A senior placement advisor guides families through finding and transitioning a loved one into a senior living community — including assisted living, memory care, independent living, or skilled nursing. At Wells Family that means meeting in person to understand care needs, financial situation, and personal preferences; personally vetting communities on your behalf; accompanying you on facility tours; helping you ask the questions that matter; coordinating the physical move; and following up after placement to make sure everything is working.

Unlike national referral platforms that distribute your information to multiple communities simultaneously, a true placement advisor represents the family — not the facilities. We are paid only when your loved one is successfully placed, and our fee is the same regardless of which community is chosen. Not a call center. Not a lead generator. An actual service with dedicated, experienced, real local experts who are only paid for performance.

For most families, Wells Family Transition Managers placement services cost nothing out of pocket. The senior living community pays a placement fee upon move-in — an established industry practice. The amount varies based on the community's monthly rate, not on any preference of ours. We have no financial incentive to place your loved one in any specific community, and we disclose our compensation arrangement in writing to every client before we begin.

For standalone advocacy services — accompanying a loved one to appointments, facilitating family meetings, or navigating a care dispute — we charge $85 per hour. Monthly retainer options are available for families needing ongoing coordination after placement.

The fundamental difference is who we work for. A Place for Mom is a lead generation platform — it collects family contact information and distributes it to senior living communities that pay for those leads. One inquiry can result in an unlimited number of communities receiving your contact information — commonly 10 to 15 at once — flooding your phone, texts, and inbox before you even know what you need. You stop searching for the right fit. You start being led by whoever follows up most aggressively.

Wells Family Transition Managers does not sell your information or distribute it as a lead. When we share information with a senior living community, we do so solely for admission purposes — with your knowledge and consent, after you have decided to move forward. We work exclusively for the family. We meet in person, conduct independent research, accompany you on tours, and advocate throughout the entire process. We are local, experienced, and paid for performance only — not for generating leads. A Place for Mom has also been the subject of a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging investigation regarding allegations of steering families toward communities with documented safety problems, and a class-action lawsuit for TCPA violations. We have no allegiance to any community and no incentive to steer families anywhere other than where they genuinely belong.

Assisted living provides housing, meals, personal care assistance, and medication management for seniors who need help with daily activities but do not require 24-hour skilled nursing. Residents generally maintain independence and can move freely within and sometimes outside the community.

Memory care is specialized residential care designed specifically for individuals with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other cognitive conditions. Memory care communities have secured environments to prevent wandering, specially trained staff, structured programming for cognitive engagement, and higher staff-to-resident ratios. Memory care typically costs $1,000–$2,000 per month more than assisted living in the Dayton, Ohio area. Determining which level of care is appropriate is one of the first things we help families understand — before they begin touring any community.

Assisted living in the Dayton and Kettering, Ohio area generally ranges from approximately $2,100 to $5,500 per month depending on care level, amenities, and apartment size. Memory care communities in this market typically range from $3,500 to $6,750 per month. These are averages — actual costs vary significantly by community and care level.

Ohio's standard Medicaid program does not cover most assisted living costs, though some waiver programs may assist qualifying individuals. Long-term care insurance, Veterans Administration benefits, and private pay from savings or home equity are the most common funding sources for families in this area. We help families understand their financial picture and refer specific financial planning questions to licensed advisors and elder law attorneys.

Yes. Hospital discharge situations are among the most common and most stressful calls we receive. When a loved one cannot return home safely after a hospitalization and placement needs to happen quickly, we respond same-day. We work directly with discharge planners and social workers at Kettering Health, Premier Health, Soin Medical Center, Grandview, and other area facilities to coordinate placement efficiently while ensuring the family is genuinely informed — not simply processed.

Urgent placement does not mean uninformed placement. Even under time pressure, we ensure families understand what they are agreeing to, what the community provides, and what their rights are. For urgent situations, call or text us directly — do not use the contact form.

Ohio's standard Medicaid program does not cover assisted living for most residents. However, Ohio operates a Home and Community-Based Services waiver program — specifically the PASSPORT waiver — which may provide some funding assistance for qualifying individuals in approved residential settings. Eligibility requires functional need assessments and financial qualifications. Not all assisted living communities in Ohio accept PASSPORT waiver residents.

Medicaid planning for senior living in Ohio is a complex legal and financial process. We help families understand this option exists and refer them to licensed Ohio elder law attorneys who specialize in Medicaid planning. We have guided Medicaid families through placement at no charge — because access to honest information should not depend on ability to pay.

Yes. The VA Aid and Attendance benefit is one of the most underutilized financial resources available to qualifying veterans and surviving spouses. It provides a monthly pension supplement for veterans who require assistance with daily activities — which describes many seniors considering assisted living or memory care. In 2024, the benefit provided up to $2,300/month for a veteran with a dependent, $1,478/month for a single veteran, and $948/month for a surviving spouse.

Qualifying requires meeting both service and financial eligibility criteria, and the application process can take several months. As a veteran-owned business, identifying and connecting veteran families with this benefit is something we take seriously. We refer specific applications to accredited VA claims agents and elder law attorneys, but we will always flag this option for every veteran family we serve.

Wells Family Transition Managers is based in Kettering, Ohio and serves families throughout the greater Dayton metro area. Our primary service area includes Kettering, Dayton, Beavercreek, Centerville, Springboro, Miamisburg, Oakwood, Huber Heights, Trotwood, and surrounding communities in Montgomery, Greene, and Warren Counties.

We serve families in person — which means our service area is defined by where we can realistically show up for tours, discharge meetings, family conversations, and move-in day. If you are outside our primary area and have an urgent need, call us and we will tell you honestly whether we can help or refer you to a trusted independent advocate who can.

Yes — and this is one of the most common situations we encounter. Resistance to leaving home is a normal and deeply human response. It is rarely about stubbornness. It is almost always about fear: fear of losing independence, fear of the unknown, fear of what a move means about their health or their future.

We can meet with your family — including your parent — in a setting that feels safe and conversational, not clinical. We do not pressure anyone. We provide honest information about what options exist, what they cost, and what the alternatives look like. Sometimes that conversation shifts something. Sometimes it simply gives a family the information they need to make a plan they can all agree on. We work at your pace, not ours.

A Saturday afternoon tour with a prepared admissions team will tell you almost nothing about what a community is actually like to live in. The things that matter — how staff interact with residents when no one is watching, whether call lights are answered promptly, whether the building smells clean at 9pm on a Tuesday, how staff respond when a resident is having a difficult moment — are not visible on a scheduled tour.

After 20 years inside senior living communities as a Sales and Marketing Director, Tena Wells knows exactly what to look for. We review state inspection records and deficiency reports — public documents most families never see. We ask about staffing ratios and staff tenure. We visit at unscheduled times when possible. We talk to residents and families already living there. This is what experienced, independent, local advocacy looks like — and it is something a family on their first tour simply cannot replicate alone.

Dylan Wells served with the 82nd Airborne Division from 2010 to 2014, completing two combat tours in Afghanistan. Following his service he spent three years as an EMT and firefighter with Trotwood Fire. The qualities those roles demand — showing up when it matters, staying steady under pressure, never abandoning the people counting on you, doing the job right regardless of whether anyone is watching — are the same qualities that define how this business operates every single day.

Veteran-owned also means we understand veteran families specifically. We know about VA Aid and Attendance benefits. We have relationships in the veteran community throughout Dayton. And we apply the same standard to our work that military and first-responder service demands: complete accountability, no excuses, mission accomplished.