Adult Family Home in Kent, WA A small home, a familiar face.
A licensed home for six on East Hill since 2007, specializing in memory loss and dementia — with assisted living, independent living and respite care too.
Tap any of these to see how we care for it
Memory care and dementia care in Kent.
Tap any of the five — the answer changes below
Memory and dementia care
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The same day, every day, on purpose — same faces, same rhythm, meals at the same table. When someone cannot hold on to the last hour, a predictable day is what keeps them calm. The clock, the calendar and the day’s date stay on the wall where everyone can see them.
Mental and behavioral health management
A calm, low-stimulation household and a team who look for what sits behind a behavior before responding to it. Most agitation has a reason: pain, noise, tiredness, a change in routine. We look for the reason first, and we work with each resident’s own providers on the plan.
Assisted living with personalized care
Help with bathing, dressing, grooming and getting around safely, at whatever level someone actually needs. Every medication given on time and written down, refills handled, appointments coordinated with their own doctors. Home-cooked meals, laundry, and company through the day.
Independent and retirement living
Not everybody arrives needing a great deal. Some residents want their own room, their meals cooked, the laundry done and people around them — and to carry on doing the rest themselves. The care is here for the day it is needed, and not before.
Respite and day care
Short-term care, by the day or for a longer stay. Surgery, a trip, or simply a week of rest for whoever does the caring at home. Call and we will work it out. Families come back to us for this again and again.
A log house, not a facility.
Warm wood in every room. Six bedrooms. A garden path that flowers every spring.
A room to settle into
Bring the photographs, the chair, the blanket from home. It helps more than people expect.
Every meal is cooked here
Home cooking, three times a day, for six people. Nothing arrives frozen on a truck.
A bathroom that works for the people using it
Step-free shower, grab rails, room to help someone without crowding them. It is the first thing a case manager asks about.
Six people, and the same faces every day. That is the whole idea.
Meet Mel
Mel owns Birdsong and runs it. She has since 2007.
Call, and she answers. Not a call center, not a manager on a rota. She knows every resident by name, and she is the one who notices when something is different.
Call Mel- Provider
- Imeeh “Mel” Ballan-Magsanoc
- Licensed by
- Washington State DSHS
- License
- #755160
- Caring since
- 2007
What families say about us.
A review from a daughter, and handwritten notes we have kept for years.
Mom came to Birdsong with much needed 24-hour care. They embraced her immediately. Mel, Jerry and staff let her keep her dignity. They displayed their respect, and attention to detail of Mom’s care. Their friendliness and understanding of Mom’s illness and pain reflected Mel’s ethics and management style. Staff knew Mom was extremely fragile, and yet they comforted her without them knowing I was even watching.
“The caregivers provided exceptional personal care for our father, and he had often expressed thanks beyond words.”
“Your establishment is of the finest I have ever encountered any place. It is good to know he is being taken care of by such loving, caring and highly qualified people.”
“You are one in a million, and you will always be a special person to our family for taking care of our mother.”
The originals are on the wall at Birdsong.
Three ways to pay.
Private pay
A monthly rate set by the level of care someone needs.
Medicaid
Accepted. If you have a DSHS case manager, they can call Mel directly.
Expanded Community Services
Contracted, for residents whose needs run higher than a standard placement.
Cost depends on care level and whether the room is private. Call and Mel will tell you straight.
Ask about cost and openingsThe things people want to know
What is an adult family home in Washington state?
An adult family home is a private residence, licensed by Washington State DSHS, caring for up to six residents. It provides room, board, laundry, supervision and help with daily living. Because the numbers are small, residents get far more individual attention than a large facility can offer.
What is the difference between an adult family home and assisted living?
Assisted living is usually a large building of private apartments, often a hundred or more, with staff available as needed. An adult family home is a real house with a maximum of six residents. The care is closer, the same caregivers are there every day, and meals are cooked in the kitchen and eaten at one table.
For someone living with dementia, that consistency usually matters more than amenities do.
Who are adult family homes for?
Adults who can no longer safely live on their own. That includes older adults with dementia or memory loss, people who need help with bathing, dressing and medications, and people whose needs are too high for independent living but who do not need a nursing home. Birdsong specializes in memory loss and dementia.
How much does an adult family home in Kent cost?
It depends on the level of care a person needs and whether the room is private or shared, so there is no single number we could publish that would be honest. Call Mel on (253) 740-0890 and she will tell you plainly what it would cost for your situation.
Do you accept Medicaid?
Yes. Birdsong accepts private pay and Medicaid, and we hold an Expanded Community Services contract, which covers residents whose needs are higher than a standard placement. If you are working with a DSHS case manager, they can contact Mel directly.
Do you offer respite care or day care?
Yes — respite care and adult day care, by the day or for a longer short-term stay. For surgery, a trip, or simply to give whoever does the caring at home a rest. Families come back to us for this again and again.
How many residents live at Birdsong?
Up to six, which is the maximum a Washington adult family home license allows. Keeping the home small is exactly what makes the individual attention possible.
Which areas do you serve?
Birdsong is on East Hill in Kent. Families come to us from Kent, Renton, Auburn, Covington, Federal Way, Des Moines, Tukwila, Maple Valley and across south King County.
Can we come and see the home first?
Please do. Visits are welcome by appointment. Call Mel on (253) 740-0890 and she will find a time that suits your family.
On East Hill, in Kent.
11701 SE 233rd Pl
Kent, WA 98031
Families come to us from
Come and see it.
This is not a decision to make from a website. Walk through the house, meet Mel, ask whatever you want to ask.
Call Mel
No answer? Leave a message and we call back the same day.
Licensed by Washington State DSHS · License #755160
Birdsong AFHs, LLC · 11701 SE 233rd Pl, Kent, WA 98031