Testimonials
Countless Five Star Reviews
How I never wrote a review for Rachel I just don’t know!!! She was my “right hand woman” when it came to helping me find a memory care for my mom. She knew how difficult it was for me to place her and she was so compassionate and patient. She toured with me, was honest about experiences in the past with certain places and had me tour a place that was not on my radar and I ended placing my mom there and it was the best memory care I could’ve possibly found!! Thank you Rachel for all you do.. you have no idea what an impact you make on people during a very difficult time!!!
While making the difficult decision to move our elderly parents from their home to a facility that could better serve their needs, my sister and I quickly realized we had very little knowledge how to navigate this process. What kind of care home would best suit them? Can they afford to make the move? How will we help them understand that what we are doing is in their best interest? How do we deal with their difficult behavior as we navigate this transition? How will we downsize their belongings?
We were extremely fortunate to be lead to Exceptional Senior Placement Services (ESP) and had no idea their vast knowledge and expertise would get us through many confusing and complicated days. All of our questions were thoughtfully and expertly addressed by David Cohen and Susan Thaxton. From day one we were cared for with gentle understanding and authentic kindness. We felt completely supported by David and Susan throughout this entire process.
David and Susan always replied to our email and phone calls very promptly. Their reassuring thoughts and positive attitudes provided a bounty of insight that helped us achieve our ultimate goal of moving Mom and Dad to a facility where they would be safe, comfortable, and well cared for. Thank you David and Susan for holding our hands and our hearts from beginning end.
There really are no words to describe how thankful I am for David & ESP services! After juggling my Mom’s journey with ALZ her household & my own it was time to make a change to transition her from in-home to memory care but where, how ? I was so lost at what the first steps would be. As I was looking for care facilities I had no idea what memory care was or what the details were for assisted living. There were so many options & how much did they cost ? Thinking about how much time it would take to find her a place was very overwhelming. I stumbled across ESP on Yelp & decided to take a chance. I had no idea there were services like this, had I known I might have made the decision sooner. At this point I was willing to pay for help & to find out their services are w/out charge felt unreal. David was extremely informative & helpful. It was like relief finally! Taking the time to understand who my Mom is, budget, her needs with her condition, location etc. Then providing me with places to tour & accompanying me helped so much during such a nerve-wracking time. His non-biased direction on choosing the best place for my Mom was very refreshing. There was no pressure, just guiding me along the journey & giving me the knowledge of what to expect & brainstorming on what questions to ask. Always responding right away to any calls/emails. Just heaven sent! May God bless their lives always because what they do is appreciated beyond measures!
Thank you David!
Susan Thaxton, the person who helped me from Exceptional Senior Placement (ESP), was great. She was responsive and helpful in identifying which care homes out of many would be most appropriate for my husband and most likely to “accept” him with his dementia and occasional (but triggered) outbursts. Susan knew about the care homes she was suggesting, or if I asked for suggestions in other parts of the Bay Area that she was less familiar with, she consulted with her colleagues at ESP and got me the info I needed, and in the time I needed it. Susan is very familiar with the care home industry. She seemed genuinely interested in helping. I am very satisfied and recommend ESP.
I learned of Exceptional Senior Placement Services after I placed my parent in an assisted living facility. I wish I had found them earlier. David was incredibly knowledgeable about the situations and concerns I faced and helped me look at options and solutions for my parent as well as considerations for the welfare and well being of my family member. Rachel and staff also called me back to be sure my needs were addressed. Incredible service and I wasn’t even a client. If I need to look for another facility for my parent I will definitely contact Exceptional Senior Placement Services. I highly recommend this company.
This is a massively overdue review. Without getting into specifics, this team has helped me and my family for years plan and navigate the assisted living process. They are motivated by helping people and building long term relationships and not short term gain from making a placement. My loved one needs to make a change in residence soon and Rachel and team are on speed dial for me for this next step. I’ve talked with a lot of placement agencies and they are the best, most human, responsive choice. All love for this crew.
