What to Look for When Touring Senior Housing
Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on March 22, 2017
What to Look for When Touring Senior Housing
When the time comes to move a loved one into an assisted living or nursing home center, families strive to make the most educated and caring decisions. It’s no simple or easy task. If the loved one is a parent, most likely the parent spent a lifetime of making weighted and thoughtful decisions for the care and direction of the family. Now it’s the families turn. Along with key factors of type of facility, cost, location, reviews, and special needs, here are some other factors to think about when touring a potential facility:
- Friendliness and competence of staff
- Cleanliness
- Welcoming atmosphere
- Organized, engaging events
Marie Bryant is a home health aide featured in a previous article on Senior Living. When the time comes for selecting such a facility, Bryant encourages families to closely examine the quality of employees from the moment the family walks in the door.
“Look for quality employees and how they interact with each other. See how things are working, how the employees look and how they’re talking to each other. As you go in, are the employees ready to greet you and have things to show you?”
Don’t be afraid to ask the residents and staff lots of questions, even taking the time to visit on different days of the week to get a good feel for the culture of the facility. Visiting on different days allows you to chat with family members of other residents, partake in different mealtimes, and experience a new shift of workers.
In an article for Kiplinger, Cameron Huddleston encourages families to even take into account the layout of the facility.
“Look at the physical setup. It should look like a residence, not a hospital. That means it should allow residents to bring their own furniture or other belongings to make their rooms or apartments feel more like home. And make sure that the property is secure so that residents can't wander off. If it's a memory-care facility, the layout should be simple -- such as a single hallway that encircles a common area -- so that residents don't get confused or lost.”
No facility is perfect, but there are plenty there that go above and beyond to make their residents comfortable and well-cared for. If you’re wondering when you should start researching facilities for Mom, Grandpa, or Great Aunt, the answer is now. Brooke McClary, community education coordinator for LifeSpring Home Care, offers this advice to families.
“The advice I would give to any family looking to receive home care for an elderly loved one would be to get information ASAP. Many senior adults and their families don’t realize the need for home care until it’s too late.”
Start the research now to diffuse some of the pressure that comes with making such an important decision when timeliness becomes a factor.
That’s what Senior Living Link exists for, helping families get connected with the best care possible for their loved ones. It’s not an easy journey, but with the right team members, the burden of decision-making can be shared by all.