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When people begin their search for assisted living communities, they often have many questions and concerns. Seniors and their families want to find assisted living that’s bright and home-like, with dedicated stuff available 24/7, says Ashley Briggs, assisted living and memory care administrator at Blakeford Senior Life.
“Many families are concerned for the health and safety of their loved ones when searching for an assisted living community,” she says. “Families also want to know that their loved one will have personalized care and maintain as much independence as possible.”
These days, with so many options available, choosing an assisted living facility can be a challenge. This assisted living guide will help you find assisted living that meet your specific needs — from start to finish.
Key takeaways
- Finding the best assisted facility for yourself or your loved one starts with understanding your care needs, budget and what type of living style you prefer.
- Visiting any facility you are interested in is essential so that you can see up close how the facility is run and what the mood and feel is like.
- Geriatric care managers, senior living advisors and placement agencies can offer support during the process.
What to expect from assisted living
Every community is a little different in terms of what they provide, but there are some basic services that you’ll find at most assisted living facilities. “Expect medication management options, a personalized plan of care, dining services with options and a variety of social and recreational programs,” Briggs says.
Additional services
- Transportation. Some, but not all, assisted living communities offer transportation to doctor appointments, shopping and other local establishments.
- Access to specialists. Some assisted living facilities offer services from nurse practitioners, podiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other specialists. Again, this depends on the particular community.
- Wellness amenities. Some facilities have amenities like swimming pools and fitness centers, while others won’t.
What assisted living doesn’t provide
It’s important to understand what services assisted living communities don’t or cannot provide.
While they typically provide help with the activities of daily living, like medication management, dressing, and ambulating, they don’t provide medical-level care or skilled nursing care.
Additionally, most basic assisted living facilities don’t provide care for people with moderate to severe dementia. In these cases, you might need to find an assisted living facility with a specialized memory care unit.
“It is important to put pen to paper to create a list of the things that are most important for the individual.”
— Ashley Briggs, assisted living and memory care administrator
How to find assisted living
It can be overwhelming when you begin your assisted living search because there are often so many facilities to consider. Here are some tips for how to find an assisted living community that meets your needs.
1. Gather personal recommendations
“Personal recommendations are always a good starting point,” Briggs shares. “The search can often feel overwhelming, so hearing from others’ experiences can help guide the beginning of the search.”
2. Utilize online resources
These days, there are many online resources available to gather information about assisted living facilities. You can use Care.com to find information about assisted living communities in your area. Joining an online group for local caregivers can also be a great forum for asking questions about people’s lived experiences with different assisted living facilities.
3. Work with an advisor
A geriatric care manager or senior care advisor can also be a helpful point of contact. “Working with a local advisor who knows the communities can often be an efficient and effective option,” says Brett Koenig, who is a managing partner at Senior Living Search Partners, which provides services like these. “We’ve toured [communities]. We’ve worked with their staff. We know which communities consistently follow through.”
4. Consider placement agencies
Using a care management or placement agency can help you narrow down your search. Typically, these services are structured so that seniors don’t have to pay for the service; rather, it’s paid by the assisted living community where you get placed, says Briggs. “A local placement service can give you a point of contact to sift through all of the information to help make an informed decision,” she explains.
Choosing an assisted living facility
Now that you have some recommendations and possible helpers to guide you on your journey, it’s time to get to work. Here are some necessary tasks to complete as you look at possible assisted living facilities for yourself or a loved one.
1. Evaluate your needs
The first thing to do is to zero in on what you need from assisted living. “It is important to put pen to paper to create a list of the things that are most important for the individual,” Briggs says.
She encourages seniors to consider questions like:
- Are care needs at the top of your list?
- Is social engagement important?
- Is financial burden something that weighs heavily?
- Do you need a smaller, more intimate feel or do you enjoy the hustle and bustle of a larger community?
- Are health needs or mobility concerns a top priority?
2. Understand costs and contracts
It’s vital to understand costs and how contracts work at assisted living facilities. This can vary widely from one facility to another. “Some communities offer ‘all-inclusive’ rates, where the monthly rate is a flat-rate, typically determined by the floor plan of your apartment, and you have access to all of the amenities and care that the community offers,” says Koenig.
But other communities will offer a more varied rate schedule, she adds, with a similar flat-rate based on your floorplan, but only for the standard amenities, like utilities, meals and transportation. “For the ‘care’ portion of an individual’s monthly rate, those communities will generally have defined ‘levels of care’ based on the individual’s needs, which determines what the final, full amount of their monthly rate will be,” Koenig explains.
3. Visit facilities
Visiting any community you’re interested in is a non-negotiable when it comes to selecting an assisted living facility. “When [seniors and their] families tour a community, I always tell them to pay attention to the stuff that’s not on the brochure,” says Koenig. This includes aspects like how the facility smells, the general “vibe” you get and whether the residents seem happy and engaged.
Additionally, Koenig recommends visiting more than once. “Sometimes what looks great on a Tuesday morning tour doesn’t feel quite the same at dinnertime or on a weekend,” she says.
What to look for
As you tour facilities, Koenig recommends considering the following:
- Do the residents look comfortable?
- Do the staff seem rushed or relaxed?
- Do people smile at each other in the hallways or does it feel a little stiff?
Questions to ask
There are also some vital questions to ask staff and administrators at different communities. Koenig suggests asking:
- How care plans are developed and reviewed.
- What the staff-to-resident ratio looks like at different times of day.
- How quickly staff respond to resident call buttons.
- How changes in care are handled. For example, if someone starts needing more help, what happens?
- What staff turnover is like. “High turnover doesn’t always mean there’s a problem, but it’s worth asking why,” Koenig notes.
4. Ask about care needs
Finding out if a facility can accommodate your or your loved one’s care needs is paramount, says Koenig. “If someone just needs some help with meals and housekeeping, that’s one thing, but if they’re starting to need hands-on help getting dressed and bathing, that’s another,” she describes. “Not every community is staffed or licensed to handle higher needs, so you’ve got to match the level of care, not just like the look of the place.”
When to seek professional guidance
If you’ve started your search for assisted living but are feeling confused, overwhelmed or just unsure about what makes sense for your particular situation, it’s a good time to reach out for help from a senior advisor, geriatric care manager or placement agency.
“There’s a lot of nuance in terms of care levels, community types, pricing structures and what communities can realistically offer — and it’s not always easy to figure that out from a website or brochure,” Koenig shares. Professional senior care experts can save you time, offer support and make the process a little less stressful.
A final tip about finding assisted living
It’s common for people to need assistance as they age. When it comes to finding assisted living, it’s best not to wait until this need has turned into a crisis. That’s why Briggs urges seniors and their families to begin these conversations ahead of time.
Talking about assisted living can be a difficult conversation to have, but having those talks early can impact how the individual eventually transitions into a community setting, Briggs says. “Starting the conversation and research before it is needed can help alleviate the stress when the time comes to make that decision.”
