Spokane elder-care veteran Pamela Pierson has written a book aimed at helping seniors and their families navigate the process of selecting senior housing.

The book, "The Pocket Guide to Senior Housing: What They Don't Tell You and What You Need to Know," was published earlier this year by BookSurge Publishing, of South Carolina, and is available at some bookstores here and online from Amazon.com. The list price is $12.99.

The 72-page paperback includes several pages of questions that people who are seeking senior housing might ask of retirement complexes and other facilities while shopping, as well as how they should react to the answers to those questions, a book description says. The book also includes a step-by-step guide through the process of a housing hunt, "from the first call to move in," and defines retirement-industry terms, including the differences between Medicare and Medicaid, in user-friendly terms, it says.

The book explores the cost of senior housing, level-of-care charges, and the various types of geriatric care management. There also is a place in the book for users to keep track of facilities and complexes they have visited.

Pierson, originally from New England, has worked in the senior-care industry here for about 12 years, including as marketing director at Mission Ridge Assisted Living, of Spokane Valley. She currently serves in a marketing capacity at Providence Emilie Court Assisted Living, of Spokane. Pierson has a bachelor's degree in education from Wheelock College, in Boston, and a master's degree in administration from the University of Nevada-Reno.