Senior living
Senior living answering service: an AI receptionist for families, referrals and inquiries
A senior living answering service handles far more than sales calls: families, residents, discharge planners, caregivers and vendors all ring the same number. 365vox answers the calls you send it, after hours or when your team can’t pick up. Each caller gets the ending your rules set, and every decision about care, admission and apartments stays with your team.
Free 7-day trial, no card. For communities and agencies covered by HIPAA, you accept a BAA in the portal before the agent hears health information. HIPAA and the rules in your state · Ontario and PHIPA
Most calls to a senior living community aren’t sales calls
Prospects are only part of the traffic on a community’s main number.
Catalyst analyzed about one million calls to communities in 2024 and found only 20–30% were sales-related (vendor data, in a sponsored Senior Housing News article). The rest come from families, residents, discharge planners, caregivers, applicants and vendors.
After hours, inquiries often reach no one. The consulting firm Bild & Co. placed mystery-shopping calls to communities overnight and on weekends. Of its shoppers, 63% got voicemail or were asked to call back later, and 32% said they wouldn’t visit (McKnight’s Senior Living, 2024).
A virtual receptionist answers the calls you send it and gives each one its own ending. That might be a tour booked in your calendar, a call put through, an answer from your rules or a message. A person decides everything that matters.
Why each inquiry matters at 90.4% occupancy
Occupancy in NIC MAP’s 31 primary markets reached 90.4% in the third quarter of 2026, the first time above 90% since before the 2008 financial crisis (IREI). At that rate a 120-unit community has about 12 open apartments.
Families move fast: in 2023, 56% of assisted living and 62% of memory care move-ins came within 30 days of the first inquiry (Lana Peck’s analysis, via McKnight’s).
In Q2 2026, call-ins were 13–18% of inquiries in independent living, assisted living and memory care. Call-in and other inquiries led to a tour 50–58% of the time, against 30–36% for all inquiries (Aline, vendor data).
Figures marked “vendor data” come from companies that sell software or services to this industry. Treat them as indications, not independent research.
Senior living answering service call map: who calls, and how each call ends
Every call starts the same way, then splits by who is calling. Each lane has its own page.
A call comes in. The greeting says it’s an AI and that the call is recorded.
- Prospect or adult child
My mom leaves the hospital next week. Do you have assisted living?
Your virtual receptionistAnswers from your published information, asks your inquiry questions, then checks your connected calendar and books a tour at a time that suits the caller.The call endsTour booked and confirmed on the callYour team receivesThe tour in your calendar; the call record in your portal, and in your CRM if it has an open API; an email that a call came in.Senior living inquiry questions - Family member, after hours
I’m calling about my dad in 212. He sounded confused tonight.
Your virtual receptionistNever discusses the resident. Puts the call through when your rules call it urgent; otherwise takes a message for the nurse.The call endsPut through to your one number, or a messageYour team receivesA live call for the person on duty, or a message for the next shift.After-hours family calls - A resident
This is Mrs. Alvarez in 114. My pendant isn’t working and I need help.
Your virtual receptionistIs set up to tell anyone describing a life-threatening emergency to call 911. Puts care calls through to the person on duty.The call endsPut through to the person on dutyYour team receivesA live call for the person on duty. If nobody answers within 20 seconds, the agent takes a message and your team is emailed.Resident calls after hours - Discharge planner or case manager
I have a patient ready for discharge Thursday who needs memory care.
Your virtual receptionistTakes the referral field by field: who is calling, the patient, the discharge date, the care needed and the payer as stated.The call endsPut through when your rules say so, or a messageYour team receivesThe referral in the portal, field by field, with the recording and transcript, and in your CRM or care software if it has an open API.Hospital referral intake - Caregiver or job applicant
It’s Dana. I’m sick and can’t work my 7 a.m. shift.
Your virtual receptionistTakes the name, the shift, the unit and the reason in a few words. Applicants hear how to apply.The call endsPut through to your one number, or a messageYour team receivesA call-off record for whoever staffs the shift; applicant details for HR. - Vendor or anyone else
This is the pharmacy, confirming tomorrow’s delivery window.
Your virtual receptionistAnswers from your rules, or takes the company, the reason and a callback number.The call endsAnswered from your rules, or a messageYour team receivesA message headed with who called and why.
