Frequently asked questions

A placement advisor works with a family to understand the person, current setting, support needs, routines, family priorities, timing, and geography before discussing financial context and realistic living settings. Ruskin Senior Services provides personal guidance rather than an unfiltered facility directory.

Families do not pay Ruskin for placement guidance. When a move-in happens, the community pays Ruskin Senior Services a placement fee. This standard industry arrangement is stated plainly rather than buried. Two things keep that honest: Stacie recommends only settings she believes can support the person, and she is not obligated to feature or fill any building. If no setting fits, she says that too.

No. The $500 USD consultation provides professional planning and decision support whether or not a placement engagement follows. Submitting the request does not confirm an appointment or engagement.

Placement is a guided search for a residential setting, paid by the community when a move-in happens. The consultation is $500 USD professional decision support whether or not placement follows. Care Management is ongoing, nonclinical coordination and advocacy for local families and families coordinating from a distance. Each request is reviewed against the person's needs, service fit, and current availability.

Submitting a request does not create or confirm a Care Management engagement. Each request is reviewed against the person's needs, service fit, and current availability.

You can, and some families do. The risk is spending precious weeks touring settings that cannot safely and appropriately support the person's needs under their license, staffing, routines, or practical limits. Stacie considers those factors before anyone tours, while current availability and acceptance still require direct confirmation from each community.

Florida licenses every assisted-living community, and the license category defines what the building may legally do. Capabilities range from personal care under a Standard license to specific nursing services under Limited Nursing Services or Extended Congregate Care. The label on the brochure does not always match the license on the wall, and it is one of the first things Stacie checks.

Short-term rehabilitation is the more common urgent-discharge path, although a hospital may also set the date. When the family is beginning an active senior-living search, the placement inquiry collects the timing and broad situation. When the family needs rapid professional judgment without beginning placement, the $500 USD consultation is a separate request. Neither request confirms availability, acceptance, an appointment, or an engagement.

No. This is the most common misunderstanding in senior living. Medicare covers medical services, including limited short-term rehabilitation after a qualifying hospital stay, but it does not pay for assisted-living room, board, or ongoing personal care. For families who qualify, Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program can cover care services in some settings, but not the housing itself. Sorting out which programs genuinely apply is part of the preparation work.

It depends on the license, care level, county, and building. The quoted rate is only the beginning of the math. Communities typically layer a base rate, assessed care charges, a one-time community fee, and annual increases. Stacie shares current, realistic numbers for specific communities in conversation, because published ranges age quickly and list prices and negotiated prices are rarely the same thing.

Sometimes, and more often than families expect. Move-in specials, community-fee waivers, and rate flexibility all exist, especially where a private owner wants a bed filled. But negotiation only matters after fit: a discount at a building that cannot support the person is not a deal. Stacie negotiates after the match is right, not instead of it.

Slowly, and more than once. One big family confrontation almost always fails. A series of short, calm conversations anchored to what the person values, such as independence, safety, and staying near people they love, works far better. Keep the senior in the decision: everyone deserves a home that fits their needs and circumstances, and the person moving deserves a real voice in choosing it. A neutral third party often changes the temperature of the conversation entirely.

The website and launch service area focus on Broward, Palm Beach, St. Lucie, and Martin Counties, plus Aventura and northeast Miami-Dade. A family can still describe its circumstances in an inquiry so Ruskin Senior Services can determine whether the request fits our work.

Yes. Care Management can support local families and families coordinating from a distance. The person receiving local advocacy or placement guidance should be in the South Florida service area.

No. Ruskin may assist a family with preparing questions and organizing information, but the website does not offer legal representation, medical advice, application filing, or a benefits determination.

No. Website submissions are validated on the server and emailed to Ruskin Senior Services. The website does not register, distribute, or store the inquiry as a community lead.

A successful submission means the email service accepted Ruskin's notification. Stacie then reviews the request and follows up to discuss fit and next steps. A consultation request is not an appointment confirmation, engagement, care contract, or placement acceptance. The consultation fee is $500 USD; scope, timing, availability, and exact inclusions are confirmed directly.

No. Families facing immediate danger or a medical emergency should contact emergency services or the appropriate treating professional. The placement form includes an urgent timing option for hospital or short-term rehabilitation discharge planning.