Legato Living

A Family-Founded Alternative to Institutional Memory Care

Legato Living is a residential memory care and assisted living company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, operating small, home-like communities across Arizona, Indiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Texas. Founded by a mother-daughter team, Erin Render and Jill McMahon, the company grew into a franchise brand in 2019, and today its homes are owned and operated by local, hands-on franchise owners rather than a distant management company. Legato Living specializes in memory care and residential assisted living, delivered in ranch-style, single-family homes rather than large institutional buildings. The company's mission, "Our Family Caring for Your Family," reflects its emphasis on small resident counts and individualized attention, particularly for residents living with dementia, for whom the company says the size of the care environment matters.

Visit the official Legato Living website to learn more about the company and its homes.

Company at a Glance

●       Headquarters: Omaha, Nebraska

●       Founded: 2015, by Erin Render and her mother, Jill McMahon, operating residential homes in Omaha; began franchising in 2019

●       Current leadership: Erin Render, MHA, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder

●       Portfolio size: 15 communities

●       States served: Arizona, Indiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Texas

●       Care and lifestyle options: Assisted living, memory care, adult day services, and respite care, with services varying by home

●       Official website: legatoliving.com

Senior Living and Care Options

Legato Living's homes focus on two core care levels, though not every home offers every service:

●       Assisted living

●       Memory care (specialized dementia and Alzheimer's care)

●       Adult day services

●       Respite care

Unlike many senior living companies, Legato Living does not offer independent living or skilled nursing; its homes are licensed residential care settings built around a small number of residents per home, typically in a single-family, ranch-style house rather than a multi-story building. Each home is locally owned and operated by an individual franchise owner, and coordinates with outside partners for services such as home health, rehabilitation, and hospice care rather than providing those services directly. Families should confirm current care levels, licensing, and availability directly on the Senior Care Finder listing for the specific home they are considering.

What Makes Legato Living Different?

A True Home, Not an Institution

Legato Living's homes are ranch-style, single-family residences rather than large group settings. The company's stated philosophy is that for people living with dementia, the size of the care environment matters, and that larger group settings can be overstimulating. Its smaller homes are designed to let residents maintain a lifestyle closer to what they were accustomed to.

A Family-Founded, Mission-Driven Brand

Legato Living traces its origins to 2015, when Erin Render partnered with her mother, Jill McMahon, a registered nurse, to operate residential care homes in Omaha after Erin's own experience working in skilled nursing and assisted living administration. The company's mission statement, "Our Family Caring for Your Family," reflects this origin, and the company frames its culture around treating residents and their families as an extension of its own.

Locally Owned, Hands-On Franchise Operators

Rather than relying on distant corporate managers, each Legato Living home is owned and operated by a local franchise owner who lives in or near the community it serves. The company presents this as a deliberate design choice: owners who are personally invested in a single home or small cluster of homes, rather than overseeing a large portfolio remotely.

A Specialized Focus on Memory Care and Residential Assisted Living

Legato Living concentrates exclusively on memory care and residential assisted living rather than operating a broader continuum that also includes independent living or skilled nursing. The company positions this specialization, combined with low caregiver-to-resident ratios, as central to its ability to provide individualized attention to residents living with dementia.

Deliberate, Territory-Protected Growth

Legato Living has expanded from its original Omaha homes into Arizona, Indiana, Texas, and, most recently, South Carolina, while continuing to open new homes within its existing metro areas, including several in the Omaha area. The company's franchise model assigns each new owner a protected territory based on local population, which it describes as a way to manage market saturation as the brand grows.

Signature Programs and Services

Legato Living's Cognitive Care programming includes activities the company says are designed around residents' existing skills and strengths, such as folding laundry, reminiscing with memory kits and scrapbooks, reality orientation exercises, music, and word games, intended to support cognitive engagement for residents living with dementia.

The company also describes an approach to dining it calls "The Kitchen Is Always Open," offering nutritionally balanced meals on a set schedule alongside snacks and hydration available to residents at any time, including specialized diets such as pureed meals or thickened liquids for residents with swallowing difficulties, per physician orders.

Life at a Legato Living Home

Life at a Legato Living home may include home-cooked meals, secure indoor common areas and outdoor spaces, and activities such as arts and crafts, music, pet therapy, and reminiscing exercises, with the specific schedule and offerings varying by home and owner. Homes are designed with security features such as keypad entry systems and cameras in common areas, along with secured outdoor spaces.

