Local Ties Senior Advisors · Tom McCahan · Call or text (971) 610-0047 · localtiespdx.com

Care Navigation · Portland Metro

An in-home safety assessment to help you stay at home, or to work out what’s needed, for you or your family member.

Senior care planning for families who aren't sure what's needed yet.

I come out, get to know you, and figure out what's actually needed. Then I write it down as a plan, and I stay on your team for as long as you need me.

Family-paid — no facility money in the plan Illustration: two hands going over a written care plan on a kitchen table.

How it works

Start for free. Keep me on your team.

1Phone call and quick needs assessmentFirst a call, about 20 minutes: what's happening, what to do this week, whether you need me at all. If needed, I'll come to your home to do an additional quick assessment of the situation.Free
2The Care PlanAn in-depth assessment of your situation, and a written plan for it — with your first month of Continued Support included. Three levels, depending on how much is involved. After the quick needs assessment, we decide together what's needed and settle on a level before we start. See the levels →Focused $500Full $750Complex $1,500
3Continued SupportKeep me on your team. A quick check-in from me every month, plus every call, text, and email — never metered. When something comes up, I either handle it or connect you with one of the partners I work with. Cancel anytime, no minimum.$100/mo
4Work done on your behalfAny extra work on top of any of this, or help with just one thing on its own (see below). Getting things set up at home, finding the right home care agency, sitting in on the hard conversations, paperwork. Always quoted as a total and approved by you first.$150/hr

Every price is explained on the Pricing page.

The deliverable

What you get in the Care Plan.

It's a working document for your family, written in plain English. Not a one-time report — it's built to be updated as things change.

✓

What's needed now — the honest read on care level today, safety, and what can wait

✓

What's coming, and what triggers the next step — how the situation is likely to change, the signs that mean it's time for more care, and what to watch for so nothing blindsides you

✓

What it costs — real Portland numbers for every option on your table, and what pays for what

✓

Who to call — people I know and trust, not a list of links. I make the introduction and stay in the loop.

✓

First moves, handled — I don't just hand you a plan and a bill. I set the key pieces in motion myself, included in the price.

✓

One plan for the whole family — the out-of-town kids get the same document, so everyone is working from the same page.

Three levels, depending on how much is involved

Level	Price	When it fits
Focused	$500	One main need, like home safety or adding some help at home. One visit, and one or two services set up.
Full	$750	Several needs at once, like help at home, safety changes and a benefits question. A family meeting, and up to about three services set up.
Complex	$1,500	A lot moving at once: memory loss with behaviors, a hospital discharge, family disagreement, Medicaid work, several providers, or a second visit.

Need help with something quick?

You don't need a full care plan to work with me. If you just want help getting things done, I work by the hour.

Getting things set up at home. Help with a piece of technology, like a medical alert button or a tablet for video calls, or getting connected with a few trusted providers I've already vetted and who are ready to go.
Finding the right home care agency. I came from home care, so I know how the agencies here differ: who can cover nights and weekends, who keeps the same caregiver coming, and what they charge. I'll find the ones that fit and help you pick.
Being there for a hard conversation with your family member. Sometimes it helps to have someone at the table who isn't family.
Paperwork and benefits. Forms, Medicaid and benefits applications, and written updates so the whole family is on the same page.
Something else you need done. Ask me.

$150/hour. I tell you the total before I start, and you say yes first. Calls and texts are never billed.

Call (971) 610-0047 Text me

The hard conversations

Sometimes it takes someone who isn't family.

A lot of the people I meet are proud. They don't think they need the help everyone else can see they need. Sometimes the person who needs help is the last to want it. I can help everyone talk it through.

I've sat at a lot of kitchen tables for this one. It was most of what I did in home care, and I know how to talk it through without it turning into a fight and get to a plan everyone can live with.

For the really hard ones, I'm not on my own. I have professionals I trust who I can bring in to help.

When something urgent happens

Who to call, and when.

Medical emergency

Call 911 first. Then call or text me. I'll get there when I can, or start on the phone.

Urgent, not medical

Caregiver no-show, discharge date moved, facility conflict brewing — I'm reachable 8am–7pm Pacific, Monday–Saturday.

Everything else

Questions, updates, paperwork — answered during my hours, by the next business day.

Common questions

Questions I get a lot.

Am I locked into the monthly program?

No. Cancel anytime, no minimum, no contract. Your first month is already included in the Care Plan. After that it only continues if it's worth it to you.

Won't you just tell us to move to assisted living?

The plan is paid for by you, not by a facility, so it answers to you. If staying home is the right answer, that's the plan, and I'll help you set it up. If it's time for a move, I'll say that too, and we'll look at it together.

Can't the state help with Medicaid for free?

Yes, and you should use it. Your local Aging and People with Disabilities office or Area Agency on Aging helps with Medicaid applications at no cost. Where I come in is the rest of it: working out whether your family member is close to qualifying, what to do before you apply, and what happens with the house and a spouse at home. I'll tell you which parts the state office can do for free.

Is this for me, or for my family?

Either. A lot of people call about themselves, before anyone else is worried. The plan works the same way. It's built around what you want.

What if we end up needing to move into senior living anyway?

Then we find the community together. That part is free to your family, and everything I learned building the plan carries straight into the search. Planning first isn't wasted.

Still figuring it out? That's a good time to call.

The call is free, about 20 minutes. If the honest answer is that you don't need me yet, that's what I'll tell you.

(971) 610-0047

Call or text. I answer my own phone.

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