How CareWise recommendations are made

What we ask first

• What help is needed day to day: bathing, dressing, medications, mobility, memory.
• The monthly budget and how it will be paid.
• Where family lives and visits from.
• How soon a move needs to happen.
• Who is part of the decision, and what can’t be compromised.

What we check

• The provider’s stated care capabilities for the needs you describe.
• Room type and whether there’s a current opening.
• The quote and what it includes.
• License status and inspection history on AZ Care Check.

How options are narrowed

Care fit comes first, then budget, then location and availability, then your family’s priorities. You see the trade-offs between the options, not just a list.

How CareWise is paid

The fee is paid by the community after a completed placement. It is never added to your bill by CareWise.

Does the fee change what families see?

No. Communities do not pay CareWise to be recommended or ranked. CareWise is compensated by communities when a family chooses a participating provider and a placement is completed. Our guidance is free to families, and recommendations are based on care needs, budget, location, availability, provider fit and family priorities.

What can exclude a home from recommendation

• It can’t support the care needs.
• It has no suitable room.
• The price is outside the budget.
• The location doesn’t work for the family.
• Its inspection history raises concerns the family should weigh.
• It won’t provide a written offer.

How local advisor work differs from a national call center

• A national service shares your phone number with several communities at once; CareWise assigns one advisor and shares nothing until you say so.
• Their pricing is “call for details”; ours is published, counted and dated.
• Nobody from a national service has been inside the home; your advisor has, and attends tours.
• Their shortlist is their network. Ours starts with care fit — and on the rare occasion the best fit is a home that doesn’t work with placement agencies, we tell you about it anyway and say plainly that we aren’t paid if you choose it.

Like most placement services, CareWise is paid by the community after a placement. The difference is what happens before that.

Questions to ask any senior placement agency

• How are you paid, and by whom?
• Do communities pay to be listed or ranked?
• Who will I work with, and will it be the same person throughout?
• Will you share my information with providers, and when?
• How current is your pricing, and where does it come from?
• Can I see a home’s inspection records before we tour?

Official sources

• ADHS AZ Care Check