Getting the Help You Need: 6 Considerations to Make Before Choosing Your Elder Care Facility

If you are prepared to take the leap into an elder care facility, you want to make sure you find just the right one for your particular needs. You don’t want to have to move again after a short period of time.

As with any real estate transaction, it’s all about the location. You’ll want to check with a reputable elder care service to see what locations they offer before investing time in a visit.

Check PegasusSeniorLiving.com and the numerous other companies that offer elder care homes around the country.

Below are 6 factors to consider before you choose an elder care home:

1. Location

An ideal location is not only one that is close to loved ones, but is it close to the things you like to do and be nearby. If you enjoy more of a country style living arrangement, you may not be happy living in a home that is on the main street in the center of a city.

If you prefer city life, you may want to select a place that is closer to the places you enjoy exploring, such as museums, the theater and cultural centers.

Something else to consider is transportation. Does the facility have its own bus or cars to transport you where you want to go? How much does it cost versus keeping your own car?

When thinking about holding on to your own vehicle, be sure to include the insurance, maintenance and upkeep as well as any parking permit fees in the calculation.

2. Levels of Service

If you are executing this decision for yourself, then you may not need that much additional care at this time. You may desire a place that takes care of the lawn and house cleaning, offers individual or family counseling, and perhaps features a pleasant place for meals every evening. This type of housing is an assisted living apartment where the aid is minimal.

As you grow more elderly and your need for help increases, a place like this may support a transitional area where residents can move towards more individual care. And then there would be a maximum care facility for those with cognitive or physical illnesses that prevent them from caring for themselves.

It might be worth your time to relocate into a facility that possesses several levels of care right from the start, even if you don’t need any more than a little help at first. It would be more comfortable and simple to move within a campus than to an entirely new facility.

3. Meals

If you explore a place, you are considering moving into, make sure you test a meal or two there. If you don’t like the food, it may not be the place for you – cooking for yourself can get tiresome and enjoying meals with others will help combat loneliness.

Many of the senior living places have deluxe eateries where you can enjoy an entire menu of foods to choose from. This type of amenity is often included in the monthly living fees.

If you have any dietary restrictions, you may want to talk to the kitchen staff before making your ultimate decision. If they can accommodate your restrictive diet, then this place may need to move to the top of the list of possibilities.

4. Activities

You want a residential care program to have activities you will enjoy. If they merely offer Bingo, every other weekend, and you don’t have a car. This may not be the place for you.

Some of the modern facilities include small movie theaters as well as swimming pools and/or bowling lanes. These places are more like living in an all-inclusive hotel or a resort. They want you to feel comfortable and properly taken care of, yet give you the opportunity to do thrilling things on your own.

Another possible activity on the grounds is gardening. If the facility has a large enough plot of land, you may ask if they would help with a community garden. Planting seasonal vegetables and pretty flowers always raise the spirits of the gardeners.

Most of these senior living places maintain a private, non-denominational house of worship that is open almost every day for those who want a spiritual or prayer aspect to their lives. In addition to in-house activities, they may plan outings to various festivals, museums and other places of interest for you and the other residents. You and the others should have a vote in where these outings take place.

5. Staff

When you inspect a place for the first time, observe how the staff treats the residents when they don’t think they are being watched. You want to feel comfortable with a staff member who may be assisting you with medication, meals or cleaning.

Is the nursing staff and the maintenance staff kind to each other as well as those who live in the facility? And you can ask to verify the staff’s credentials. No one should refuse your inquiry regarding certifications and background checks. This is something the management should have readily available.

6. Learning Opportunities

Just because you are older, doesn’t mean you want to stop learning. Check to see if the facility offers continuing education and hobby classes.

These could be lessons for a foreign language, pottery, embroidery, computers, singing and dancing, cooking and many other options.

Ultimately, when considering a move to an established senior living facility, it’s smart to ask a lot of questions. If there is something you don’t understand, make sure to ask about it.

One of the most involved issues for nearly everyone to appreciate is the financial obligation and how it works along with insurance. The center should have a dedicated staff member who deals with insurance and the various other financial obligations related to your stay. After all, payments to the senior living facility should be one of the last things you need to worry about. It should be one of the first things you check on before signing up to live in a place, but the monthly payments should be done automatically and without worry.