Families evaluating any Legato Living home, or any residential care home, should ask specifically about current staffing ratios, the owner's and administrator's background and tenure, how the home coordinates with outside home health or hospice partners, and current licensing status, since these details can vary meaningfully by individual home and franchise owner.

What Residents and Families Say

Legato Living does not publish a single portfolio-wide review rating, and Senior Care Finder's own listings show ratings that vary by individual home, generally in the high 4-star range among its Premium listings. The company's own website features numerous original Google reviews for specific homes, a legitimate independent review platform. Recurring themes across these reviews include a warm, family-like atmosphere, low staff-to-resident ratios, engaged and responsive owners, and home-cooked meals, though experience can vary by individual home, owner, and time period. Families are encouraged to review recent, location-specific feedback for the particular Legato Living home they are considering rather than relying on portfolio-wide impressions.

Leadership

Erin Render, MHA, is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Legato Living. She began her career in skilled nursing and assisted living administration before partnering with her mother, Jill McMahon, a registered nurse, in 2015 to operate residential care homes in Omaha. In 2019, Erin and her husband, Brett Render, partnered with Jerod Evanich and Dustin Distefano to grow Legato Living into a franchise brand.

Visit the official Legato Living About Us page for more on the company's founding team and current leadership.

Recent News, Growth, and Recognition

Legato Living Opens New Memory Care Home at Indian Hills in Omaha

In March 2025, Legato Living announced the grand opening of its newest memory care home in the Indian Hills neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska, owned and operated by Symidahl Okereke. The home is centrally located near Methodist Hospital and offers four bedrooms and three bathrooms on a single level.

Read the company announcement on Legato Living's website.

Legato Living Expands into South Carolina with Zion Hill in Spartanburg

Legato Living announced its first South Carolina home, Legato Living at Zion Hill in Spartanburg, owned by local franchise owner Lanetra Ebron, marking the brand's expansion into a fifth state. As of this review, the home is listed as "coming soon" on Senior Care Finder.

See the company's Zion Hill home page for current status.

Legato Living of Greater Indianapolis Recognized as Best Assisted Living

Legato Living's Greater Indianapolis homes display a "Best Of" recognition from Current, a local Central Indiana publisher, naming the company Suburban Indianapolis' Best Assisted Living for 2026. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Legato Living? Legato Living is a residential memory care and assisted living company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, operating small, home-like communities across five states through a network of locally owned franchise homes.

Where is Legato Living headquartered? Legato Living is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Who founded Legato Living? Legato Living was founded by Erin Render and her mother, Jill McMahon, who began operating residential care homes in Omaha in 2015. The company began franchising in 2019.

How many homes does Legato Living operate? Senior Care Finder's directory lists 15 Legato Living communities across Arizona, Indiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Texas.

What care options does Legato Living offer? Legato Living offers assisted living, memory care, adult day services, and respite care. It does not offer independent living or skilled nursing.

Does Legato Living offer independent living or skilled nursing? No. Legato Living specializes in residential assisted living and memory care rather than a broader continuum of care.

Are Legato Living homes corporately managed? No. Each Legato Living home is owned and operated by a local, individual franchise owner rather than a distant corporate management team.

What do reviews say about Legato Living? Reviews on Google and Senior Care Finder frequently mention a warm, family-like atmosphere, low staff-to-resident ratios, and attentive owners, though experience varies by individual home. Families should review recent, home-specific feedback.

How much does Legato Living cost? Pricing varies by home, location, and level of care. Families should contact the specific home directly for current pricing.

How can families find a Legato Living home or schedule a tour? Families can browse Legato Living homes through Senior Care Finder's listings or through the company's own home locator, and can typically schedule a tour directly with the local owner.

Explore Legato Living Homes

Comparing individual Legato Living homes is especially important given the company's model, since each home is independently owned and operated and may differ in staffing, licensing, and day-to-day culture. Explore Legato Living communities on Senior Care Finder for current listings, ratings, and details for locations near you.

Services, pricing, availability, ownership, and resident experience can all vary meaningfully from one Legato Living home to the next.

Legato Living is a paid Senior Care Finder partner. Partner status does not replace the need for families to independently evaluate individual communities, services, pricing, licensing information, and recent reviews.

Company information, leadership details, programs, recognition, and news were reviewed using publicly available sources. Information last reviewed July 2026.