Tips for touring prospective retirement communities

Touring potential retirement communities, whether Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care or Skilled Nursing, is not that different from touring college campuses for my kids: they all sound good; the tour guides enumerate the many benefits; and you leave with thick folders of marketing materials that look pretty similar. How do you possibly begin to differentiate?

1. Schedule your tour ahead of time. If you simply drop in and ask for a tour, there’s a fair chance no one in the marketing department will be available, or if they are, they will not have the time to do but a minimal one. Some places can get you in for a 30-60 minute tour within a few days; for others, like Carolwoods, it can take over a month to get in.
2. Ask people you trust for recommendations (neighbors, friends, civic groups or congregation members). In the Triangle region alone, there are over eighty options. Try to get that number down to six to eight.
3. Do your homework. Have a set of questions prepared beforehand that you ask each option.
4. Don’t visit more than two in one day. I understand that, especially for folks coming in from out-of-town, more is not necessarily better. They really do start to blur together.
5. Pick up a brochure that includes prices, an activity calendar, a sample menu and a list of what is covered in the monthly cost—and what is not.
6. Schedule your tour around a meal time or other activity that draws residents out, so you will get a good glimpse of who is living there.
7. If there are different levels of care, ask to tour each. An independent Living apartment can look beautiful and shiny, especially if it’s the model apartment, but what does a lived-in room on the Assisted Living, Memory Care or Skilled Nursing look like? Get price lists for each.
8. Don’t go by looks alone. A place that is physically beautiful might have poor care by a constantly-changing temp staff. Ask about care-giver to resident ratios and staff satisfaction and longevity.
9. See if the marketing department (or one of your friends) can set you up to have a meal or visit with a resident. This way you can get a more balanced perspective on the place.
10. Take your time because whatever place you finally settle on—for yourself or your loved one—it is likely you will pay far more than you ever paid for college.

Good luck. Check out some of my earlier columns on the differences between Independent, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care Retirement Communities.