Looking for Assisted Living Facility: Who Should I Ask?

If you’re looking for an assisted living facility, it’s not easy finding the right one. But it is extremely important to take the time to find out if the fit it right. After all, it is going to become home for you or a loved one for a period of time. You want to make sure you select a facility in which you feel both comfortable and adequately cared for.

What to Look for in Assisted Living Facilities

Overall, you want to select a facility that offers the particular services you need for your health and life care. It should be clean, in your price range, and run well, and you should feel as if you’d be comfortable living there.

One of the best ways to uncover what an assisted living facility is really like to ask those who directly interact with it: the residents, former residents, employees, and referral sources.

Key People to Ask:

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Online Reviews

Referring to online reviews of an assisted living facility is a great way to read what other people like or dislike about a place. Reviews can include opinions on the facility itself, the staff, food, amenities and any aspect of care. Keep in mind that these are the writer’s own opinions and experiences, and may not be your experiences; however, if you see the same complaint over and over again, it may be worth investigating. It is best to keep these reviews in mind as you make your own inspections and opinions about a facility in which you are interested.

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Former Employees

If you know someone who used to work at the assisted living facilities you’re researching, ask them about their experiences there. Did they like working there? Why did they leave? What was the working environment like? In their opinion, how were the residents treated? Were the residents happy and well-cared for? What problems did they see, and what would they change if they could? Finally, would they recommend that facility for your loved one?

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Ask to meet current and former residents.

All assisted living facilities will offer a tour of the facility when you come in. Take this a step further and ask to speak to some of the residents and ask for referrals to a couple of former residents. Question From them, you will learn a lot about the true experience of a stay there. Ask these people about their experiences, and don’t hesitate to ask how do/did they feel about living there. Do/did they like it? Would they refer a loved one to the same place? How is the food and nursing care? Are there enough activities to keep one active? How do they handle an emergency? You will surely have questions of your own as well.

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Ask a nurse or doctor what he or she has heard about that facility.

Many people are referred to an assisted living facility by their nurse or physician. These professionals often know the inside scoop about a particular facility, so ask them what they think. Ask also if they know of any problems, or have recommendations on questions to ask or things to look for during your visit. Ask if they have referred other patients there, and if they have received any feedback from those individuals.

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Look up local news stories about the facility.

Bad news travels fast, so if there has been a problem or an issue at the assisted living facility you’re investigating, it will likely have made the news. Use an Internet search, like Google, and enter the name of the facility enclosed by quotation marks (e.g. “Green Valley Commons”). Scroll down through several pages to see if any news stories pop up on the feed. You can also refer to your local newspaper or media outlet and put the name of the facility into the Search bar. Any references to the facility will pop up.