How to Find the Right Assisted Living Community [Printable Guide]

If you came here to learn how to find the right assisted living community for your current situation, you are in the right place. Finding the right assisted living community for you or your loved one can be a daunting and difficult task, but it doesn’t have to be. You are in the midst of change and the decision to start this new chapter in your or your loved one’s life is an emotional, financial, and necessary journey. Many start the search alone but feel much more comfortable and prepared when equipped with information and questions to ask before touring any facilities.

It is important that assisted living communities have a home-like feel. It is also important that you take your time and ask the right questions when searching for you or a loved one in order to find the right assisted living home for you. A home that may work for one individual may not be right for another. Although personal recommendations are valuable, you should visit the home in order to make your own judgement and see which home is right for you.

Below we have provided information on how to find the right assisted living community including questions to ask when touring senior living communities. Read below and click the image to download and print our entire brochure to take with you when you tour.

What are Assisted Living Communities?

Assisted living communities offer supportive amenities, services, and care in a residential setting with the comforts of home. Assisted living has staff available in the community 24/7 to assist with care, safety, and support. An individual normally perceives every assisted living community to be the same but the reality is, when you have seen one assisted living community, you have seen just one. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and offer a variety of features, amenities, and prices. All of these different qualities need to be assessed when searching for the right assisted living home for you or a loved one.

Who Benefits From Assisted Living Communities?

Assisted living communities serve seniors who require assistance with everyday activities such as meal preparation, medication management, transportation, and personal care. They also can be appropriate for those who require specialized assistance for Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. Seniors who can no longer live alone or be cared for by an aging spouse or a family member frequently turn to assisted living communities.

Which is right for you; assisted living or memory care?

Both Assisted Living and Memory Care offer;

• Transportation
• Social programs and activities
• Assistance with bathing, dressing, and eating
• 24 hour staffing and security
• Housekeeping services
• 3 daily meals and snacks
• Medication and medical monitoring
• Laundry services

If your loved one has the following you may want to consider Memory Care:

• Dementia
• Alzheimer’s
• Other memory impairment
• Wandered off alone
• Grown fearful of places he/she once loved
• Had inexplicable weight gain/loss
• Lost track of finances
• Forgotten to take medication
• Developed hygiene problems
• Started hoarding/purchasing multiples of various items

Community Review Checklist

The best advice is to locate and visit assisted living communities before a crisis. Meeting the staff, residents, and often their family members is one of the best ways to learn about the community. Every assisted living facility is unique, but there are common questions to ask yourself and the facility director before, during and after a visit in order to determine if the staff and environment  will make you feel at home.  This checklist will help you ask these questions and make an assessment of which assisted living home is right for yourself and/or a loved one.

Environmental Checklist

• As you arrive at the facility, do you like its location and outward appearance?
• As you enter the lobby and tour the community, is the décor attractive home-like?
• Did you receive a warm greeting from staff welcoming you the community?
• Did the executive director call residents by names and interact warmly with them as you toured the community?
• Do residents socialize with each other and appear happy and comfortable?
• Are you able to talk with residents about how they like the community and staff?
• Do the residents seem to be appropriate housemates for you or your loved on?
• Are staff members appropriately dresses, personable and outgoing?
• Do the staff members treat each other in a professional manner?
• Are the staff members that you pass during your tour friendly to you?
• Are visits with the resident’s welcome at any time?

Physical Features Checklist

• Is the community well-designed for your needs?
• Is the floor plan easy to follow?
• Are doorways, hallways, and rooms accommodating to wheelchairs and walkers?
• Are elevators available for those unable to use stairways?
• Are handrails available to aid in walking?
• Are cupboards and shelves easy to reach?
• Are floors of a non-skid material and carpets firm to ease walking?
• Does the community have good natural and artificial lighting?
• Is the community clean, free of odors, and appropriately heated/cooled?
• Does the community have sprinklers, smoke detectors and clearly marked exits?

