Touring a senior living community can be a lot to take in. The building may look beautiful, the apartment may be nicely staged, and the person giving the tour may have answers ready for everything. But the real question is not whether the lobby looks good. It is whether the community will actually work for you or the person you are helping.
Look Beyond the Tour
A tour is designed to show a community at its best. That does not make the presentation misleading, but it does mean you should arrive with your own questions. You are not simply choosing an apartment. You are choosing how everyday life may work.
Pennsylvania recommends visiting communities more than once and at different times of day, talking with residents and staff, observing a meal and activities, reviewing the resident contract, and asking about optional services and additional fees.
1. What Does the Monthly Cost Actually Include?
Do not stop at the advertised monthly number. Ask what is included and what costs extra. Find out whether meals, transportation, housekeeping, activities, personal care, medication assistance or other services carry additional charges. Ask for the fee structure in writing and review the resident agreement before making a decision.
2. What Happens If Care Needs Change?
This may be one of the most important questions you ask. Someone who is independent today may need more assistance later. Ask what additional support the community can provide, what it costs, and whether a resident can remain there as needs increase or would eventually need to move somewhere else.
In Pennsylvania, independent living, personal care homes, assisted living residences, memory care and skilled nursing are different levels and settings of care. Do not assume that a community offering one automatically provides all of the others.
3. Who Is Actually Providing the Care?
Ask about staffing, training, qualifications and turnover. How long have staff members been there? Who is available overnight? How are requests for help handled? Pennsylvania specifically recommends watching how staff members speak to and interact with residents. That can tell you something a brochure cannot.
4. What Is Everyday Life Really Like?
Look at the activities calendar, but also look at whether people are actually participating. Ask about transportation, meals, visitors, pets and opportunities to get outside. If possible, observe a meal and talk with people who already live there.
One particularly useful question for a resident is simple: What is the best thing about living here, and what is the worst? Pennsylvania’s CareKit includes those questions in its long-term care facility worksheet.
5. What Are the Rules?
Ask about visitors, overnight guests, pets, smoking, parking and anything else that matters to the way you live. If you are considering a Pennsylvania personal care home or assisted living residence, ask to see the community’s rules and resident agreement rather than relying only on what you hear during the tour.
6. What Happens If This Stops Being the Right Place?
People understandably spend most of a tour thinking about moving in. Ask about moving out too. What are the notice requirements? Under what circumstances could a resident be discharged? What happens if the resident needs a higher level of care? What assistance is provided if a move becomes necessary?
Visit More Than Once
If you are seriously considering a community, one scheduled tour should not necessarily be the entire evaluation. Pennsylvania recommends visiting at different times of day and night. A community can feel very different during a scheduled weekday tour than it does at dinner, in the evening or on a weekend.
Make the Decision About Your Life, Not the Lobby
A beautiful building is nice. Amenities are nice. But the decision should come down to whether the community fits the person’s needs, preferences, finances and everyday life.
Take notes. Ask questions. Compare more than one option when possible. And make sure the person who may actually live there is part of the conversation and the decision.
Understand your options before you make your decision.
Helpful Pennsylvania resources:
Pennsylvania Personal Care Homes & Assisted Living Residences
Pennsylvania CareKit — Long-Term Services and Support Options