When you first start looking for the perfect senior living community, you might feel both delighted and overwhelmed by all the choices. Glossy brochures and sleek websites offer tempting glimpses of lovely residences, engaging activities, and delicious on-site dining.
Before you decide to throw caution to the wind and move sight-unseen to a too-good-to-be-true facility on a tropical island, take some time to consider what you really want and need as you choose the community that will be your next home.
At Vivante, we are experts at guiding seniors and their families through the process of selecting the right senior living community. We recommend making a thoughtful checklist of your own priorities to guide you as you consider all your senior living options.
Identify Your Needs and Lifestyle Preferences
Choosing a senior living community can be a complicated decision-making process, so it should start with who you are as a person. Your top priorities should be your own needs, preferences, and interests. Take the time to make a comprehensive list of everything you want in a senior living community, such as:
Assistance and care
Consider your current health and well-being, as well as any conditions that may change your level of independence over time. Determine what personal care and assistance you need. You may be looking for a community that offers independent living while providing transportation services, allowing you to stop driving. Perhaps you are facing health changes that require increasing levels of daily medical care. If you or a loved one has a dementia diagnosis, you might need a facility that can increase memory support as cognitive abilities decline.
Social, recreational, and wellness programs
If you are fully retired from work, a senior living community with a calendar of available activities can help you fill your days. Take a look at social events, wellness activities, fitness classes, and facilities, and planned outings that a community offers. Make sure their portfolio of amenities and activities interests you, and will contribute to a fulfilling lifestyle filled with social engagement and quality care.
Proximity to family and friends
There are a million cliches about real estate and location, and they exist for a reason. The location of a senior living community can be a deciding factor for prospective residents. Consider whether you want to stay in the area where you currently live or whether you want to relocate to be closer to family members. Think about how important it is to have easy access to entertainment and shopping. Access to your current doctors or particular hospitals can also be part of the process of deciding on a senior living community.
Evaluate the Levels of Care Offered
The first step is deciding which level of care is best for yourself or your family member. Consider your current health needs, as well as what needs you may have in the future.
Independent Living
Senior living communities offer different levels of care. Independent living communities are designed for older adults who don’t need help with the basics of daily living. You may want your own apartment, but enjoy housekeeping services, dining services, and transportation services as a matter of convenience. You may also appreciate a community with basic medical care available on-site, as well as amenities like a fitness center, salon, social events, and group activities.
Assisted Living
Assisted living communities offer a higher level of care and serve seniors who need more help with daily activities. This level of care is appropriate if you or a loved one has limited mobility or needs assistance with bathing and dressing. Assisted living communities can also offer eating assistance, such as a soft food diet or assistance with using utensils. You can look for a community with robust access to on-site medical care, as well as access to occupational and physical therapy.
Memory Care
Memory care communities offer the highest level of care. The goal is to ensure the safety and well-being of residents and help them maintain cognitive function as long as possible. In addition to a full range of assistance with daily living, residents have individual care plans to help with cognition. Residential memory care has higher levels of security to prevent residents from wandering or getting hurt.
Care Transitions
Some communities provide a combination of independent, assisted living, and memory care services. This allows residents to increase their level of services as their needs change. This is a good option if you want to be able to stay in the same community long term. Multi-level communities also allow you to take advantage of daily assistance services temporarily, such as while recovering from a surgical procedure or injury.
Staffing levels
Staff in assisted living and memory care facilities have specialized training. They may have a background in skilled nursing care or as a medical assistant, as well as training in working with seniors or dementia care. In addition, some states require certification to work in an assisted living or memory care facility. Communities may have their own standards for training that exceed state requirements. Ask about staff training, skills, and background checks to make sure the community is safe and can meet all of your needs.
Schedule Tours and Assess the Environment
There’s no substitute for taking an in-person tour of a facility. When scheduling a visit, ask for an appointment that is long enough that you have plenty of time to look around and ask questions. Use the opportunity to meet residents and staff. Take notes to help you remember the details later.
Cleanliness, safety, and comfort
Senior living communities should have pleasant surroundings. Make sure the building, grounds, and interiors are well-maintained, clean, and tidy. Both communal and living spaces should be comfortable, well-lit, and easy to access. Take note of features like handrails, ramps, hallway lighting, signage, and hand sanitizer stations to make sure all areas are designed with safety in mind.
Resident interactions and sense of community
Ask questions about the social environment in the community. Is the community more like traditional apartment living, where residents keep to themselves? Or does the community offer a lot of group activities and encourage interactions between residents? Ask about the types of activities offered to make sure they align with your interests.
Dining options and food quality
Many senior communities have a main dining room and multiple smaller on-site dining options, such as cafes, coffee shops, grab-and-go meals, or pub-style dining. If possible, arrange to have a meal in one of the community’s dining facilities. That gives you a chance to sample the food and see firsthand how dining staff can accommodate special requests or dietary needs.
Personal references
Ask if you can talk to current residents and their families about the community life. Getting firsthand testimonials can be instructive for you. You can also learn more about how the community really operates by hearing from people who have experience with the services and amenities they offer.
You may want to visit communities more than once before making an informed decision.
Understand Costs, Contracts, and Amenities
It’s important to have a clear picture of everything that the community offers, and under what terms. You shouldn’t have any surprises when you sign a final contract. Sit down with staff from the business office to discuss costs in detail, as well as their billing and payment policies.
Ask for written information about costs and services, including.
- A comprehensive list of resident costs. If there are multiple packages or plans, review all of the options.
- The community’s policies about cost increases over time. If annual fees go up, find out how much those increases will be.
- The difference in cost between levels of care, and what to expect for a transition between levels.
- A detailed list of services and which ones are included as part of basic costs, versus the ones that are available for additional fees.
- Dining plan options. Ask which on-site facilities are included in a dining plan, how dining is billed (monthly or weekly package, à la carte costs), and any additional costs for guests to attend meals.
- Amenity access: Ask if there are additional costs to take advantage of on-site amenities, such as a fitness center, salon, and classes. In addition, ask about transportation options and the associated costs.
While discussing finances can be complicated and uncomfortable, it’s essential to have a comprehensive understanding of the costs associated with senior living communities. This is a significant investment, and you are entitled to know all the details before you make a decision. Staff at the community should be cooperative and transparent about pricing and contract terms.
Make Your Final Decision with Confidence
After taking tours, collecting references, and gathering contract information, you can make an informed choice about senior living communities. You and family members can review all the information together and share your impressions of each community. It might be helpful for everyone to list pros and cons for each facility. This may highlight particular benefits or concerns associated with different communities.
When you’re down to your top two or three choices, it’s time to take a deep breath and make a decision. After a thorough review and respectful conversations with family members, let your instincts and self-awareness guide you as you select a community to call home.
Discover the Vivante Difference
If you’re looking for a fulfilling senior living experience that provides a welcoming environment, personalized care, premium amenities, and a stunning setting, look no further than Vivante. Our Newport Center and Newport Mesa communities offer independent and assisted living, along with memory care, in an elegant setting with access to top-level senior care.
Schedule a tour today and discover how Vivante can meet all your senior living needs!
