In a recent article, a senior living referral service shared a study that they did. The study found that the average American family searching for a senior living solution alone takes 95 days. If the family uses an external resource, the time is cut in half to 46 days.
What this study does not discuss is the procrastination time that the family had before they were emotionally ready to make the decision that their loved one needed help. The procrastination and delay in searching for a facility can be even longer. In families I work with, this is more of the issue than actually searching for a care facility.
Some factors that could impact the ease of finding any care facility include the following:
Agencies and services that don't charge to help find an assisting living facility are not doing this free of charge. They are compensated by the assisted living facility for the admission. When using these services, be aware that their loyalty lies where they get compensated. Using a service agency that you pay a fee for will eliminate this bias.
The real issue comes down to starting early and using a nonbiased source for consultation. You do not need to do this alone. There are care managers who can help you through this difficult process.