Exceptional Senior Placement Services

I needed to find a new board and care for my brother on a somewhat limited budget. Mona immediately went into action and quickly had several referrals for us to check out. We settled on a place in a great location (Lake Merritt) and feel quite happy with the new placement. Mona is a genuine advocate for people in need of assisted living and retirement homes.

Mona has been awesome! When my dad first moved here 3 years ago, she really helped me find a place that we could afford and wasn’t a pit! Had a nice ambiance, good range of activities and would be able to increase level of care for him. Recently the place he is in wanted to raise his rates and I again called Mona. She again quickly and compassionately helped me look at places that fit the bill. Super kind and very knowledgeable. Kept me from going around and around in circles.

Trying to find a placement for my elderly mother in April, I turned to Mona. She arranged for 6 facilities to tour. Normally, she only schedules three tours. After I decided and Mona concurred, I moved my mother into the most expensive. After all, Mother had specific needs of increased supervision than in regular assisted living. After Mother had lived there a week, I emailed and called staff about my concerns of their not meeting her needs. Mona said she called the facility staff and was told everything was fine. She didn’t call her client, me, to ask. She said she eventually contacted the corporate office on my behalf. This period of time was very stressful for me and my mother because she wasn’t transitioning as well as we had hoped. It got to the point that I considered moving Mother again and mentioned that in an email to Mona. She ‘schooled’ me that moving Mother again would be even more traumatic for her. That’s the last I heard from Mona. She never contacted me again. I ended up moving my mother less than three months later with the assistance of a care manager, who was paid by me, not by the facility. The Executive Director of the facility lamented that Mona received 100% of the first month’s rent as her commission. Other placement services receive 50%. Lesson learned and passed on to others who have this need.

During a very difficult time, Mona was able to provide a high level of service to find last minute senior placement for my aunt and uncle. Because of my uncle’s frail condition she searched and found availability when we thought we had no other options. Her expertise, gentle manner, and compassion made the move possible. I appreciate all of her support and warmth.

I could not ask for a more caring and understanding angel. I have not placed my sister yet but she began working with the family immediately and keeps in contact daily. She is indeed a blessing.

I do not know how my family would have moved my father on such short notice without Mona’s help! I do know that Dad wouldn’t have ended up at such a wonderful place and we would have hit many more obstacles along the way without her.
Thank you Mona!

Not long ago I went through the process of selecting a place for my 87 year old mother to live when she suddenly lost her memory. It was a daunting process. Today I met Mona who introduced my friend to three memory care facilities she thought would be appropriate for my friend’s mother. I wish I had known Mona when i could have used such help. She is a warm, wise and wondrous woman. With more than two decades in the field of senior placement, she knows all of the care facilities and she learns each client’s needs so that she can recommend an appropriate selection of senior communities to select from. I am so glad to have met Mona so I can refer her to friends should the need arise. She is a tremendous resource.

Mona was truly one of the most helpful people that I met while trying to find new housing for my grandmother. She is patient and responsive and cares about all involved. Thank you Mona!

Mona’s service, caring, expertise and results deserve much, much more than 5 stars. My Father, at age 90, did not want to move out of his home and into Assisted Living. It was a really difficult time of adjustment and loss for him. I was touched by the loving way that Mona related to him and helped to make a seemingly impossible transition go smoothly, ending with my Father relocated to a wonderful new home which fits perfectly for him now. Mona was knowledgeable and effective on the business side, helping us to look at good options, ask the right questions, and ultimately create a new life setting for my Dad that really works. Combining her deep caring and compassion for people with her strong business and advocacy skills makes her an exceptional support person for elder transitions. Her business is named perfectly.

Mona was an angel from heaven during a stressful and trying time. She was referred by a friend and magically swooped in and took care of everything. Literally, we went from having no place for my parents to go after being released from the hospital to having a beautiful place secured for us. We didn’t have to do anything — Mona took care of everything. It’s stressful enough dealing with the health of ones parents, let alone finding a place to take care of them. This was all new territory for me – I knew nothing about assisted living, costs, locations, amenities etc. so was a bit like a deer caught in a headlight. Mona lifted the burden — I can’t say enough good things. She’s well connected and it really helps to have someone with their fingers on the pulse of the elder care community because she makes magic happen.

Each review you read about Mona and Exceptional Senior Placement Services says she is the best, that’s because it’s true. When you have a parent who needs care, you’re overwhelmed. Mona understands that. She believes that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and as a result, she will only provide you with places and people who will treat your family members with loving care. Mona is kind and knowledgeable, wise and supportive, all the things a family needs to make the transition from independent living to assisted living. I know our family could’t have done this without her!

Five stars! Working with Mona was much better than calling various facilities directly, or using one of those referral websites. Mona knows the facilities, the prices, and the people, and can quickly help you narrow your search to the best choices for your situation — instead of you having to place cold calls to, and sort through, hundreds of possibilities. We had a tricky situation — we needed someplace in a rush, and a place that would take a large dog. Mona came through for us and we are very pleased with my mom’s new residence.

