8 Questions to Ask Assisted Living Communities
Assisted living communities offer a wonderful environment for seniors. In an assisted living community, seniors receive around-the-clock care, including regular meals, medication management, assistance with activities of daily living, and more. Here, your loved one can socialize with other people and attend organized activities and events.
With so many benefits and advantages to assisted living, it makes sense that families are increasingly looking to this option as their loved ones age. However, it’s important to know what to ask when touring an assisted living community.
Reviewing the following eight questions to ask assisted living communities will help you to make the right choice for your loved one as you look for a trusted Horsham assisted living community.
1. How Do You Promote a Good Environment for Residents?
Having peace of mind about your loved one’s daily living situation will come down to finding out what the environment is like. Learning what steps are in place to promote a clean, safe, and healthy environment for residents is important. It can be helpful to delve further into specifics, especially if you receive a generic answer to this question. Some follow-up topics include:
- Are there ADA-accessible features onsite such as ramps, wheelchairs, and stair lifts?
- Are the exits visible and properly marked for residents?
- What is the frequency of the cleaning schedule?
- Are there safety features such as grab bars and handrails available?
- Is there a consistent schedule of inspections, and what was the last rating?
2. Is Staff Available for Around-the-clock Care?
Often residents require care at all hours of the day and night, and having staff on hand to care for them is of utmost importance. You will also want to ask about what type of care is available, whether it is onsite or on-call. This ensures that your loved one gets the care they need in a timely manner.
3. What Activities and Events Are Available for Residents?
In addition to daily living, it’s nice for residents in an assisted living community to have something to look forward to. Be sure to ask about additional services beyond regular care and medication management. You will want to find out if they have events and activities that are creative, spiritual, and intellectually stimulating.
4. Do Residents Have a Say in Their Care?
This question takes into account the needs and feelings of each member of the community. When you’re considering where your senior loved one will live, it’s important to know how the community treats its resident’s questions, concerns, and suggestions.
Ask how residents can communicate their thoughts, feelings, and suggestions about matters of importance to them. Find out whether they can have an input on their care plans, meals, activities, and even staff members who directly care for them.
5. How Do You Measure Resident Satisfaction?
As you think about questions to ask assisted living communities, consider whether or not they keep track of how happy their residents are. A community that regularly measures resident satisfaction shows an exceptional commitment to its resident’s state of well-being. Often, an assisted living community will offer a survey or community meeting event to discuss how everyone is feeling and to see where they can improve.
6. What Types of Meals Do Residents Get?
It’s important to find out what types of meal services residents get at the assisted living community. This helps you know if they consider your loved one’s preferences and dietary needs.
Find out how many meals a day residents get and whether the meal times are flexible. You will also want to ask if residents can access treats and snacks as needed throughout the day.
7. Is the Level of Care Flexible?
Assisted living communities offer your senior loved one a place to call home where they can receive the quality care they need. At a later stage in life, certain health challenges begin to appear, including restrictions in physical mobility, memory loss, and a reduction in activities of daily living.
Independent living communities offer a reduced level of care than assisted living communities. However, even within assisted living communities, the level of care needed can vary amongst residents. It’s helpful to find out whether the level of care offered is flexible or fixed.
As you consider your loved one’s need for privacy and autonomy, it helps to know what their stance is on this. If there are some activities that your elder can complete on their own, are they allowed to do so? Having this information ahead of time can help you to make the best choice for your loved one.
8. What Is the Role of Family in Care?
As you ponder the most important questions to ask assisted living communities, you will want to consider the level of involvement a family has. Learning whether or not the family can participate will play a major role in the decision-making process. Some helpful information to find out is:
- Can families speak with staff to discuss issues that pertain to their loved one?
- Are families invited to participate in visits with ongoing social activities that their loved one is doing?
- Are volunteer opportunities and visits allowed?
- Can families advocate for their loved one’s needs?
Get Help Choosing an Assisted Living Community
We Care Senior Solutions offers qualified help and professional assistance to help you choose the right assisted living community. We recognize that choosing a home for your loved one is a big decision, and we know what questions to ask assisted living communities to help you find the best fit. The transition can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to go through it alone.
Let us explain how assisted living communities work and get to know your loved one’s wants, care needs, and budget to help you choose a community.
We have over 25 years of experience helping families choose the best assisted living communities in Pennsylvania and around the US. Count us to answer questions about long-term care insurance, pricing, locations, and more. Schedule a consultation with us by calling today.
