Touring an Assisted Living: What to Look for and What to Ignore

It can be difficult to know what is to be expected, and what might stick out as something to be concerned about when touring an assisted living facility. While there are things that you should pay attention to, there are also things that will be standard across facilities.

You may notice that not all residents look thrilled to be there, and there may be residents who choose not to participate in programs. While in a perfect world, everyone would be engaged and cheerful all the time, residents are entitled to personal preferences and you may be exposed to that. Instead, pay more attention to the things listed below.

• Is the facility clean and organized? Not only that, but does the design of the building match your loved one’s preferences and meet their physical needs?
• Are the staff friendly towards you? Are they engaging with residents who may not be engaged in programs?
• Are there activities happening and do the participating residents look engaged? What does the programming calendar look like? Do the programs look like activities that your loved one would participate in?
• Do residents have individual aides with them? This could be a sign that the facility may have a level of maximum level of care that they could provide without private care.
• If you attend at meal time, how do the meals look and taste, if you’re allowed to dine? If you see the transportation after meal time, does it appear to go smoothly, or are residents waiting for assistance?

Everyone has unique preferences- the important part is whether the facility can meet your loved one’s long term physical needs and bring the comfort of home.