Thinking about assisted living for you or a loved one? Before you pull the trigger on an assisted living facility, we want to make sure you’re set up for success in this next exciting chapter of your life.

On the one hand, you could offer to help yourself as your loved one’s primary caregiver. On the other hand, an assisted living community can offer complete care services and the companionship of a community, which will be beneficial for the journey ahead.

Either way, we understand that finding the best assisted living arrangement for your unique situation can be challenging. But not to worry, because we’re here to help.

Village Walk here: for more than 20 years, we’ve been helping older adults and their loved ones with finding the right care solutions for their needs.

In this article, we’ll show you how to evaluate assisted living facilities so you can make the right decision for you and your loved one’s needs.

Some of the most expeditious and fruitful ways of evaluating assisted living facilities include:

• First, determining your loved one’s needs and wants
• Then, reaching out to friends, family, and trusted loved ones in your area
• Next, tour assisted living facilities that meet your standards and criteria for quality care
• Ask questions to the senior living facility in question.
• Inquire about hidden costs and contracts
• Make the most of the available resources to you.

Questions to help you evaluate assisted living facilities

1. Does the community hold Medicare certifications? 2. Is the community licensed by the state? 3. How accessible is the community for individuals with disabilities? 4. Do the residents look happy, well-cared for, and satisfied? 5. How does the staff interact with the residents? How clean is the community?

Start with your loved one’s needs and wants

If you’re wondering where to start choosing assisted living facilities for you or a loved one, consider asking yourself: what services are needed now and in the future?

For example, an older adult may need help with everyday activities, physical therapy, nursing care, hospice care, dementia, or memory care support. With that being said, every community caters to different needs.

As such, you’ll want to reach out to a healthcare provider and your loved one to determine which services would be most helpful for you and your loved one.

Once you’ve determined your loved one’s needs and wants, consider which features would be important to your loved one. You can have a chat with your loved one and ask them about the following:

• Meals
• Social and recreational activities
• Potential to practice one’s spirituality or religion
• The community’s proximity to family and friends

Once you and your loved one are clear on the ideal features of an assisted living community, it’s time to start reaching out to other trusted loved ones to determine the next steps.

Reach out to friends, family, and trusted loved ones in your area

Why do we mention reaching out to friends, family, and trusted loved ones if the decision is yours to make? The truth is that friends, family, and others in the area can help provide testimonial feedback on long-term care facilities they’ve experienced.

They’ll tell you whether they were happy with the community, whether the community has quality care support, and much more. For example, you can reach out to health care providers, social workers, religious groups, and support groups in your community who are familiar with the assisted living community you’re considering.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for other options for your and your loved one’s healthcare needs, you can also rely on trusted loved ones and healthcare professionals to suggest other quality residential care communities worth considering.

Reach out to and visit different assisted living facilities in your area

Now that you’ve determined your loved one’s care needs and compiled a list of questions to ask your friends and trusted loved ones, you’ll want to identify a few facilities of interest to contact.

Reach out to each place on your list, and ask questions about how many people live in the community, the cost of care, and whether they offer multiple levels of care.

Also, consider mentioning any needs and preferences you have about the care provided, as well as other on-site activities that are important to you and your loved one.

Consider also asking whether the facility offers immediate availability or if a waiting list exists to sign up for their services. Before making your decision, you’ll want to visit several communities in person to familiarize yourself with the facility’s operations and residents’ opinions about the community.

On tour day, make plans to meet the director, the nursing director, and the director of life enrichment at the facility.

Also, you might consider looking for the following:

• The community’s Medicare and Medicaid certifications
• State licensing
• Accessibility for people with disabilities
• If residents look happy, well-dressed, and cared for by the staff members
• An ethos of compassion, grace, and kindness between staff and residents
• The cleanliness, comfort, and maintenance available at the facility

Follow up with different assisted living facilities

After you’ve made your first visit and observed all these key details, make a second unscheduled visit, preferably on a different day of the week than the day you visited.

Why?

Because you’ll be able to attend different activities, observe different meal times, and assess whether the food looks appetizing and the community’s common rooms are clean.

