A Place for Mom alternatives for senior living operators
Written for communities deciding how to get residents, not for families looking for care. Five honest options: what each one is, how it charges, and who it suits.
The alternatives to A Place for Mom for an operator are other referral platforms (Caring.com, Seniorly, local placement advisors), owned marketing through a partner like Care Growth, or an in-house team. Referral services cost nothing until a family moves in, then charge a fee on that move-in, and the family relationship starts with them. Owned marketing also costs a fee per move-in with Care Growth, but the website, listings, ads and every lead stay yours.
Five ways to get residents without A Place for Mom
Care Growth
Owned marketing with the follow-up done for you. We build and run your website, search, ads and Google Business Profile, our lead handling team calls and qualifies every inquiry and books the tour, and analytics show the cost per move-in. Everything stays yours.
What it is
A marketing and lead-handling partner. The website, listings, ads and every lead belong to you, and no family is shared with another community.
How it charges
A fee per move-in. If a resident we brought in moves out within 30 days, we give that fee back. Cheaper, with more ownership of what you pay for.
Who it suits
Communities and groups that want families every month from search, maps and ads, and want to own the relationship and the data.
A senior living directory and referral service. Families read listings and reviews for free, and providers pay to be matched with them.
What it is
Listings and reviews, free to consumers, with providers paying for the match.
How it charges
Three models, by provider: a referral fee when a family moves in, a fee per lead sent whether or not the family moves in, or an annual subscription for enhanced listing features. Ask them for current terms.
Who it suits
Communities that want a listing families already browse, and that can choose between paying per move-in, per lead, or by subscription.
An online senior living marketplace with local advisors. Seniorly has joined CareScout, and its referral and advisory services are free to families.
What it is
A listing site plus a network of local Seniorly Advisors who help families choose.
How it charges
A referral fee from the community when a family moves in, usually a percentage of the first month’s costs. The fee may be paid directly or through the Seniorly Advisor the family worked with. Ask them for current terms.
Who it suits
Communities that want a second referral network alongside or instead of A Place for Mom, with the same pay-on-move-in logic.
Franchised advisors who live and work in your area, such as CarePatrol and Assisted Living Locators. They work from your market rather than a national call center, and the service is free to the family.
What it is
A person in your market who sends families who match your building. CarePatrol says it has over 200 local advisors nationwide.
How it charges
Referral fees paid by the senior living community, not the family, when a placed resident moves in. CarePatrol says it is paid by over 20,000 preferred providers. Ask each advisor for terms.
Who it suits
Single communities that want a relationship with one or two advisors who tour with families, rather than a national call center.
Hire a marketing lead or a sales director and run the website, ads, listings and follow-up yourself. It takes six jobs to do well, and each one has a learning curve, but every result belongs to you.
What it is
Your own team doing what an agency would: website, search, ads, Google Business Profile, lead follow-up and reporting.
How it charges
Salaries, tools and ad spend. No fee per move-in, and no refund if a resident leaves.
Who it suits
Groups large enough to keep a full-time marketer busy, with someone to answer every inquiry within minutes, including evenings and weekends.
Every claim about another company comes from the sources at the bottom of the page. None of the referral services publish a fixed fee, so ask each one for current terms.
You need move-ins now and cannot fund marketing up front. A Place for Mom, Caring.com, Seniorly and local advisors are all paid by the community when a referred family moves in, and their help is free to families, so there is nothing to spend until a resident arrives. [1, 4, 5, 6]
You want reach you could not buy alone. A Place for Mom says its network covers over 15,000 communities and home care agencies, and the families who call it are already looking. [1]
You can tour fast. A referred family usually holds a list of several communities, so the one that answers first and tours well tends to win. [1]
When owning your marketing makes sense
You want the family relationship and the data. With Care Growth the website, the Google Business Profile, the ads and every inquiry belong to you, and our lead handling team calls, qualifies and books the tour onto your calendar. Nobody else gets that family.
You want families every month, not when a referral happens to land. Paid ads, search and maps bring in families on a schedule you can plan around, and you see the cost per move-in in one place.
You run more than one building. For a senior living group, a fee on every shared referral adds up across sites, while an owned system compounds. An assisted living community with one building can get there too. We also charge a fee per move-in, and if that resident moves out within 30 days we give it back.
What is the best alternative to A Place for Mom for a senior living community?
It depends on what you want to own. If you want move-ins with no money up front, another referral network such as Caring.com, Seniorly or a local placement advisor works the same way. If you want the family relationship, the data and a steady flow of inquiries, owned marketing with a partner like Care Growth or an in-house team is the better fit.
Is SeniorAdvisor.com an alternative to A Place for Mom?
No. A Place for Mom owns and operates SeniorAdvisor.com, a ratings and reviews site. It is part of the same company, so it is not a separate option for an operator.
How do referral services charge communities?
A Place for Mom is paid by the community when a referred family moves in. Caring.com uses move-in fees, per-lead fees or subscriptions depending on the provider. Seniorly earns a referral fee that is usually a percentage of the first month’s costs. Local advisors are paid by the community as well. None of them publish a fixed price, so ask for current terms.
Does Care Growth charge per move-in too?
Yes. We charge a fee per move-in, and if a resident we brought in moves out within 30 days we give that fee back. What you keep is the difference: the website, the listings, the ads and every lead stay yours.
Can we use a referral service and Care Growth at the same time?
Yes. Many communities keep a referral account open while they build their own pipeline. Over time, owned inquiries from search, maps and ads reduce how much you depend on referrals.
How do we see which option is paying off?
Track every inquiry back to its source and compare cost per move-in. Our analytics do that for the channels we run, and a free audit will show where your inquiries come from today. Start on the contact page.
