Beyond the Tour – Choosing a Senior Living Community

Take a tour of any senior living community you’re interested. You need to meet the people and see the campus.

But as a side note, our residents tell us there typically isn’t one defining moment in which they made their decision.

Instead, there’s a group of experiences and interactions that in total, pointed them to our community.  

Here are five non-tour ways to help you make your decision. 

5 Tips To Help Choose a Senior Living Community

1. Website Visit

Do some research online by visiting the website of each community. Look for campus events and activities, review floor plans and amenities and seek out menus and a fitness or wellness center. 

Does the community have social pages? Take a look at them to see what types of experiences are typical on campus. The more information you have about a community before you visit, the more comfortable you will be when touring.  

2. Try A Staycation

Once you’ve narrowed down your search to two or three communities, ask if they offer an overnight stay so you can get a ‘preview’ of life there. Try to select a day when there’s a program or event going on that you’d like to participate in. 

While on campus be sure to eat in one or more of the dining venues, engage with current residents, take a class in their fitness center – focus on immersing yourself in the culture as much as possible. The more you learn and experience on each campus the easier it will be to make your decision.

3. Meet Residents

Many communities will offer to introduce you to current residents, and it’s a good idea to take advantage of this. Enjoy a meal with them, join them on a day trip or visit them in their home. 

Ask to speak with a resident council member or see the minutes from a recent meeting, which can give you greater insight on resident engagement.

4. Do You Feel Comfortable There?

Could you see yourself living there? This is a very important and oftentimes undervalued question.  Where you energized on your visit? Was the campus comfortable for you? Did you feel you could jump right in and be part of the community lifestyle? 

Honestly answering these this questions after each visit will help you narrow down your choices.

5. Pros and Cons List 

Get out the pen and paper, or spreadsheet, and start your list. You may surprise yourself by caring about features and benefits you didn’t think you would. 

After touring and researching it’s possible you’ll discover that apartment living is exactly what you want even if you went in looking at patio homes. Or maybe you’d love to get back to swimming every day and it hadn’t occurred to you until you saw the aquatic center. 

Your pros and cons list will help you evaluate and consider what’s most important to you in your new home.

About Your Tour

When you visit a community plan on a 2-hour meeting and tour. Give yourself plenty of time to see as much as the campus as you want. Which may include multiple apartments or patio homes, dining spaces, fitness center, etc. Note how staff and residents interact and the overall feel of the place. 

Take as many tours as you need to make your decision. By giving yourself all the information you need, you can be confident when making your decision. 

Make sure you know all your senior living options with this FREE eBook!