One agent puts calls through to one number. If nobody answers within 20 seconds, the agent takes a message: your team is emailed, and the message goes into your CRM or care software if it has an open API. Calls your rules mark urgent are flagged urgent and get their own email. It isn’t a nurse call system or an emergency service.
A Saturday-night inquiry, start to finish
Only the published rate, no apartment held, the diagnosis she volunteers noted without questions, and a tour booked before she hangs up.
- AI receptionistThanks for calling Brookside Senior Living. I’m an AI assistant. This call is recorded and transcribed so we can handle your request. How can I help you today?
- CallerHi. My dad leaves the hospital on Tuesday, and the social worker says he shouldn’t live alone. Do you have assisted living?
- AI receptionistI’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Yes, Brookside has assisted living and memory care. Our published assisted living rates start at $5,200 a month. Care costs are set after our nurse’s assessment.
- CallerDo you have an apartment open for Tuesday?
- AI receptionistI can’t check or hold apartments, but Maria, our sales director, can. Can I get your full name?
- CallerJen Walsh. 617-555-0182.
- AI receptionistThank you, Jen. Who are you calling about?
- CallerMy father, Tom. He has early dementia.
- AI receptionistI’ve noted that for Maria. Whether Brookside is the right fit is something our team works out with you. Would you like to come for a tour? Which day suits you?
- CallerMonday afternoon.
- AI receptionistMaria has 2:00 or 3:30 on Monday afternoon. Which works better?
- Caller2:00.
- AI receptionistYou’re booked for a tour with Maria on Monday at 2:00 p.m. How did you hear about us?
- CallerThe hospital social worker, and an adviser from a referral website.
- AI receptionistThank you, Jen. Maria will see you Monday at 2:00, with your answers in front of her. Our sales office opens Monday at 9 a.m. if you need us sooner.
The rules that shape senior living calls, US and Canada
Six rules change what should be said on a community’s phone.
| The rule | What it means on the phone | What the agent does |
|---|---|---|
| Fair housing (US). The rule on discriminatory statements covers oral ones (24 CFR 100.75). Asking whether an applicant has a disability, or its nature or severity, is unlawful with narrow exceptions (24 CFR 100.202(c)). The 55+ and 62+ exemption covers familial status only (24 CFR 100.301). | Every prospect should hear the same facts. A 55+ community is still bound on race, color, religion, sex, disability and national origin. | Answers every prospect from the same rules. Asks nothing about diagnosis or disability; records what callers volunteer in their words. |
| HIPAA coverage (US). Providers are covered when they submit HIPAA transactions, like claims, electronically, and HHS lists nursing homes among its examples. So assisted living depends on how it bills (HHS). | Families share health details either way: “Mom has dementia.” Your privacy officer decides your duties. | Answer Yes to the health question: the agreement comes first, and call emails only say a call came in. |
| Family asking about a resident (HIPAA, where it applies). A provider may share what’s relevant to a family member’s role in care unless the patient objects (HHS FAQ 2087). It may set its own rules for verifying callers (FAQ 534). | What to share, and with whom, is a judgment for staff who know the resident. | Never confirms or discusses a resident. Takes a message, or puts the call through when your rules say it’s urgent. |
| Abuse, neglect or a crime. Long-term care facilities receiving at least $10,000 a year in federal funds fall under Social Security Act §1150B, from the Elder Justice Act. Owners, staff and contractors must report a suspected crime against a resident to HHS and the police. The deadline is 2 hours with serious bodily injury, otherwise 24 (summary). Every state but New York names mandated reporters (NCEA and NAPSA). In Ontario, anyone with reasonable grounds to suspect harmful care, abuse, neglect, unlawful conduct or misuse of a resident’s money must report it immediately. Reports about a retirement home go to the RHRA Registrar (RHA s.75); about a long-term care home, to the Director (FLTCA s.28). | A daughter mentions bruises, or a resident says money is missing. Some deadlines are counted in hours. | Treated as urgent when your rules say so: flagged urgent and put through to your one number. If nobody answers within 20 seconds, it takes a message and the urgent email goes out. Whether and how to report is your staff’s decision. |
| Long-term care placement (Ontario). Applications go through Ontario Health atHome. A care coordinator assesses eligibility; applicants choose up to five homes and have 24 hours to accept a bed (Ontario, Ontario Health atHome). More than 50,000 were waiting in March 2026 (OLTCA). | Families ask the home to “get on the list.” The home can’t take the application or promise a bed. | Explains that applications go through Ontario Health atHome, with the contact you list. Never estimates a wait. |
| Referral agency fees (US). Communities pay the agency when a referred family moves in; one agency’s site put it as “first month’s rent and care” (quoted by Sen. Casey, 2024). Arizona’s 2026 law makes agencies disclose the fee and its amount to prospective residents or their representatives (SB 1477). | Who introduced a family can matter under your agency contracts. | Asks how they heard about you; records the agency and adviser’s name. Never discusses fees. |
General information, not legal or clinical advice. Rules differ by state and province and change over time, so check yours. The §1150B summary is a 2010 law-firm advisory; the mandated-reporter list is current as of June 2020.
