5 Things to look for when Researching Senior Living Communities
Researching Senior Living Communities for you or a loved can be time consuming.
Having worked in Senior Living Sales for 10 years, at 11 different Senior Living Communities, as well as serving as a Senior Living Advisor for over 4 years, I have gained knowledge on what one should look for when considering which option is best for them.
Here are 5 things to assist in your search:
Friendliness of staff and residents
Do not base your decision off solely of your interaction with the sales person.
If other staff introduces themselves to you it is a good indicator that they will be friendly when you live there.
Staff and residents interacting with one another is a good indicator that there will be less turn-over, which equates to residents receiving more consistent care and better service.
Also, resident’s interacting with each other signals that you will be warmly welcomed.
Activities
Look at the activity calendar before the tour.
See if the activity(s) are being lead and how well attended they are.
Are the types of activities you are interested in are on the calendar?
Ask if you can recommend an activity or outing be added to the calendar.
Meals
Food choices, quality, nutrition and socialization will improve your overall health and well-being.
Find out if meal times are scheduled, a window of time or all day to determine if it fits with your daily routine.
Be sure to try a few meals in the communities you are considering to see how quickly the food is served, how residents interact during meal time as well as the overall presentation of the food, quality and variety on the menu.
Resident Satisfaction
If I were to recommend one thing to do before deciding on a community, it would be to speak with as many residents as possible.
In speaking with the residents, you will find out more information than you would from speaking with staff.
Keep in mind, there are some residents that, no matter how hard a community tries to please, will always be dissatisfied, which is why I recommend speaking with more than 5.
Staffing Ratios
Pay attention to how many caregivers you see during your tour.
Ask how many caregivers, med-aides and nurses are on duty during each shift.
Keep in mind, many communities base the number of care staff off of the acuity levels of the residents.
Number of staff on duty is determined by the number of hours of caregiving needed to meet all the care needs of the residents.
Lastly, is the care staff serving meals or are there separate dining wait staff serving food in the dining room.
If I had a choice, I would prefer the person serving my food during mealtime wasn’t also assisting residents with showers and toileting.
Researching and finding the best Senior Living Community for you or a loved one is a difficult decision and very time consuming. Senior One Source can provide you with local cost free, hassle free, worry free and search free information on which community best fits you or a loved ones needs.
For Cost Free guidance and advice on Senior Living Communities contact your local Trusted Senior Living Advisor here.
Article written by Kelley Rogers: Trusted Senior Living Advisor with Senior One Source