Choosing an Assisted Living Facility - Things to Consider
Posted in Uncategorized on October 30, 2015
Tags: aid and attendance, tips for seniors, veterans
When you’re thinking of moving to an assisted living facility, there’s a lot to consider, and you may get a different 
opinion or recommendation from everyone you talk to. It may seem like there are a million things to think about, especially if you have grown children whose opinions differ from your own. To make things simpler, here are 6 factors to focus on.
Your ideal location
Because most of us want to stay in our homes, we often assume that an assisted living facility close to home is the next best option. It may be, especially if you’re active in your neighborhood, have family or friends nearby to visit, and are in good health. If you’re managing a chronic or degenerative health condition and your family lives too far away for frequent check-ins, it may make more sense over the long run to relocate to an assisted living community near your adult children. Long-distance moves can be disruptive and costly, but being near family can mean a fuller social life and better care management. Weigh the pros and cons before you make your decision.
Continuity of care considerations
If you’d prefer to relocate once and be done with it, narrow your search to assisted living communities that offer continuity of care. These places provide multiple care options on the same campus, often including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing care, and specialized memory care. As a resident, you’ll be able to stay in familiar surroundings even if your health and care needs change, which means one less thing to worry about.
Community culture matters
Visit the assisted living communities in your preferred area, talk with the staff and residents, and ask what daily life and holidays are like at each place. The lifestyle at each community is connected to its location. Apartment towers in downtown arts districts are more likely to be home to theater fans, fine-dining aficionados, and recreational shoppers, while suburban communities beside parks and golf courses will draw a more outdoorsy crowd.
Check out the services and amenities
Get a list of the included services and amenities for each community you visit. Typical services included in the monthly rate are weekly housekeeping and linen laundry, daily meals, and on-call nursing help and maintenance services. Some services, such as haircuts and spa treatments, are pay-as-you go, so many sure you understand what’s included and what’s out of pocket.
Reports, reviews, and reputation
When you’ve found a few places you like, dig deeper. Ask to see copies of their latest state licensing inspection reports, read online reviews by residents and family members, and ask residents and their relatives about their experiences.
Consider the cost and your benefit options
When you compare the costs of each facility, factor in services that each place includes, like the number of meals provided each week. If you are an eligible veteran or spouse and need help with activities of daily living (dressing, cooking, getting to appointments, taking medication), the VA Aid & Attendance Pension benefit can help defray the cost.
Choosing an assisted living community is a big decision, and finding the right place is well worth the effort. To help you, SeniorAdvisor.com has reviews of thousands of assisted living facilities across the US, including award-winning communities as chosen by residents and their families.
Here is a list of the best rated assisted living facilities in the top cities in the United States:
Assisted Living in Atlanta
Assisted Living in Chicago
Assisted Living in Cincinnati
Assisted Living in Dallas
Assisted Living in Denver
Assisted Living in Houston
Assisted Living in Madison
Assisted Living in Miami
Assisted Living in Minneapolis
Assisted Living in New York
Assisted Living in Philadelphia
Assisted Living in Portland
Assisted Living in San Antonio
Assisted Living in San Diego
Assisted Living in St. Louis
Written by: Casey Kelly-Barton
14 Responses to “Choosing an Assisted Living Facility - Things to Consider”
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This is great information. These are all great tips to be on the look out for while in search of housing for a loved one. I really like the idea of considering the option where all the tips of living (assisted, independent, etc) are available, in case of a change in health or care. Therefore, a resident doesn't need to be uprooted in case of something changing.
[…] special needs that will require assistance in completing activities of daily living (ADLs), making assisted living communities especially […]
I really do like the suggestions on how to look for an assistant living center. I think it is very smart to check out reviews as well. I know I would feel better about putting a loved one in a center once I know what it is like.
It was really a nice blog post about how to choose the right Assisted living facility. I think if you also contact with the senior care specialist before hiring any assisted living facility, he or she may also assist you to choose the right option for your seniors. Last year i hired an assisted living caring for my mother with the assistance of senior care specialist. Now she is very happy there.
When my grandmother made the move to an assisted living center, she made sure to stay close by to her adult children and their families. I know that she's very happy there because she gets to see them quite frequently. Thanks for sharing!
My grandpa would always tell us that he felt lonely after his wife died, and we weren't sure how to help him. I really like the idea of each community lifestyle being affected by its location. I think it would be good for my grandpa to be moved to one of these and have a good community around him.
My parents are looking for assisted living, so I've been helping them with the research. I'm glad you pointed out that the culture matter. If I were to live at one of these places, the culture would be important to me.
Services and amenities was particularly important for us, as we wanted to ensure we were providing the possible environment for our loved one.
I like your advice on how the lifestyle at an assisted living facility would be connected with its location. It makes sense that somewhere out of the city would draw a more outdoorsy crowd. My father in law has always been one to like to golf and things like that so maybe we should look for a facility with those type of amenities nearby.
I appreciate this information provided about how to choose an assisted living center. It is a wise idea to consider the location. Something else to think about would be inspecting the facility before committing to ensure that it is clean and sanitary.
We are wondering if it would be beneficial for my grandma to live in an assisted living center. I find that these facilities are worth while because there are lots of things to do there and great opportunities to meet new people. I love the point that was mentioned about visiting often. We would definitely have to do this.
Thanks for pointing out that the culture of daily life makes a big deal at assisted living communities. After all, if your loved one is going to be living there every day for the rest of their lives it would be a pretty big deal to make sure that they will enjoy those days. I would imagine that if possible, it would be a good idea to bring the individual who will be moving in with you when you visit the facilities to get their opinions of them.
I didn't know that assisted living communities had different living styles. I think that if you are at an assisted living home then you might want to find people that like the same things as you. I think that it is important to have connections with people, especially if you can't go out and do what you want when you want to.
I like that you suggest to have your loved one live in a facility that is close to you. I can see why this would be a good thing to do so that you can get to them relatively quickly if something were to happen. Also, I think that this makes it easier to visit them more often, which could help them feel less home sick.