You Can Find the Right Senior Care Community with These 6 Tips

It is never easy to admit that you or a loved one needs help with their day to day living. The good news is that people do report being happier after they retire than they expected. Nearly half (48%) of retirees who responded to a Money survey by saying they were enjoying their time after retiring more than they thought they would. When people make the move from their own homes to assisted living communities, they report similar results. They are generally happier than they expected they would be. Some of this could be because the center offers great senior care organized outings but a lot of it is just the ability to do more group activities and to spend more time with other people.

Once you have made the decision to move yourself or your loved one in to one of the area retirement communities, you have the job of finding one that you like.

1. Decide what you are looking for in a senior living community. Are you looking for one that offers senior care organized outings? Do you need to find a place that offers certain medical care or other personal care for seniors? Do you need the facility to be in a certain geographic location? Knowing what you want and need from the senior living facility will help you find one that meets your needs.
2. Ask about the staff. What is the staff turnover rate like at the retirement community? You should look for assisted living facility where the staff is treated well enough to want to work there. Reputable nursing and assisted living facilities have staff members who have been with the facility for years. You want to find a place where the staff are happy and want to work there.
3. Talk to the staff. Do they enjoy interacting with the residents? Do they seem happy? Ask them about their work week, how many hours they work and what made them want to work at an assisted living facility? How many staff members are on duty during the week, at night and on the weekend? Management may have a different view of how happy their staff is than the staff members themselves. Look at how the staff interact. Pay attention to the way the residents respond to the staff.
4. Visit the facility during meal time. First of all, the quality of the meals they offer will make a difference in the quality of life experienced by the people who live there. Going during meal time also will give you a good chance to talk to the residents. Talk to them and ask how they chose the facility and what they think of life there. Have they attended any of the senior care organized outings? Do they take part in the activities? What do they think about the staff? How happy do they seem?
5. Check out the grounds. Walk around the buildings and check for bad or strong odors. Accidents happen so one problem may not indicate anything but it may. Check the areas like the windows to see if they are cleaned and dusted on a regular basis. Check behind the drapes. Ask about how often the fire extinguishers are serviced and maintained. If you can look at the kitchen, do that. A reputable senior care facility will have no problem letting you check all of their spaces out. When you are doing your research, look for any code violations or complaints against the facility.
6. What activities do they have? Are there regular senior care organized outings? Are there bridge games for people who like that? Are there any exercise opportunities? Getting exercise is important for adults of all ages and this is just as true for seniors. Ask what opportunities the residents of the facility have to get the exercise they need to get and stay healthy. This can really make difference in their quality of life.

Finding the right senior care facility for yourself or someone you care about can take a lot of work and time but it is worth it to find the right place. You will feel better about your choice if you researched it first.