Blog

One of the hardest parts of a family member aging, is when your spouse or elder parent’s care becomes more than you can physically or emotionally manage in your home or theirs.  When trying to a choose the best possible home for your loved one, look for the best care available at all hours of the day and at night.

 Here are a few hints of what to look for in a quality senior living community:

• Compare costs from other local communities. Don’t pay more than you need.
• Plan ahead of time.  Often, the highest rated homes have waitlists.
• Consider a smaller care community.  Bigger does not mean better.
• Look past the fancy exterior and see how the patients are treated – is the staff caring? Engaged? Friendly? Respectful?  Do the residents seem anxious or at ease? Are they happy in their homes?
• Visit a community more than once.  Eat the food.  Talk to the residents.  Meet their families.
• Find out how the staff communicates information with the families.  How are concerns handled and what happens when there is a dispute?
• Ask about resident turnover, outside of deaths.
• Find out how your loved one will be integrated into the community of care workers and other residents.