assisted living community Archives - Retirement Connection

The following suggestions can help you get started in your search for a safe, comfortable and appropriate assisted living community:

Licensing requirements for assisted living facilities vary by state and can be known by as many as 26 different names including: residential care, board and care, congregate care, and personal care. A complete list of each state’s terminology and state regulations can be found online.

Choosing A Community

A good match between a community and a resident’s needs depends as much on the philosophy and services as it does on the quality of care.

The following suggestions can help you get started in your search for a safe, comfortable and appropriate assisted living community:

What are your future needs and how will the community meet those needs?
Is the community close to family and friends? Are there any shopping centers or other businesses nearby (within walking distance)?
Visit each community more than once, sometimes unannounced.
Visit at meal times, sample the food, and observe the quality.
Observe interactions among residents and staff and ask questions.
Ask about social, recreational, and spiritual activities.
Ask about the type and frequency of staff trainings.
Review state licensing reports.

These steps should also be considered:

Contact your state’s long-term care ombudsman to see if any complaints have recently been filed against the assisted living community you are interested in. In many states, the ombudsman checks on conditions at assisted living units and nursing homes.
If the assisted living community is connected to a nursing home, ask for information about it, too. (Information on nursing homes can be found on the Medicare website.

Source

Due to the large number of Adult Foster Homes, not all are listed in this guide. These links provide a complete list:

By Retirement Connection staff