Choosing an Assisted Living Facility

When you and your loved one decide it is time to move into an assisted living facility, how do know which one will be the best fit?  There are many concrete factors, like cleanliness, that are easy to detect during site visits, but other factors can be of equal importance and take a bit more attention.  You want your loved one to be clean and comfortable and fed properly, but how about the social aspect of a facility?

Assisted Living Facility Staff

It is possible that one of the most important aspects of any facility is its people and how they interact.  When you visit, make sure to talk with the staff members.  Do they engage with you and your loved one in a sincere manner?  Do they make eye contact? You should witness them talking with the residents in the same way.  And, you might want to go back and visit at other times during the day to talk with staff members on other shifts.  In conversations with the residents, ask them their thoughts about the staff members.  Do they feel well cared for and do they engage with each other?  Are they happy with their relationships with other residents?

The Residents

The people who live at any assisted living facility should feel like neighbors to your loved one.  Conversation with the residents will be invaluable to your decision-making process.  Find out what social activities are offered: if they aren’t in line with what your loved one enjoys, then it may not be a match.  What are the hobbies of many of the residents?  Are they the same?

The more senior housing and elder care locations you visit, the better prepared you will be to make the right decision.  You will have the comfort of knowing that your loved one is safe and cared for around the clock and is surrounded by friends and competent staff.