Touring an assisted living or care community
A tour is a sales visit, so it helps to arrive with your own questions and to trust what you see and smell as much as what you're told. Visit more than once if you can, including an unscheduled drop-in. Bring this list.
What to notice yourself
- Are current residents engaged, groomed, and comfortable — or parked and unattended?
- Does the place feel and smell clean, without a heavy cover-up of air freshener?
- Do staff greet residents warmly and by name?
- Try a meal in the dining room if they'll let you
Questions about care and staffing
- What is the staff-to-resident ratio during the day, and overnight?
- How is care re-assessed as needs change, and what happens if needs exceed what they offer?
- How are medications handled, and who is on site to respond to an emergency?
- What is the staff turnover like? High turnover is one of the most telling signs — ask directly.
Questions about cost and the contract
- What exactly is included in the base rate, and what triggers extra fees?
- How often, and by how much, have prices risen in recent years?
- What are the move-out and refund terms if it isn't the right fit? Read the contract at home, not at the table — take it with you.
Keep going
Talking with a parent about needing help
How to raise driving, safety, money, and care without it becoming a fight — one calm conversation at a time.
Open →
Caring for a parent from far away
How to stay genuinely helpful from another city — build a local circle, a routine, and a plan for emergencies.
Open →
Your first week as a caregiver
The handful of things that actually matter in the first seven days — and what can wait.
Open →Working out the bigger picture too? See what care costs, the programs that may help pay for it, or take the Care Needs Check to sort out what level of help fits.