Have twice had the pleasure of working with Susan at Exceptional Senior Placement. The support and guidance Susan provided was tremendously helpful in our search for a better living situation for my in-laws. Following an exploration of our needs, Susan provided several tailored options for our review, any of which would have worked perfectly. Susan saved us both time and money. Would highly recommend Exceptional Senior Placement.
In mid-2022 it became apparent that it was time to start thinking about a new home for my husband. His physical condition was deteriorating due to a neurological disease. Where to start our search? Yelp reviews led me to ESP and the owner, David. At the time, I was very stressed. Between daily visits to my husband in the skilled nursing facility where he ended up after breaking his hip and trying to imagine a realistic solution, I needed help. David from the very first phone call was reassuring and supportive. He asked great questions to gain an understanding of our needs. He understood that the very idea of my husband moving to assisted living was wrenching for both of us. David came up with several recommendations. He created a comprehensive list showing the benefits and disadvantages of a number of nearby assisted living facilities. He kept in mind that it was important to remain in our city. Ultimately, he made appointments for me at two places in Concord. Oakmont at Montecito was right down the street from our present home. To my delight, I learned that I would be able to live there with my husband in a two or three bedroom apartment. We could stay in our neighborhood! And be close to many long-time friends. David helped me figure out the timing to get on the waiting list and then followed up with me as my husband progressed with rehab. Ultimately, my husband surprised everyone and aced the stairway climbing exercises so he was able to return home. We still planned to move to the assisted living facility, but as we had selected one of the largest types of apartments, we knew it would be a wait. Sadly, my husband passed away the week before I was to take him on a tour of the facility. One of the most heartbreaking things to me about his death, was that he was so excited about moving to Montecito with me. David had helped me find what I knew and my husband believed would be a perfect home. David was very kind after my husband’s death and encouraged me to think about my own needs. I am in good health, so I don’t anticipate a move to assisted living for many years, but I have given David’s info to my family in case I need a nudge to make a change. I would 100% recommend Exceptional Senior Placement Services for anyone looking for professional and compassionate assistance in finding a home for older family members.
Where to start? I’ve been working with David on finding placement for my parents, and while I haven’t yet succeeded in getting them relocated, all the roadblocks at this point are on my end.
David has been incredibly helpful throughout the process. I learned so much from just the first couple of discussions with him, and he really set my mind at ease by giving me the support and information I needed to make more informed decisions regarding senior care.
I can’t say enough good things about this service… navigating options is so bewildering without good advice!
How do I thank thee, Ms. Devon Kessler, for helping me find the right memory care for my husband? It has been such a painful journey taking care of a loved one with dementia, let alone finding the time to research facilities. I was very fortunate to have my sister refer me to Devon. Based on my criteria, Devon compiled a list of facilities for me to tour. She set up all of the appointments and accompanied me on the tours, providing invaluable observation, advice and feedback. In the end, I decided on a facility that we had toured at the onset of my quest. It only goes to prove that Devon knew what I wanted. I highly recommend Devon if you ever need to find the right placement for your loved one.
Thank you, Devon!
I feel like without this business and without David, my life would be a complete mess. David was amazing for myself and my fiance when we were trying to locate where my mother could go. I always knew there was assisted living; however, based off my mother’s health I knew she needed more than that and felt like there was no place for her. WRONG
When we first had our call with David, we explained our situation, how my mother’s health has been declining and that we put our life on hold to really manage my mother’s life. David took the time to listen to us, explain that there are places for my mother and that it will take time, but we will get there. His reassurance helped us tremendously and his patience with us was amazing.
He took us on a couple tours around the area to let us see the various options that way we have an idea in our head what we would like for my mother. After telling David what we liked and disliked about each facility, what my mother would prefer/dislike, he took the time to find a couple facilities that would be a possible good fit for her.