If I could give ten stars, I would. Mona help us place my mother in a wonderful facility that (financially speaking) would have normally been beyond her reach. As a result, my mother’s last years will be such high quality. That’s priceless. Mona is knowledgeable, connected, savvy, and, most importantly, the consummate professional. In a word — she’s awesome!

I cannot recommend Mona Lalchandani enough. I don’t know what I would have done without her help when I needed to find an assisted living placement for my mother in a very tight time frame. Mona was supportive, patient, and most importantly, extremely knowledgeable about the options available in the area. She found a wonderful place for my mother in just a couple of days that has turned out to be an absolutely perfect fit for her needs and our budget. Mona was very attentive and responsive throughout the process and even called to follow-​up with me once my mother was placed to make sure everything had worked out well.

I wholeheartedly recommend Mona Lalchandani at Exceptional Senior Placement! She was tremendously helpful to us in finding a residence for my father. Not only is she knowledgeable about all types of Bay Area senior living options, she listened to what we said about what he needed to match his personality and finances, and she went around with us to various places, guiding us with questions, and providing enormous emotional and practical support.
[Most important: she is local! My strong advice: don’t start clicking places on the internet; you may inadvertently end up in a relationship with a placement organization halfway across the country that will aggressively pursue you. I believe they get large amounts of money if you’ve clicked, then spoken to them once, then chosen a place they mentioned.]
Mona is «down to earth» — very easy to talk to. Also, she understands what it’s like to be experiencing a family crisis with time being crucial in terms of finding a place. (For us it was my dad going to the ER, then a SNF, then suddenly being told we had 48 hours to find him an Assisted Living place because he had «plateaued out» with his care.)
I’m at the age where many of my friends will be helping their folks find an easier place to live – either by choice or necessity. I’m sharing Mona’s name with everyone.

I would give Mona ten stars if I could. She helped us find a room and board place for my mom when we felt truly helpless. She will talk with you and understand your unique situation, coming back with a few options that will be in your range for you to consider. I recommend her to anyone in the Bay Area needing help for memory care options for their loved one.

I can’t say enough about Mona. Her patience, thoughfulness, understanding, and soothing manner all won the day.
My 72 year old Dad is not your average bear — an eccentric fellow with serious hippie tendencies and a life that had gone from robust and wide to small, cluttered, confused, and taken advantage of by predators. It all ended one day with a flood, and that was the catalyst for our work with Mona.
Mona arranged tours for my father at several places in the east bay and we found a great fit. Dad will be moving in in the next couple of weeks and many of the worries and midnight demons that have plagued me for the last year will be over.
THANK YOU, Mona, for treating my Dad with decency and compassion and me with patience and grace. You are a lifesaver and a star. FIVE STARS, and I’d gve more if I could.

I have had such positive experiences with Mona that I recently referred a good friend of mine. She personally recommended and toured facilities with him so that he could make the best decision not only for the short term, but the long term as well. I would recommend Mona for her knowledge, expertise, and negotiation strengths which are greatly needed within the aging population. You can’t go wrong with Mona.

Mona was my ANGEL!!! Father needed immediate assisted care in a home and after searching sites I found the process overwhelming, stressful and emotional. Mona took all that away by steering me in the right direction, making phone calls, etc.
She is truly amazing at what she does!!! Followed up with me every single day!
Caring, supportive, calming and focused on getting what my father needed.
Never met her but I feel as if I have known her for years! Blessings to this wonderful woman…

Mona is an amazing and resourceful senior placement expert.
She is responsive, knowledgeable, experienced, efficient, and helpful.
Our problem: My mom needed a care home, and quickly. Due to a stroke, she needed 24 – 7 care (mostly for memory related problems).
The solution: I e-​mailed Mona the details of what I was looking for, and after a brief call, I had appointments at different care homes the very next day. I really liked one of them, and she helped arrange for Mom to stay there.
The BIG test: When I brought my mom to the care home, I was nervous at how Mom would react. But my mom really liked the home, the caregivers, and the other people in the home. I knew we were in good hands when while I was doing paperwork with the administrator, I peeked into the kitchen and saw my mom talking with one of the other pleasant residents, and later saw her seated at the table happily eating a delicious dinner. Both of us were relieved and very thankful that Mona helped us find such a great place.
How we found Mona:
She came highly recommended by someone I knew at the Elder Care Services Program at UC Berkeley.
Our prior experience with Mona: I first consulted with Mona a number of years ago. She was patient, and coordinated showings of multiple large care facilities in the Bay Area. At the time, we did not end up signing up for a facility due to my mom’s young age, and preference to try to stay at home for as long as she could. But, we were thankful for the time she spent to show us around and educate us on our options, without any pressure. She impressed us with her organization, knowledge, and expertise. When circumstances changed, and we needed to find a new place for mom, we contacted her for help again.
The bottom line: Mona saved us time, helped us quickly, and shared her years of experience in senior placement so we could make the best informed choice we could for a place for Mom. We are grateful. Thanks Mona!