Maybe your loved one is experiencing a decline in health. Sometimes, they just want to avail themselves of the luxuries of senior living like cleaning, laundry and dining services. Perhaps they could benefit from the social aspects of community living. No matter the reason, when your loved one decides their interested in making the move, you want to help them find one of the best senior living facilities in your area. But chances are, you’ve never done this before. There are a lot of options, and the task seems daunting. You can help by doing your research. Here is an outline of ways to do that.
Read Online Reviews
The best place to start is with a basic web search. Look for all the facilities in your area and see what your options are. Remember that the first few places that pop up in a search are likely based on geography alone, and not their ratings. Then, check out reviews on Yelp or Google. Visit their Facebook pages. Remember, these are not verified sources, and people tend to gripe a lot online. Read as many as you can, and see if any pattern develops in what reviewers are saying. If many of them mention the same high or low points, there may be some validity to it. Still, keep it in mind but take it with a grain of salt.
Ask Friends and Family for Recommendations
You can also solicit recommendations from people you trust. You know their sensibilities and they know yours. Ask your friends, your neighbors, and your extended family if they’ve ever done research on the best senior living communities — whether in your area or not — and inquire about how it turned out. Was their loved one happy with the selection? Is there anything they wish they’d researched but didn’t? Learn from their successes and mistakes. Maybe even talk to their loved ones who are living in a community. Get information first-hand.
Seek Referrals from a Physician
Also, speak with your or your loved one’s physician. Have they recommended any senior living communities to other patients? Or are any of their patients currently living in a community that they seem happy with? Their doctor will also be better equipped to judge a community’s level of preparedness for your loved one’s specific needs and for medical emergencies. Learn what the doctor’s priorities are in a senior living community.
Visit Websites
Once you have a good sense of the best senior living facilities according to reviewers and friends, visit each of those communities’ websites. Some of them will be little more than a brochure with addresses, phone numbers, and a general sales pitch. Others may have detailed information on their offerings, as well as information on aging well. If the information is available, see if they offer the appropriate level of care, and the type of living space your loved one desires — do they just get a room, or do they have full apartments? While a good website is not necessarily indicative of the care they offer, it may be an indicator of how easy it may be to communicate with them.
Visit the Top Picks
When you narrow down your list of the best senior living facilities in your area, it’s important to visit them in person. Schedule some tours, and if your loved one is up to it, bring them with you for the visit. Go armed with a list of questions you want to ask and take a good look around on your tour. Does the staff seem attentive? Do they know residents by name? Do the residents seem happy? Social? See how your loved one reacts to the environment. Does it feel like a place where they’ll fit in and be comfortable? Along the way, also keep an eye out for cleanliness, personal touches that make it feel like home, and the level of activity happening. It’s also a good idea to visit a second time, unscheduled. See if anything looks different when they aren’t expecting you. Some communities will even offer overnight visits for your loved, where they can try it out and spend some time with other residents.
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