-of-care increases that do not appear on the brochure.
Does Medicare pay for assisted living?
Generally no. Medicare covers short-term skilled nursing after a qualifying hospital stay, not long-term residential care. Families usually combine savings, the sale of a home, long-term care insurance, and in some cases VA Aid & Attendance. I will help you understand which options apply before you tour.
Is my father eligible for VA benefits?
Possibly. VA Aid & Attendance is a monthly benefit for qualifying wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities, and it has service, income and asset requirements. I am not accredited to file claims, but I will flag it if it looks like it may apply and point you to someone who can.
Do you only work with certain communities?
I work with licensed communities and care homes across my service area, but no advisor has a relationship with every single one. Ask me what is not on your list and why, and I will tell you.
Start with one phone call.
Tell me what is happening. I will tell you what your realistic options are, even if the answer is that it is not time yet.
- Call
- (424) 777-8258
- Text
- (424) 777-8258
- hello@nestandfound.org
- Online
- Request a call back