Needs Assessments, Residency Agreements, Costs & Finances Checklist

• What are the personal care and supportive services offered? What fees apply?
• Is a residency agreement available for review before move-in?
• Is there a written plan of care for each resident? How frequently is it reviewed or updated?
• Does the community have a process for assessing a resident’s need for services and are those needs addressed periodically?
• Does this periodic assessment process include the resident, their family and community staff, along with the resident’s physician?
• Are there any government, private or corporate programs available to help cover the cost of services to the resident?
• Are additional services available if residents need’s change?
• Are there different costs for various levels or categories of personal care?
• Do billing, payment, and credit policies seem fair and reasonable?
• Are residents required to purchase renters insurance?
• Is there a complaints process for dissatisfied residents?
• Is the resident bill of rights posted or available for review?

Medication and Health Care Checklist 

• Does the community have specific policies regarding storage or medication, assistance with medications, training and supervision of staff and record keepings?
• Is self-administration of medication allowed?
• Is there a staff person to coordinate home health-care visits from a nurse, PT, OT, etc., if needed?
• Does the community have a clearly stated procedure for responding to a resident’s medical emergency?
• To what extent are ancillary service such as hospice or physical therapy available, and how are these services provided? Ask if there is an additional charge for any of these services.

Services & Amenities Checklist 

• Can the community provide a list of care services available?
• Is there a nurse on staff?
• Is staff available to provide 24-hour assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) if needed?
• What are the training requirements for staff?
• Does the community provide housekeeping services in personal living spaces?
• Can residents arrange for transportation on fairly short notice?
• Are barber/beautician services offered on-site?
• Does the community provide scheduled transportation to doctors’ offices, the hairdresser shopping, and other activities desired by residents?

Individual Apartment Features Checklist 

• Are different sizes and types of apartments available?
• Are apartments for single and double occupancy available?
• Do residents have their own lockable doors?
• Is a 24-hour emergency response system accessible from the apartment?
• Are bathrooms private and designed to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers?
• Are residents able to bring their own furnishings for their apartment? What may they bring? What is provided?
• Do all apartments have a telephone, TV and internet access? How is billing handled?
• Is a kitchen area provided with a refrigerator, sink, and cooking element?
• May residents keep food in their apartment?
• May residents smoke in their apartments or public spaces?
• May residents decorate their own apartments?

Social & Recreational Activities Checklist 

• Is there evidence of organized activities, such as a posted daily schedule, events in progress, reading materials, visitors, etc.?
• Do residents participate in activities outside of the community in the neighboring community?
• Are residents’ pets allowed in the community? Who is responsible for their care if so?
• Do volunteers, including family members, come into the community to help with or to conduct programs?
• Does the community create sense of inclusion by encouraging residents to participate in activities?

Dining Services Checklist 

• Do dining room menus vary from day to day and meal to meal?
• Does the community provide three nutritionally balanced meals a day, seven days a week?
• Are snacks available?
• May a resident request special food, and can the community accommodate special dietary needs?
• Are common dining areas available?
• May residents eat meals in their apartment or suite?
• May meals be provided at a time a resident would like, or are there set times for meals?

Additional Questions

• Does the community conduct criminal background checks on employees?
• Does the community train staff on elder abuse and neglect? Is there a policy for reporting suspected abuse?
• Does the community have a special wing or floor for residents with cognitive impairments? If so, is it secured?
• Does the community allow hospice to come in and care for residents?
• Does the community accept long-term care insurance?
• Does the community allow a loved one to spend the night? Is there a charge?
• Does the community accept Medicaid?
• Is the state inspection report available for review.

How Can I Find An Assisted Living Community?

There are numerous resources online and in your community to help you locate and research senior care options more thoroughly.

• National Eldercare Locator by the U.S. Administration on Aging (800)-677-1116
• Local Area Agency/Council on Aging n4a.org
• The ALFA Senior Living Community Director alfa.org/seniorliving
• www.medicare.gov

We hope you found our guide helpful and that you find success in your search for the right assisted living home for you or a loved one!