After 3-4 months of working with David, we finally found a perfect home for my mother. Our lives are back where I can be a daughter again to my mother rather than being the caretaker. Even though this is only the beginning, I know that if we have any issues further down the road, David will always be there for us.
I have always thrived in careers where I can help people. I spent my first 20 plus years out of college in various Human Resources roles from assisting in job placements, navigating employees with the complexity of health insurance, and providing at-work accommodations to employees with various levels of needs. During this time I also became a personal trainer and focused primarily on working with aging clients to encourage them to stay active, maintain their balance, and avoid osteoporosis.
After spending the first 20+ years of my professional life in Hospitality Sales and Marketing for some of the largest hotel companies in the world, I had created a comfortable life for myself working in corporate America. And yet, after spending so many hours each day creating vacations and corporate travel programs, I couldn’t help but feel there was something more I could be doing each day to impact the greater societal good. Then, as is the case with many “adult children” both of my parents were diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. My mother’s breast cancer had recurred after 30 years in remission and my father’s bladder cancer was a first-time diagnosis. We were faced with the frightening realization that although effective, the treatments would not save my mom’s life this time, and my father, while given a few more years of life, would ultimately succumb to his disease. Walking my parents through their end-of-life processes gave me an “up close” view of what the aging and medical processes are like in the United States. It is overwhelming caring for aging and often medically ill parents, raising young children, and still managing demanding careers working full time. To say it is a lot to handle is putting it mildly.
People often tell me I have an old soul. I prefer to say that I’m “well-seasoned” mixed with a bit of grit that can only come from being raised in a large midwestern family with solid kindred ties. 
Inspiration.Kindness.Compassion.Patience. Perseverance. These are a few of the words that come to mind when I think of my mom. She was the oldest of six girls who grew up in a small fishing village called Spencer's Cove located on Long Island in Newfoundland. She left the island at the age of 17 and by the time she was 20 she was a registered nurse. I had the privilege of growing up with this amazing woman who, as my role model, was instrumental in shaping my life. My own career path took me into hospitals and skilled nursing facilities as a Registered Dietitian. My first opportunity to work with seniors began in a Continuing Care Retirement Community when I was a twenty-something Dietitian. While I have worn many hats through my career, it is those first years of working in a retirement community that left a lasting impression. I can recall many of the residents, the stories we shared and the impact they had on my life. Part of my professional and personal journey has been learning to understand dementia and dementia care.There is nothing more informative than being thrown into the deep end of the pool while helping a loved one with dementia. That’s what it felt like after my mom was diagnosed with Azheimer’s disease. While I learned a lot through supporting my mom during this time, I also began working in a senior community that specializes in dementia care. Being in the presence of over one hundred residents who have been diagnosed with dementia reinforces the value of listening, patience and truly being in the moment.
When I was a kid I thought my grandpa was a cowboy. He owned horses, he chewed a toothpick between his lips, and he wore a Stetson cowboy hat. While he wasn’t really a bonafide cowboy, he did wear many different hats throughout his 94 years. He first wore an apprentice cap before donning a fireman’s helmet working for LAFD until his retirement. That’s when he wore a bucket hat, while he and my grandmother would sit in their tiny rowboat, casting fishing lines into the lake that was nestled at the perimeter of their property.
From the time I was a child, spending time with elders has always been a part of who I am. My god-parents were Native American and I believe that is where my admiration, my understanding and my compassion truly stemmed from, as their culture defined what it is to respect your elders. I always had an unwavering desire to help those older than me with chores, companionship and anything else that makes their lives easier and more meaningful. The gift of hearing life stories being told and watching faces light up in delight that someone wanted to hear more, will always be my favorite part of spending time with clients and elder friends.
With the loss of my Father In Law thrusting my family’s life in to a spiral as they tried to navigate care options, Hospice, and even just “the new day to day” when the stable rock of the family suddenly needed help, life took a new perspective for me. My corporate career just did not seem fulfilling in the right way for me personally and my husband and I knew we wanted to do something more meaningful for us in impacting others.