There’s a lot to think about when choosing an assisted living community for an aging loved one that requires a certain level of daily support. You want to ensure they not only get the medical care and attention they need, but you also want to ensure they enjoy the environment they’re in.
That’s why you or a loved one may be considering a move into an assisted living facility.
When sifting through the options, there are # important questions to ask assisted living facility managers to see if they’re the right fit:
1. How Does Your Community Welcome New Residents?
Moving into an assisted living community is an adjustment for aging adults. The first few days and weeks are critical as they can impact how your loved one feels about their new home.
Therefore, it’s important to ask how the assisted living team provides support during this adjustment period. You also want to ensure that the staff makes an effort to get to know the residents within the community and the steps they take to ensure newcomers feel welcome and at home.
2. What Kind of Training Does Your Staff Undergo?
A critical component of assisted living communities is a well-educated and certified staff that knows what they’re doing and genuinely cares about the residents living there.
You want to ask about the community’s compliance standards and training for whole-person care. Listen carefully to what they tell you about their philosophy of care and their staff-to-resident ratio.
3. Will Your Staff Be On-Site 24/7?
Assisted living facilities typically have teams that work in day and night shifts. This is to ensure the health, well-being, and safety of all the residents living there.
You’ll want to ask about the type of personnel that’s available around the clock. It’s also a good idea to inquire about care regarding activities of daily life (ADLs), such as bathing care, medication management, nursing practitioners, and so on.
4. What Meal Services Do You Provide?
You want to make sure that your loved one gets a nice variety of dining options to choose from, regarding nutrition, quality, and of course, taste. Be sure to ask about menu options and meal planning options if your loved one has specific dietary requirements.
Ultimately, you want to ensure they’re accommodating and can provide a healthy variety of meals and snacks.
5. What Types of Activities Do You Offer?
The goal here is to see if the assisted living community offers a diverse range of activities and plenty of opportunities for socializing. More importantly, you want to make sure that the community and staff do all they can to make sure the residents are happy and engaged.
It’s a good idea to ask if the staff consults with the residents about the types of activities they enjoy or would like to try in the future, and how they incorporate that feedback on top of providing opportunities for growth.
6. Do the Residents Here Have a Voice?
This is an important question as the answer will demonstrate how committed the assisted living community is to creating an environment where residents will thrive.
Ask about how residents’ feedback is received and what influence they have over their own care plans, meal preparation, activities, amenities, and more. You’ll also want to find out if there’s a Resident Council or Town Hall-type meeting setup that allows the entire community to come together and voice their concerns.
7. How Is Family Incorporated?
You want a community that considers the importance of family and allows visitation, volunteer opportunities, and planned social activities and gatherings.
You also want to make sure that you and your family can meet with various departments and staff members to discuss concerns and matters regarding your loved one as well as how much of a say the immediate family has regarding their care.
8. How Do You Gauge Your Residents’ Happiness?
Resident satisfaction is a great indicator of how well an assisted living community is caring for its residents. Many facilities provide surveys or hold small group meetings to discuss how their residents feel about their living conditions to gain a better perspective on how well they’re providing for everyone there.
It’s also a good idea to sit down with different residents to see how they like their accommodations and what the facility offers.
There are a lot of important questions to ask a potential assisted living facility to see if they can offer your aging loved one everything they need and more. The most important question you need to ask, however, is how your loved one feels about the facility after the tour. Be sure that they get a say in the next chapter of their life as it’ll make the transition much easier.
Get in touch with us today at Sunflower Communities to schedule a tour of our facilities — and to ask all the questions you want regarding our philosophy and more.