About AgeSong
About AgeSong
AgeSong exists to help families find the small residential care homes that rarely show up in the usual search results, and to explain what they are finding once they get there.
Why we exist
Small residential care homes are the quietest, least documented sector of senior care in the United States. They are ordinary houses on ordinary streets, licensed by the state to care for a handful of older adults at a time. Families who want this kind of setting for an aging parent almost never find it through conventional channels. The big directories are built around large assisted living brands. Search engines surface lead-generation sites before licensing records. State agencies publish the data, but in forms most families cannot easily use.
We built AgeSong because a family in the middle of a care decision should not have to become a database expert to learn what is available in their city. The goal is simple. Take what is already public, present it honestly, and explain it in plain language so a family can make a decision they feel good about.
Small care homes go by different names in different states. They are called board and care homes, adult family homes, adult foster homes, personal care homes, family care homes, and residential care facilities for the elderly, among others. Whatever the label, they share a common form. A real house, a small number of residents, caregivers who know everyone by name.
What the directory is
The AgeSong directory aggregates state licensing records for small residential care homes, typically those licensed for four to fifteen beds, and presents them in a searchable format organized by state and city. Every listing is drawn from the public record. You can filter by location, see the license number and status, and click through to the full state record for any home.
We are building the directory in waves. California is first, because its data is the largest and the most publicly accessible. Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina follow, each from its state licensing database. For the rest of the country we have filed public records requests with state licensing agencies and are adding states as the data comes back. The map is filling in, state by state.
Data sources
Our primary source for every listing is the state licensing agency that regulates the home. Each listing shows the official license number and links back to the state record so families can verify the license, review inspection history, and confirm capacity directly with the regulator. We update our data on a regular cadence, but the state record is always the source of truth.
Editorial independence
AgeSong is free to families. It is not pay to play. We rank no facilities. AgeSong does not accept payment for editorial coverage or directory ranking, and no operator can pay to be included, excluded, or placed higher in search results than another. Every licensed home that appears in our data sources is eligible to appear in the directory on the same terms.
We draw a clear line between editorial coverage and the separate, optional premium listings that operators may purchase. A premium listing lets an operator add photos, a written description, and direct contact options to their own page. Premium listings are clearly labeled, they do not affect search ranking, and they do not influence which homes appear in the directory. For more on this, see our page on how we make money.
Editorial team
AgeSong content is written by the AgeSong Editorial Team. At this time, no specific individuals are named as founders or team members. We are holding space for a future editorial advisory board, with a geriatric care manager, an elder law attorney, and a care home operator, who will review articles in their areas of expertise once the board is recruited. Our research standards and fact-checking process are documented on our editorial process page.
Contact
For questions, corrections, or press inquiries, please use our contact page.