When you make an ad hoc visit, you’ll see how life looks when the community isn’t preparing for your visit. Doing so will tell you a great deal about how the community conducts itself from moment to moment.

Ask questions about the facilities during visits

What’s more, when you’re visiting, don’t hesitate in asking questions. In our eyes, no question is trivial, and all inquiries are welcome (and encouraged!).

Ask about anything important or of concern to you and your loved one. If you need a little inspiration, here are a few ideas for questions you can ask the staff:

• About staff members: what’s the staff-to-resident ratio? What kind of training and licensure do the staff hold? How many staff are trained to provide medical care?
• About the staff longevity at the facility: how long has the director and leadership team been working at the facility? What is the turnover like at the facility?
• About healthcare: are physical therapists, occupational therapists, mental health professionals, and other life-care specialists available on a regular basis? How often are residents able to check in with licensed healthcare professionals? What’s the transportation situation like when attending medical appointments and other events?
• About memory care: Does the community offer residents with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia support and care?
• About safety and common areas: Can residents safely access the great outdoors? If, for example, an infectious disease were to arrive, how would the facility manage the care for its residents and ensure a safe environment for all?

The more you can ask questions, the better feel you’ll have for the living options available to you and your loved one. Consider asking questions to discover all that assisted living facilities offer.

Inquire about upfront (& hidden) costs and contracts

Every facility is different with fees and contracts. So, you’ll want to determine which services are and aren’t included in the costs.

What’s more, you’ll want to ask about different ways to cover the cost of care. The facility often has a finance or business office manager who can help you determine what help is available for you and your loved one.

Whether you’re using long-term care insurance, private funds, or community-sponsored support, you’ll want to read contracts carefully. Make sure all the agreements are clear, and ask questions about any of the fine print that doesn’t make sense to you.

Finally, before signing the contract, read it once more. You want to make sure you understand exactly what’s included to help you make an informed decision and ensure the right fit for your loved one.

Use resources to help you choose an assisted living facility

Did you know that the nationwide cost of Alzheimer’s care was nearly $109 billion in 2011? The U.S. paid more for Alzheimer’s care than care for heart disease and cancer, respectively (Statista.com, 2013).

And this research was conducted more than a decade ago, before scientists and researchers were able to diagnose Alzheimer’s and dementia-related conditions with greater accuracy and earlier in its trajectory.

Given the growing cost of assisted living and dementia care, you’ll want to learn more about the options for long-term care residential care. The following resources may help cover the cost of care and may be helpful to you.

• LongTermCare.gov
• The Administration for Community Living’s Eldercare Locator website
• Your local Area Agency on Aging or Department of Human Services
• Medicare’s Care Compare tool to locate and compare skilled nursing home care and senior care for your loved one

Did you know?

Did you know that October is National Long-Term Care Planning Month? We know that finding long-term care resources that cover the cost of assisted living can be challenging.

But, you don’t have to do it alone. Help is available.

To connect with a member of our staff team to learn more about long-term care planning and its benefits, we invite you to explore an article on our Facebook page written by one of our trusted partners.

Get Village-level support when evaluating assisted living facilities

Finding the right support takes a village. And know that you always have a village on your side.

What’s more, we’re all about offering village-wide support.

Our expert assisted living specialists have more than 20 years of experience providing assisted living care to seniors and older adults across the Patchogue, NY area. Whether your loved one needs medication management, help with activities of daily living (ADLs), or support for one or more medical conditions, our Village can handle it all.

If you’re curious to learn more about assisted living — or the levels of care in assisted living and/or how we incorporate dimensions of wellness into assisted independent living — give us a call.

No surcharges, upfront fees, or hassles. Just friendly and helpful advice.

To learn more about our Village or how to evaluate assisted living facilities and communities, don’t hesitate to contact us. You can reach us at (631) 503-9000 or villagewalkseniorlivinglife@villagewalkseniorliving.com.

We look forward to being of service to you and wish you all the best on the journey ahead.

Assisted Living for Older Adults in Patchogue, NY: Welcome to Our Village