An answering service for assisted living and memory care, and eight other settings
Each setting has its own callers and rules.
Assisted living
Adult children after a fall or a hospital stay, respite questions and short-notice discharges.
Assisted living answering serviceMemory care
Families often call in crisis. Occupancy stood at 88.4% in the first quarter of 2026 (NIC).
Memory care answering serviceIndependent living and 55+
Lifestyle questions, waitlists and tours. Every fair housing rule but familial status still applies.
Life plan communities (CCRCs)
Entrance fees and Type A, B and C contracts answered only from your disclosures (Massachusetts guide).
Nursing homes
Hospital referrals field by field, and families checking on residents. Freestanding nursing care occupancy: 86.7% in Q1 2026 (NIC).
Nursing home answering serviceHome care agencies
Caregiver call-offs before dawn, families asking about care, discharge planners.
Home care answering serviceHome health agencies
Physician and hospital referrals, and skilled patients put through to the on-call nurse.
Hospice
Symptom and death calls put through to the on-call nurse, under the 24-hour rule in 42 CFR 418.100.
Hospice answering serviceRetirement homes (Canada)
Ontario’s nearly 780 retirement homes are licensed by the RHRA; residents apply directly (Ontario).
Long-term care homes (Canada)
In Ontario, admission goes through Ontario Health atHome, never the home, so no bed is ever promised.
The honest trade-off: health details and one transfer number
Two things work differently from a sales-only phone tool. Better to know them before you set up.
When you create the agent, the portal asks whether callers will share health information. On a senior living line they usually do: “Mom has dementia,” “Dad’s on oxygen.” So answer Yes, and accept the health-information agreement. For an agent that hears health information, the call email only says that a call came in. The details stay in your 365vox portal, behind your sign-in. Your sales director opens the portal for each inquiry instead of reading it in the inbox. Calls your rules mark urgent are flagged urgent in the portal and get their own email. For a health agent, that email only says an urgent call came in; the details stay in the portal.
The agent puts a call through to the number you set in step 4 when the caller asks for a person or your rules say the call is urgent. If nobody answers within 20 seconds, it takes a message: your team is notified by email, and the message goes into your CRM or care software if it has an open API. One agent has one transfer number. So a community can run two lines: an inquiry line put through to the sales director, and an after-hours care line put through to the nurse or manager on duty. That’s two agents, each with its own phone number, in one account.
Two lines, one account
Inquiry line. Your marketing number. After hours, weekends and overflow. Put through to the sales director.
Care line. The number families and residents already have. After hours or 24/7. Put through to the nurse or manager on duty.
What it never does for a senior living community
Some come from the five built-in rules, such as never promising prices and never taking card details. Add the rest in step 10.
Never quotes care fees beyond your published rates
It gives the rates in your rules, such as a starting monthly rate, and says care fees follow your assessment.
Never says an apartment or bed is held
It doesn’t hold or promise an apartment, a bed or a move-in date. Availability and deposits stay with your sales team.
Never discusses a resident with an unverified caller
It can’t verify who is calling, so it doesn’t confirm or discuss a resident. It takes a message.
Never decides admission or level of care
Fit for assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing comes from your team’s assessment, not the phone.
Never asks about disability or diagnosis
It asks only your questions, none about a diagnosis or disability, and records what callers volunteer.
Never takes payments
No deposits, card numbers or bank details on a recorded call. It explains how your business office takes payments.
Build it yourself
Build your AI receptionist for senior living yourself
When you create the agent, answer Yes to “Will callers share health information with this agent?” and accept the health-information agreement. Then set these on the Customize screen. For a second line, build a second agent the same way.
You set all of this yourself in the 365vox portal, on the Customize screen. Everything saves as you type; then you submit, test the agent with a real call and activate it.
