Wisconsin has thousands of assisted living providers. Some are small houses; others are more like apartment complexes. Some take Medicaid, while others require residents to pay out of pocket. It’s a lot to sort through, especially when someone needs care fast. 

Searching “assisted living” on Google pulls up several pages of facilities, many listed under a prominent “sponsored results” section.

Mixed in with actual providers are referral companies that promise a way to compare options. Long-term care referral companies don’t typically charge families for their services. Instead, they often receive money from facilities they recommend.

Wisconsin lawmakers in May proposed legislation to make any financial relationships between a referral agency and an assisted living facility clearer. 

Supporters of the bill said disclosure requirements could help families make more informed decisions. Opposing the bill, referral companies argue that they are already transparent and that proposed guardrails would prevent them from helping more families. 

The bill failed to pass before the Assembly adjourned last month. But the debate left me wondering: Where should someone start the search for care?

Aging and disability resource centers

Aging and disability resource centers (ADRCs) can provide objective provider lists for free, alongside information about services and payment options, said Janet Zander, the advocacy and public policy coordinator with the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, Inc. 

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services lists ADRCs by county online. 

ADRCs cannot recommend one facility over another, Zander said. But they can suggest what to look for during a tour. Zander also recommends looking at a facility’s Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance surveys.

They can also help people identify what kind of care makes the most sense and explore aging at home, said Sara Tribe Clark, the director of the Eldercare Locator, which offers local resources for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers. 

Related Story

What to know about Medicaid and assisted living in Wisconsin

Wisconsin resources can help older adults find adequate, assisted living care, despite limited options for Medicaid recipients.

If you work with a referral agency, ask questions

Tribe Clark recommends asking:

• Do you receive compensation from the providers you recommend?
• Are your referrals limited to certain facilities?
• How do you determine which providers to suggest? What is the criteria for inclusion/exclusion?
• Are there providers in my area that you do not represent?

We want to answer your questions

Getting answers to my own questions is a perk of being a reporter. But I haven’t yet navigated Wisconsin’s aging and disability resources for myself or a loved one. I know I’m missing important questions, so please send me yours, alongside your perspectives.

What has been confusing or frustrating about finding care?

What do you wish you’d known sooner?

What made the process easier?

Even after more than two years reporting on long-term care in Wisconsin, I won’t have all the answers. But I will find experts who do. Email me at acostello@wisconsinwatch.org or call 608-616-5239.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup.

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Finding long-term care is hard. Here’s how to start.

by Addie Costello / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch
March 11, 2026

<h1>Finding long-term care is hard. Here’s how to start.</h1> <p class="byline">by Addie Costello / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch <br />March 11, 2026</p> <p>Wisconsin has thousands of assisted living providers. Some are small houses; others are more like apartment complexes. Some take Medicaid, while others require residents to pay out of pocket. It’s a lot to sort through, especially when someone needs care fast.&nbsp;</p> <p>Searching “assisted living” on Google pulls up several pages of facilities, many listed under a prominent “sponsored results” section.</p> <p>Mixed in with actual providers are referral companies that promise a way to compare options. Long-term care referral companies don’t typically charge families for their services. Instead, they often receive money from facilities they recommend.</p> <p>Wisconsin lawmakers in May proposed legislation to make any financial relationships between a referral agency and an assisted living facility clearer.&nbsp;</p> <p>Supporters of the bill said disclosure requirements could help families make more informed decisions. Opposing the bill, referral companies argue that they are already transparent and that proposed guardrails would prevent them from helping more families.&nbsp;</p> <p>The bill failed to pass before the Assembly adjourned last month. But the debate left me wondering: Where should someone start the search for care?</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Aging and disability resource centers</strong></h2> <p>Aging and disability resource centers (ADRCs) can provide objective provider lists for free, alongside information about services and payment options, said Janet Zander, the advocacy and public policy coordinator with the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, Inc.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Wisconsin Department of Health Services <a href="https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/adrc/consumer/index.htm">lists ADRCs by county</a> online.&nbsp;</p> <p>ADRCs cannot recommend one facility over another, Zander said. But they can suggest what to look for during a tour. Zander also recommends looking at a facility’s <a href="https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/dqa/openrecords.htm">Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance</a> surveys.</p> <p>They can also help people identify what kind of care makes the most sense and explore aging at home, said Sara Tribe Clark, the director of the <a href="https://eldercare.acl.gov/home">Eldercare Locator</a>, which offers local resources for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>If you work with a referral agency, ask questions</strong></h2> <p>Tribe Clark recommends asking:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Do you receive compensation from the providers you recommend?</li> <li>Are your referrals limited to certain facilities?</li> <li>How do you determine which providers to suggest? What is the criteria for inclusion/exclusion?</li> <li>Are there providers in my area that you do not represent?</li> </ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>We want to answer your questions</strong></h2> <p>Getting answers to my own questions is a perk of being a reporter. But I haven’t yet navigated Wisconsin’s aging and disability resources for myself or a loved one. I know I’m missing important questions, so please send me yours, alongside your perspectives.</p> <p>What has been confusing or frustrating about finding care?</p> <p>What do you wish you’d known sooner?</p> <p>What made the process easier?</p> <p>Even after more than two years reporting on long-term care in Wisconsin, I won’t have all the answers. But I will find experts who do. Email me at <a href="mailto:acostello@wisconsinwatch.org">acostello@wisconsinwatch.org</a> or call 608-616-5239.</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://wisconsinwatch.org/2026/03/wisconsin-assisted-living-finding-long-term-care-aging-disability-resource-centers/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://wisconsinwatch.org&quot;&gt;Wisconsin Watch&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/wisconsinwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cropped-WCIJ_IconOnly_FullColor_RGB-1.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;amp;quality=100&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://wisconsinwatch.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=1315017&amp;amp;ga4=G-D2S69Y9TDB&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://wisconsinwatch.org/2026/03/wisconsin-assisted-living-finding-long-term-care-aging-disability-resource-centers/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/wisconsinwatch.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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