About Baltimore Senior Advisor

Who runs Baltimore Senior Advisor?

Baltimore Senior Advisor is a referral and research service for families in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Harford, Carroll and Queen Anne's counties; it is privately owned and is not affiliated with any government agency, hospital or senior living company.

We built this site because the information families need is public but scattered across OHCQ spreadsheets, the MHCC consumer guide, CMS data files and COMAR. We pull it together by county and ZIP code, explain the rules in plain language, and help families who want a person to talk to.

How is Baltimore Senior Advisor paid?

Assisted living programs pay us a referral fee when a family we introduce moves in; families never pay us. Maryland's referrer law requires us to disclose that, to refer only to licensed programs, and not to limit referrals to programs that pay us.

That fee is a real conflict of interest, which is why the directory lists every licensed program whether or not it pays, and why we never publish our own ratings. If an advisor ever steers you without a reason that makes sense, push back -- and tell us.

What will an advisor do for my family?

An advisor asks about care needs, budget, location and timing, narrows the licensed options to a short list, explains Maryland payment programs, and helps schedule tours; you decide.

Advisors do not provide medical, legal or financial advice. For Medicaid eligibility we point you to Maryland Access Point and the local department of social services; for legal planning, to an elder law attorney. If the best option for your family is a program that does not pay referral fees, or staying at home with help, we will tell you that too, and we will point you to the free public options counseling at Maryland Access Point.

Which areas does Baltimore Senior Advisor cover?

We cover Baltimore City and Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Harford, Carroll and Queen Anne's counties -- 934 licensed assisted living programs and 107 nursing homes in OHCQ's current directories.

Baltimore City is organized by ZIP code because its assisted living is concentrated in a dozen ZIP codes of small homes. The counties are organized by town or cluster of towns, and smaller towns are listed on their county page. Nursing homes are covered facility by facility, using the official CMS ratings, inspection citations, staffing hours and fines, next to each home's Maryland license. Families looking just outside the area -- Frederick, Cecil, Montgomery or Prince George's -- can still call; we will say plainly when another service or the local aging office is a better fit.

Is Baltimore Senior Advisor a government service?

No.