Customize · your agent
- Step 1, IndustryOther. Your business rules describe your community and its care levels.
- Step 3, Questions to askName, phone and email are there. Add
Who are you calling about?
,Which care level are you asking about?
,When are you hoping to move?
andHow did you hear about us?
- Step 4, Forward to a personThe sales director on an inquiry line; the nurse or manager on duty on a care line. One number per agent. If nobody answers within 20 seconds, the agent takes a message.
- Step 5, IntegrationsConnect the sales director’s calendar, so the agent books tours and assessments during the call. If your senior living CRM has an open API, connect it too: tours, callers’ details and call notes go straight into it.
- Step 7, When your agent answersAfter hours and weekends, or Overflow: your phone rings first, and the agent answers if nobody picks up within 20 seconds.
- Step 8, Call notificationsUp to 10 emails: sales director, executive director and, on a care line, the director of nursing. Each says only that a call came in. Calls your rules mark urgent get their own email.
- Step 9, Business rulesYour website, published rates, tour hours, care levels and your urgent list: a fall, a resident who can’t be found, any report of harm or missing money. Up to 3 documents.
- Step 10, Things your agent will never doThe five built-in rules stay on. Add
Never say an apartment is available or held
andNever discuss a resident.
- Step 13, Test your agentCall it as a worried daughter would, before you can activate it.
Six questions to ask any senior living answering service
Here are our answers. Get theirs in writing before you sign.
Does it handle more than sales calls?
Yes. Prospects, families, residents, discharge planners, caregivers and vendors each get their own ending. Ask any sales-only tool where everyone else’s calls go.
Will you sign a BAA, and do your own vendors have one?
Yes. You accept the health-information agreement before an agent can hear health information, and 365vox has its own agreement with every company that handles patient information on a call.
Does it put tours into our CRM or calendar?
Yes. It checks your connected calendar, books the tour or assessment at a time that suits the family and confirms it before the call ends. If your senior living CRM has an open API, the tour, the family’s details and the call notes go straight into it.
What does it say when someone asks about a resident?
Nothing about the resident. It takes a message, or puts the call through when your rules say it’s urgent.
What happens when a caller reports a fall or abuse?
When your rules call it urgent, it flags the call urgent and puts it through to your one number. If nobody answers within 20 seconds, it takes a message, and the urgent call gets its own email. For a health agent, that email only says an urgent call came in, so someone should still answer that number at night. It’s set up to tell anyone describing a life-threatening emergency to call 911.
Does it call leads back?
No. It sends no text messages and makes no outgoing calls: it answers the calls that come in. Your sales team calls families back. The FCC ruled in 2024 that AI voices count as “artificial” under the TCPA, so AI calls out generally need prior consent (summary).
After-hours answering service for senior living communities, priced by the minute
$0.75 a conversation minute, billed by the second. No monthly plan, no setup fee and no long-term contract. Taxes where applicable. A second line adds no plan fee: you pay for the minutes each agent talks, plus $3 a month if it uses a 365vox number (free during the trial).
Example: a 120-unit assisted living community
After-hours, weekend and overflow calls only.
- Inquiries from prospects and adult children
- 60 calls × 4 min
- Family and resident calls
- 70 calls × 2.5 min
- Caregiver and staff calls
- 40 calls × 1.5 min
- Vendors and everything else
- 30 calls × 1.5 min
- Total
- 200 calls · 520 min
520 minutes × $0.75 = $390 a month, about $3.25 a unit. Illustrative assumptions chosen by 365vox, not a customer result. Taxes where applicable.
Comparing virtual receptionist services?
Live answering services usually sell monthly plans of minutes or calls. 365vox is an AI virtual receptionist that answers forwarded calls on the first ring, day and night, follows your approved answers and costs $0.75 a minute, billed by the second, with no plan.
More for senior living operators
Senior living answering service FAQs
What should a senior living answering service handle besides sales inquiries?
Can the AI tell a family how their mother is doing tonight?
Does an assisted living community need a BAA if it doesn’t bill Medicaid?
How does it handle families who were sent by a referral agency?
Can one agent cover both our inquiry line and our after-hours care line?
What does it say when a caller asks whether you accept Medicaid or long-term care insurance?
Can an Ontario retirement home or long-term care home use it?
What would after-hours coverage cost a 120-unit assisted living community?
The sales office closes at 5. Families keep calling.
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